Milford chronicle., 1918-03-01
MILFORD BOY NOW in
ITALY WRITES HOME
Dave Pruitt, Who Is In Aviation Ser
vice, Tells of His Trip
Across

Dave Pruitt, who until he enlisted il
the aviation branch of the army las
summer, was a rural mail carrier
driving out of Milford. wrote the loca
editor of the Milford Chronicle of his
trip across. The letter was received
on Monday of this week, and is of much
interest to his many friends. It fol
lows:
Tuesday, Jan. %, 1918.
Campo Sud. Foggia, Italy.
Dear MARSHALL
Thank you ever so much for that
package of Chronicles you sent me.
They have helped me so much. After
/ had read them l felt like a different
person. 1t seemed as if were back
home again, had seen all my friends
and had enjoyed long talk with them.
Unless you get away off from home
(I'm over 5000 miles away and away
from all those you know, you'll never
realize just how valuable the home
paper" really is. Without doubt the
investment l made when subscribing
for it was one of the best ever.
In an issue of December l saw
where you had published a letter l
wrote you while we were crossing. 1t
was a surprise to me. l had no idea
it would get through without being
cut all to pieces When l wrote it
put in a great deal more than l would
had l known what the censorship reg
ulations were. However, "all's well
that ends well", and l am glad you
were able to read it in its entirety.
Usually in a censored letter you read
along until you come to something
you would really like to know and you
find that part has been cut out
I'm going to take up the incidents
of our trip just where they ended in
my first letter. Do you remember that
l told you that my stomach had COM
menced to feel unsettled? Well, it f.
nally became "upsot'. Always though,
/ shall believe it was due to bad grape
fruit that we were served at break
fast. Anyhow, grapefruit l tasted
then and grapefruit tasted for some
time afterward whenever / happened
to think of that particular morning.
Our voyage across was very unevent-
full as far as anything concerning sub
marines entered into it, OF course,
the boats officials didn't become care
less. At all times, night and day, un-
til we landed at Liverpool November
10, a constant watch was maintained.
Our course took us up north of Ire
land and down the Irish Sea between
ireland and Scotland. l shall never
forget my first glimpse of those two
countries. The headlands on both
coasts stood out indistinctly, like a
huge mass of black cloud. In fact,
really thought they were that at first.
The Irish Sea was almost as quiet as
Silver Lake at home. It was very
peaceful and bright. If it had not
been for those guns peeping over the
sterns of the boats and for the pres
ence of those efficient looking British
destrOyers belching out their clouds
of smoke, the thought of war and pos
sible danger would never have enter
ed ones mind.
As we neared Liverpool the scene
changed greatly. At night the skies
we're illuminated by the reflections
from their great factories, which seem
TO be running night and day. To all
the banks of the Mersey
(the river on which the city is situat-
ed) are lined with these munitions
plants. Still nearer, little villages,
laid out, so it seemed from the boat,
according to a fixed rule, dotted the
plains on either side. The first thing
that strikes you when you reach the !
city proper is the wonderful system I
II docks and wharves. Sometime, af- {
.er / have returned, I'll tell you all /
tbout them. It would take too much I
n a letter. {
OF you find any mistakes, misspell- S
ID words, etc, from now on, don't hold I
ne responsible. Ny light is two can S
les set In a tin cigarette box; my U
hair, the side Of my bunk. Could be O
whole lot worse, at that.)
We finally docked at Liverpool about o
80 Saturday morning, November 10th. 8
t was around noon when we dlsem- o
first time we had set foot D
q solid ground since we left New York A
ity October 9th. After fooling away 81
or 4 hours on the dock, we entrained G
v Southampton. These English P
aims we're a surprise to US. They I"