The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1918-12-19
FROM THE BOYS IN SERVICE
Recent Letters Descriptive of the Life of the Boys
in Army and Navy
in Army and Navy

Capt. tDf.) Walter II. Eddy. who is in,
the sanitary corps in France, wrote an in
teresting letter TO his father, A. T. Eddy
OF this village, on Fathers day" Nov.
"a, as follows;
Nov. "a, 1913. :.
Dear Father: - s'.t atfN-
This day has been set aside for letters
TO dad" and in connection Herewith
the censorship has been lifted TO permit
Us TO tell you Che places We have visited
by name, so.get out your map and prepare
TO follow me over the itinerary I've fol-
lowed since | sailed away from home on
that 9TH of March on the good ship Phia
delphia.
The trip lasted eight days, which was a
record for those days with the usual slow
conveys. We were not conveyed but
came alone, which accounted for our
speed. 1t was only two days out from
port that we picked up two destroyers
and went in under their wing and landed
safely at Liverpool on the 10Th of March.
There we were transferred to a train
which hustled Us to London and there we
stayed for two weeks. Finally on the Sd
of April we again took the train and went
To Southampton. There we boarded a
British transport and the next morning
landed In lie Hayre. We were safe in
France at last. We stayed here until the
9th and then on 10 Paris where we put
in two days, Not very gay Paris with
ell the streets black as night and constant
threat both there and in London Of air
raids. Luck was with us, however, and
my baptism of fire didn't come until much
later.
Prom Paris we went to Blois This
was the classification camp, where all
newly arrived officers went TO be assigned
20 duty. We stayed there three days and
then received instructions TO report to
the chief surgeon at Tours. Here plans
were made for our work and the first job
was to divide us up and send us out on
general inspection trips. | was told 20
report TO the chief surgeon Of the big
central section of France, with headquar-
ters at Nevers and from there to cover
the area Arrived at Nevers, | was given
a travel order and of | went for a
months trip. In that itinerary I visited
the following places; Yichy, Clermont-
Ferrand, La COurtine, Limoges, Chateau
roux, Issodoun, Gievres. St Aignau,
Montrichard, Blois again and back to
Tours.
Arrived here, | found orders from the
major 10 come 10 Dion for conference and
that place became and still is our head
quarters and I'm now almost citizen,
for except for trips from here this has
now been my home for six months with
my French family at 3 Boulevard Le-
vigny. It's n very pretty city of about
$4,000 population. clean and attractive,
very cool and delightful throughout the
summer and said to have ono of the best
climates in France. II is in the advance
sector and well placed for safety and also
for ready access to all parts of our line.
1t is from here that all my excursions
have taken place. Into the interior /
have been TO Paris and Tours several
times and toward the coast as far as
Lanmur.
My first trip to the front was up to a
line occupied by the Yankee division then
Mt point between Toul and Commercy
Here heard my first guns and saw my
first shells. All these trips to the front
were made by automobile or motorcycle
side car and opportunity given to see the
intervening country. My second trip tc
the front was down in Alsace near Bel
fort. The portion of the line farthes,
west that ! have visited is at Nlontfau
con. II YOU draw line from Montfau
con to Dion and from Belfort to Dior