Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1918-06-05
OUR BOYS
49, in
OUR CoUNTRY'S SERVICE

Charles 0. Holway, Western avenue
Augusta.
April %, 1918.
Dear Mother and All:
Have had fine trip across country
and we are now in the best part of
France. We were in the Sums OF the
country before where everything was
old fashioned, slow going, and the
people for the most part very poor.
We Travelled to within IA kilometers
of Paris, and are still going. Have
been over part of the battlefield OF
the Marine, also the river itself and
about twenty miles from Verdun.
Have been in towns that at one time
in the early part of the var were held
by the Germans. OF course you have
heard of the old song. When It's
Apple Blossom Time ia Normandy"
Well, l can just begin to realize how
beautiful place it is. We passed
through one part of it. We Travelled
about three days. The first night
Homer and | slept in a truck without
any top. 1t rained in the middle of
the night and we got soaking wet.
We stuck it out until four o'clock and
then got up. We mus have looked
queer sleeping in the rain with a coat
over our heads to keep the rain off
from our faces. The next night we
struck town or city foc it was rath-
err good sized. We got in with
private family. They cooked supper
for us, and made arrangements with
their neishbors to put us up for the
night. We were about the first
American soldiers there and they
used us fine. The next day we trav-
eled until midnight Their slept in the
trucks again.
The first two days we had two
meals a day, what we call iron ra
tons, hard tack and canned bull
The third day all we had was break
fast. l had some money and got
some jam which we ate on hard tack
so we didn't get very hungry. Money
surely comes in handy although about
all there is to spend it for is for food
and a room to sleep in. Have bought
eggs as cheap as 43c dozen.
We remained in small town or
cross road for about a week, the first
American soldiers ther. and prices
were very reasonable. bought milk
and eggs several times. Homer and
l were on the mail route. We started
out in the morning about 7.30 and
got back about five. We were in a
big town about noon time, so got a
good dinner 1t would last us until
the next noon, for we would surely
fill up. One day we had two regular
dinners, the first one didn't seem to
satisfy us. The regular dinner is
three and half francs. First there
are two salads, potato and another
vegetable. Then the meat for the
second course, soup for the third and
prunes for the fourth. OF course we
have bread and wine with them all.
wards and the meat course has moth
| ing to go with it. as everything is
! cleared away and clean dishes
brought on for every course. II sule-
ly seemed good to eat ike human
being again. and not ave to wash
my dishes after | was finished.
| Four Of us fellows were out walk
! ing one evening and met some fine
| French people. They were in the
| flower garden of a large chateau, and
we said, Bon jour-" they answered
in English, and invited us in. We
strolled around the gardens awhile
then went into the Music room OF
~ =
some wine, and a mighty fine time
There We're six of them the madam
and the daughter of the chateau, a
widow Ga la guerre), an Italian girl
who studies music in Paris but was
on a vacation. and three refugees
who had barely escaped being taker
prisoners, and had hired homes there
until the war was finished. | sure
! felt sorry for them for their homes
had been destroyed, all the trees cut
down, and their parents and some
brothers and sisters arc German pris-
oners and they have MT heard from
them for nearly four years. We were
invited over to tea several times, and
the old madam who owned the
|
They all called me their (petit
gacon). They all lined up and kissed
me on one cheek then the other They
all have brothers or husbands in the
war so they were all practiced up on
the goodbye" stuff. 1t sure did
seem mighty good to see people who
could talk English and were so very
nice to US.
Just received nice long letter
from Lew, dated Feb. II. 1918.
| Have been through the country
where there are so many castles
built in twelfth and thirteenth CEN
fury. Many of them now are simply
mass of ruins. There is one about
every three miles, on the boundary
line between two provinces which in
the older days were at war continu-
ously. The people and country in
this part of France arc very much
| different from where we had been.
and | can now see what France is
fighting for. I can hardly blame the
Huns for wanting another slice of
France.
After remaining about week in a
village which | have referred to, we
took the road again. and have only
been moving about fiftean miles a dav,
keeping along and supplying the army
as it moves forward each day. Two
nights ago got in at four A. NJ.
we are now about twenty five kilo-
meters from the front and have only
one more move. then W. will be at