Milford chronicle., 1918-12-13
LETTERS FROM OVERSEE
Wed, Oct. 10. 1918.

sometime. Old Scout, but have been s
busy I haven't had time. How ar
things in the "old town" anyway
Guess about all of the boys have lef
or going. Give my best regards Z
what's there. / haven't been able q
run into any Of the boys over her
although / hear that the 18th Divi
sion is on our left. Don't suppos
there will be enough left to start lit
tie game when this draft starts L
work.
l am out at my post now and dowI
N our little dugout with roof OF ele
phant iron and about three feet o.
earth and sand bags on it. The whiz
bangs and seventy-fyes whistle over
our heads At times the iz-bangs
make it very uncomfortable. Some
times you can feel your hair raise the
tin lid. You fiirt with death one min
ute here and joke over il the next.
Has any Diamond Dick novel you ever
gead beaten a hundred different ways.
am out at the post for twelve hours.
observing four hours of that time, and
then go back 70 our billet for twenty
four. Our billet is in a small village
about a kilometer back of the front
lines. We have it very comfortable
there as long as the Boches keep their
sheils going in another direction. We
we're fortunate in finding an abandon
cd home. which is one of the few in
the town 10 have a solid roof. Most
Of the houses are shot 10 pieces or
have a shell hole or two in the roof.
The home is almost as the inhabitants
left il. We are using their beds and
stoves 70 a good advantage. We can't
have any fires in the day time as smoke
IS too noticeable and we want il TO ap-
pear to the BOche observers as unin-
habited. Just now the weather is
playing in our favor and is very iOggy
and misty. so we keep our fires going
fWil blast. Some times he sends over
. few shells that cause US to get out of
bed and beat it for the cellar. We
aren't at all particular about waiting
20 dress. either. The gas mask and
Aefmet are always the first you grab,
and you usually get them on the run.
A week or so ago we were living in a
BOche dugout which they left in their
hurried retreat, but we got careless
With our camOufage and they shelled
us out one night. Very fortunately,
no one was hurt, and the morning saw
Us moving for new quarters. You
should have seen US crawling out.
Would have reminded you Of rats, as
both our exits were nearly closed with
debris. Some of the fellows lost their
beds and belongings from one Of the
Shells. The government is minus a
motor truck and a motorcycle or two,
so you people can't be too close on the
Liberty Loan as there are many such
cases every minute. The Boche was
not satisfied with his whiz-bangs that
light. He used his 2l0's-Jne kind {
that give you a hole almost large
enough to drop Ford In. !
Just now it is getting a little quiet d
n this sector, but we expect to move
70 a more active one any time. l un- {
derstand that one OF our armies has
lsked for US and our work. Our passes
Divisions Of the First Army. a
In our last drive l was fortunate
(if you could call ii fOrtunate)
enough to see our "Old Marine Corps"
IA action. What those boys don't know [
lb0Bt the art OF rife and bayonet
sn't worth knowing and they couldn't
De praised too highly. suppose all
headlines are ringing with victory u
Il home now, This old war certainly
ant last much longer and it has begun e.
o look as if Kaiser Bill realizes that o
le is beaten. l happened TO be on the e
,Ost when the news OF a few days ago q
.ame over our wire. / thought the o
,Oys in the trenches were going over nj
he top" without the usual artillery C;
when they heard it. Our d,
ost is at the trenches and for a while Ii
1as in No Mans Land at the height OF
the drive. We thought it was funny
re couldn't see the Doughboys in le
font of US, but stayed there until the ~
ioches drove us out and when we ca
loved back we found that the Dough- Sc
oys had entrenched just back of US. fr
o far our post is the only one of our Ie
Itfit to capture prisoners. II was a.
le morning our drive opened and or s,
ers came in to advance our post be- ~
Ind the infantry. Going through a =,
Oods saw some BOches jump from -
ght and they didn't jump any quicker ~
ian the bunch jumped for a trench. ~
ont know which was the most scar ~
!. When enough courage was gotten %
, to venture out of the trench a ma ai'
line gun nest was found with fifteen AZ
IDLY scared Boches. Some of the te'
oughboys had overlooked them in lei
cir hurried advance. They didn't We
me out with hands over their heads ge
ID calling "Kamerad" as you might an
lagine. They had their hands up th'
hted as in prayer-dOn't know what all
ey were saying yet. If you ever bp
W the fear Of God expressed in any OF
les face. it was in theirs. They had on
ell founded reasons for il, too. Our ev
'tillery had blasted the way for the III,
fantry and was more violent than po
" thunder storm you ever heard. we
sure caused old Mother Earth to fv
emble and shake and reduced vii ma
ges TO stone heads and fields of veg thi
alton to shell holes ha,
Well, Old Top, l guess It is about a
ne / am closing. l started this on IN
e 18th and here itsis the evening OF hai
. 18th. Give my best regards to all res
ID tel Mother and Father that / Will 40,
rite soon ~,
Yours, A.,
Ellis D. Chamberlain. -
mex. Forces, 29th Engrs., F. r. s, ~