Graham guardian., 1918-11-15
LIEUT.. JOE SWIFT
KILLED IN BATTLE
Continued from Page One)


m. and killed my first at 1000
a. m. In the two days that !
was in the battle, personally
have gotten nine and Pm going
to get a hundred more before
I'm done.
My division was relieved the
night of the day / got mine.
Now they are probably re-organ-
izing the outfit and they will be
pulled out for rest. Joe Swift
got killed. You had better see
Ted Swift and say that while |
did not see him, ! heard about
it. He was a lion and cleaned
up a machine gun nest alone be-
fore he got it. Tell Ted he went
out like real soldier and that he
should be proud to be the daddy
of a boy like Joe.
Captain Warsham killed, too.
He was one of my best friends
and Joe's captain. | went on
with the outfit but could not keep
up kept falling down and could
not breathe. l went four hours
after | was knocked and then
my sergeant got some stretcher
bearers and they carried me to a
first aid station.
We laid out in the rain all
night and we were shelled by
high explosives several times.
1t wasn't so hard on me because
wasn't in much pain, but it
was hell on some of the bleed
ers," especially when they put
over the gas. 1t is hard to handle
a gas mask when YOU are shot in
the head. But it dragged thru
and at daylight they evacuated
us on litters, because the am
balances were all shot up by
shell fire. So Boche prisoners
packed US out for about six miles
to dug outs and we laid there
over night. Then next day, on
trucks to the field hospital, and
from there we were reloaded,
after getting hot coffee, and
drove for a base IL hours of
that and then we found it was
full and so we rested again and
were put on bully American
hospital train, coming down to
Base Hospital (l18).
. 1t was wonderful to get into
pajamas and have a bath and
sleep all night long with no
shells. no gas, no noise-and
wonderful things to eat and
American nurses.
Everyone is worked to death,
but they are very kind. | never
thought much of the Medic's,
but when ! saw those surgeons
working in the rain, under shell
fire and gas, at the first aid sta
ton, no coats or slickers-they
had put them over the wounded =
took my hat off to them and it
stays off.
My men were wonders--they
followed me without question
and / had only to wave my hand
and up they came and mounted
their guns under fire. No load
too heavy, no grub, no shelter
but a shell hole, half full of
water. They were marvellous.
/ am proud of them. Captain
Briscall is no more; he is a ma
jor, and the same old dear chap.
Major Gredicatt is Lieutenant
Colonel now. Tom is Chief of
Staff and he'll always have a
home in the 91st while he is here.
swelled all out of shape when
the morning of the second day
they came over and shook hands
with me and congratulated me
on the behavior of my outfit. ]
have been through HE'LL have
seen enough to sicken the devil
himself. | have fought with
snipers, machine guns and high
explosives shooting at us, mines
blowing up under us. aeroplanes
shooting at us from above and
gas till we were sick.
| have seen men and horses
blown up and blood till the
ground was red and still Pm
here and just as sound as a
wagon, ! guess. l couldn't run
fast enough to get all the Huns
| saw. They sure didn't fight
at all when you got close.
We've got the war won right
now and are all hoping that it
will be over by next Xmas.
By the way, dear, don't send
me anything here. I'll be moved
two or three times in the next
week, and back to the outfit be.
fore. anything could arrive. The
mails are jammed both ways, |
guess.
Hope that you are alright and
that the cold weather has set in.
I'd like to blow in out there for
a regular rest and a few squares.
This is Hun paper and envelopes.
took it from a dead one. My
ct,,E 20 coat<a~al rxo,,, hnn ~