Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1918-01-23
HOWARD FERGUSON
WRITES LETTER TO
BELD|MG FRIENDS
USES BANNER AS MEANS OF
REACHING ALL OF THEM AT
ONE TIME; To- FRANCE SOON

guar supply OihNS,
lst Motor Me-, Reg. Signal Corps,
Camp Hancock, Augusta, Ca,
January 10, 1918.
Belding Banner,
Belding, Michigan,
Dear Editor:
AS this is the last chance that will
have to write to my friends before !
go over / guess that will write to all
of them through you and save lot
of letter writing.
We have received orders to be ready
to move any time, SO of course we
will be on our way almost any day
now. OF course we do not know the
exact day or the hour because that
only comes at the last moment, but
we do know that we are all packed up
ard the whole regiment could be on
the move in thirty minutes or less. 1t
is generally understood that we will
/ leave from New York and i think that
| is pretty safe bet.
1t rained here all day until about
ten O'Clock tonight, (I am writing this
about one-thirty), when the rain
stopped and it started tv blow, first
! Just a little, and then a lot and in
thirty minutes it was blowing hurri-
cane. Tents were going every way
and every soldier in camp was out try
ing to keep his property from blowing
away. All fires were put out at once
so we did not have anything destroy
ed that way, but the wind blew down
great many tents and lot of dam
4 age was done. If a fire had started
/ in Company A., though, the whole
regiment would have went up in
smoke in less time than it takes to
write it. / had detail out trying to
keep things from blowing away and
an officers hat came flying out of the
clouds and the owner has not shown
up yet. And sand, say ten minutes
before it started to blow everything
was mud and ten minutes afterward
sand was flying so you could not face
the wind and it is blowing nice lit
tie breeze yet. This kind of weather
is one of the things that help to make
the life of a soldier pleasant. | am
going to roll up in blanket and sleep
right on desk in the Office tonight.
No tent for me, not this night.
| would like very much to come
home before go over, but that is one
of the things that we have to forget.
1t bothers fellow some when he
knows that he is going to leave the old
I u. S. A. for he does not know how
long, but we will have some time
when we come back, if we do come
back, and hope all the fellows will.
! | got the Banner that you sent me
last week and / enjoyed it very much
because it gives all the news from
home and news from home is some
thing to be priced when long ways
away from it.
I 1t sure has been some job to get
/ this regiment equipped, but it is all
over now; finished up tonight before
the storm. And, oh yes, before / for
get to tell you, the wind blew a ware
house-150 feet long and 80 feet wide
off its posts, which were all of six
I feet high. 1t never broke even some
lantern globes that were loose on the
floor, or tipped over anything. There
was guard not twenty feet away
and he did not know it went down un-
til we routed him up and asked him
when it happened.
do not hear from any of the. fell
lows, ! guess they have all forgotten
me because they sure know that | am
in this outfit-the fellows in the SER
vice | mean. If see them in France
will tell them about it all right,
perhaps some of them will read this
letter. hope it wakes them up. /
read in the Banner that Knapp and
Pilkinton were made corporals at
Camp Custer. l bet they were glad
of that as they will get out of all the
detail work and also policing up
around. Bashford is getting along
fine and he sends his best to everyone.
/ see him most every day and it
makes it a lot better, having some
one here from home. When we get
a little lonesome we get together and
talk over old times and it sure helps.
/ haven't told you anything new in
this letter. but / can't as there is
nothing to tell and Icould not tell il
if there was. BY the time you get
this / will be on my way to France
and should I get a chance there to
give you a line on the situation / sure
will. With best regards to all ! re-
main, Yours very truly,
Howard E. Ferguson.
Regimental Supply Sergeant. 1st
Motor Mechanics Regiment, Signal
Corps.
E~oo V,>~s,x "A fso,~