The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1918-04-19


lowing interesting letter from Gay
lord Shook:
Somewhere in France.
March 13, 1918.
Dear Mr.. Wilcox. Everybody is in |
bed but the lights are still on so l |
will just write little. All the fell
lows are real good now and go to bed
early, but there is reason" and
that reason is everyone is broke as is
generally the rule in the army at the
end of the month. We are at present
uuartered in (censured) and We sure
have some barracks, they are cleo
trie lighted, running water, and lots
of room Twelve of us are here and
each has a spring bed. We have good
eats, somewhat of a sameness tho.WeI
miss a little pie and cake now and
then, but l guess we can do without
lit. l weighed 126 lbs. when l was
back last summer-now | weigh 154.
so you see l am not starving.
We have to get up at 6.l5 and in
the barracks at at'night, except the
non-com, who get a IL o'clock pass.
| I never used a pass but once and
| that was to go to picture snow
| There is nothing to see in town after
4 8 as all the stores are closed the
flights are turned out on the streets
between nine and ten and then the
town is darker than a streak OF black
cats They have some good picture
shows, which run TO 1880.
The people here are interesting. One
sees the poorer class, with cheap gar
ments and wooden shoes, which they
shuttle along the street, and the rich
er class with better clothes, and
Heather shoes.No gaudy show though,
as the war has affected all classes.
have noticed seven different coun-
ltries represented here by soldiers,
the U. s., England, Belgium, France,
Italy, Algeria. and Poland.Sure some
color!
This is the fourth camp We have
been in since we landed in France.
; The first trip was in box cars, and
say what a trip! The French cars
are Is or 90 feet long and when you
get three squads in one car and enui
provisions for two days we have very
little room to roam" The last triT
however was in passenger coaches
not so bad, but they cant beat ouI
Pullmans.
i, Everybody run ont of tobacco
4 shortly after we landed and there
was no American brand to be had, SC
French tobacco for us. Imagine how
Il tasted? 1t looks like SHREDDED
wheat biscuit, onl va lot darker, anC
J smells and tastes like nodded alfalfa
: Wasn't much smoking until we got ;
: few packages of u. S. tobacco from
g the newspaper tobacco fund,so afte
> all we finally we're stocked up.
: I went through a chataux close t
our camp the other day. Built in tn
ll2th century, and still in good con
= dition. / got to talk with Fred Fen
ton and Jack Estes once since | hav
. been in France, and we moved shortl
: after | talked with them, and don
know where they are now. None o
the Meridian boys are in this regi
!. ment, they were taken away and
! have never heard from them.
!. Fine weather now. wish was a
/ home so l could put in a crop. Tn
/ only crop we will be able TO plan
If will be the German hardware the
G insist on throwing at us. Believe M
e Mr.. Wilcox, there is no place hk
v. home, and that home is in good oil
Y Idaho.
Well | must close. Give my be:
wishes to ALL / hope to be home b
this time next year. Your frien'
y, Corp. Gaylord V. Shook,
is III. Q. Dot. lI6 Engrs. A.E.F Franc