The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1918-02-05
WRITE Often,
SOLDIERS PLEA
TO HIS PARENTS

4 HGmG1mpeF 10 write OILen,. you
have no idea how much a letter
means to the boys over here.
Send me some tooth paste, some
shaving cream and some bouil-
Ion cubes, soap, smoking tobac-
CO and cigarets. Send them in a
good strong box that will not be
crushed en- route.
The above postscript to an in.
teresting letter written by Corpora
Edmund Gewalt Of the headquarters
company OF the 164th Infantry tC
his parents, Mr.. and Mrs. Louis &c.
walt, OF Breckenridge, Mimi, may
| carry q suggestion to some one else
who has friends "over there" The
letter, written before Corp. Gewalt
left England for France, follows:
Huts Well Built.
Dear Folks:
would have sent you a cablegram
when we landed but did not have a
| chance, as we were rushed right of
the boat to the railroad station and
from there ito Winchester, about zoe
miles from Liverpool. We were VI
all night before we got located in our
huts-in America they call them
barracks. Over here a single build
ing is called a hut and the entire
camp the barracks.
The huts are fairly we'll built, be-
ing made Of corrugated iron and are
about rs feet by so feet, with Is feet
ceilings and are heated by stoves Of
a style that was discarded by our
people % years ago. The stove is
SO inches high by IL inches in dia-
meter. It has a fire pot s or inches
N. III 81.
heat enough to warm q room OF the
had big furnaces to heat the bar
racks-great stuff.
We all thought about the home
folks and wished that we could have
been with you Christmas eve, We
rode most of the evening on the fam
Gus side-door railway cars, Just about
the time you were eating your Christ
mas dinner We were going to a Y,
NJ. C. A. about s p. m.
tried to drink a glass Of ale but 1t
tasted like stale beer-been which
had been opened for about ten days,
so a little ale goes a long ways.
Not Very Promising.
There are lots Of English soldiers
in this camp, and last night had
quite a talk with one of them re-
garding the war and what our duties
would consist of when we were over
there" I admit it didn't sound very
promising, but I am here to see It
through to a finish, for all that.
Most everybody seems confident
that the war win be over by the lat
ter part of the coming summer.
Just now all the fellows in this hut
are crowded around the stove trying
to keep warm.
We will be in this camp about q
week and then expect to leave for
France. Don't worry about me,
folks. Just write, and write often
and don't forget to send me the home
papers.
Ciaarets Are Bad.
VIII try and write you every day
and want you to do the same. Just
few more days and the New Year
will be with us. Probably by that
time we will all be in France or on
the way. Our barracks bags are
packed in a store room in town and
from what hear they were broken
into, as also were the officers lock-
ers. l don't know If this IL true or
not, but hope not, as hate TO lose
what few necessities / have, such as
cigarets, soap and SOCKS.
The cigarets here are bad and they
say, even worse in France, so send
tobacco and cigarets and send them
often.
Yesterday visited a little town, |
and a typical English town 1t was
the kind we used 20 read about. The |
country here is very beautiful to look |
at, so nice and rolling and with 30 |
many beautiful trees. The people take
great pride in the appearance or
their properties, and spend much time
IN keeping them ZIP. There are many /.
historic places rear here, such as
churches, monuments, etc.
We had tea and cakes at little
.avern conducted by a kind old Eng
ish lady. This cost pence, or 16
tents in American money, for three
If us. It seems funny to have a
pocket full Of money and not know
he value Of IL, but most OF us have
earned the value Of each piece. There
s no sugar IN any of the cakes or
cookies and it is hard to choke IL
Town. The woman who conducts the /
place where we had tea is only al
owed o half pound Of sugar a week.
Was over to the canteen a few
minutes ago and bought a cup OF I
socoa and some cookies for only |
The cocoa was fine but, |
oh, the cookies.
lust when we will leave for France /
do not know, but hope it will be
soon.
With much love,
Edmund.