New Britain herald. [microfilm reel] (New Britain, Conn.) 1890-1976, 1918-05-08
new BRITAIN BOYS
LIKE IT THERE
Bradley and O'Keele Send Inter-
esting Messages to Relatives

Mrs. Z. G. Bradley Of As Harrison
street and Mrs. John O'Keefe of 1870
North street have received Interesting
letters from their sons Leon Bradley.
the former High school athletic star.
and Frank O'keefe, who are in
Kaiser Wilhelm. Both letters indi-
cate that the boys are in good health
and are enjoying the experiences that
they are undergoing in splendid
manner. The letters follow:
Bugler Bradley writes as follows:
March %, 1918
Dear Folks:
1t is quite a long time since l had
a chance to write and | am writ
ing you to let you know that l am
safely back from the trenches. OF
course we are not actually in the
trenches very many days at a time,
but what time we were in, 1 can say
that l actually enjoyed. 1t was also
new and so different from what I
had imagined before hand that it
was very interesting and L did not
think Of the danger. I recognized my
old friend chlorine gas with which l
had experimental at school. I
had one or two pretty good tastes Of
1T but not enough to do any harm.
1t simply affected my nose and lungs
a little and made me feel a little
car sick. Of course it is foolish to
try and describe all the noises and
they cannot be written anyway. 1t is
a regular fireworks display al night,
taking all the signal rockets and
lights, colored and plain.
On the way back from the trenches
we stopped at a pretty little village
for few days. It was much differ
ent from the first one, everything be-
ing cleaner-people and all. [ be-
came acquainted with one family, as
[ generally do, and they seemed quite
attached to me. They seem to like
the Yanks for We are the first Amer
leans to spend any time here. They
consisted of an old man and lady who
have two sons away at war and a
daughter Is a nurse at a military
hospital, but home on a few weeks
leave, and her daughter, a, little girl
Of eight years. She is another Mag
dalen. She calls me her brother.
How is that for getting in strong?
On the other hand, l call her my lit
tie sister She Is quite pretty and
attractive and affectionate. This
family lived in Paris before the war
but they came to this quiet village
later. l have not received mail for a
couple Of weeks, but it is reasonable
to catch up when we settle down
again.
. I just wrote to let you know that
l am whole and unpunctured and to
set you at ease against rumors that
may be afoat.
March rs. 1918
We are again settled but, | do not
know how long. Part of the company
is quartered in barracks and part is
bileted. I am billeted with four UNI
attached men in an empty house
There is only one room that can be
used, and that used to be a Kitchen
We have a fireplace so everything is
quite comfortable. When we came in
received your box, the cake was good
although it was only thirty-eight days
old. There were five cakes in our
billet that day, and we all cut up our
cakes at different times, and passed
them around. I don't know how much
can say about the motoriation, it
came out in the papers, so there IS
no secret. The Machine Gun company
has small limbers drawn by mules
carrying the guns and ammunition.
These have simply been replaced by
Fords of the ambulance type.
OF course it is a quicker means Of
transportation, for we are attached to
divisional headquarters, as the paper
stated am learning the language
and get along alright. / have for
gotten much of my German, though
,orl,o 11n
proper occasion. At the front, I have
met men from all over France. From
the Alps, Paris, Bordeaux Belgium,
Moracco, Algeria and everywhere all
French soldiers. I have also seen some
Russians who came to fight with the
French.
April 14,I91S.
Our period zen repos" following
the tour of duty as it is called, was
broken up by certain events of which
you have probably read. We passed
through the place our first long en-
campment and are now not great
many miles from there. You spoke of
Captain Connors, as we are in the
same 1912 division we are always
pretty near together. I saw one of
his men today, also Johnnie Bertini
yesterday. 1t has been pretty hot the
last few days. 1t has rained off and
on and what mud! We'd have been
drowned but for our boots. From tho
barracks to the cook shed is Il series
Of what arc called "duck boards
simply a narrow board walk laid in
sections. At the points when the
walks slant stewards more than one
fellow was sat down on account Of
gliding Off it. 1t is the sliperest and
stickiest mud | have ever seen. [
didn't tell you did I, that I had u
swim In the Marine? One hot Sunday
on the way in from the front, there
was nothing much TO do after we
atONrel for hc night hpot fol-