The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1918-12-20
SOLDIER WRITES
OF ACTION AROUND
CHATEAU TH|ERRY

A drive Of twenty-one hours without
stopping for food. in order to rush
supplies to the marines fighting at
Chateau Thierry is described in a
letter written by George Fl. Fleming.
to his father, g. N, Fleming, Richmond
railroader.
The letter is dads day letter."
and expressed a keen desire to be back
home now that the fighting is over.
Fleming writes:
November "a. 1918.
Dear Dad:
This is the day that has been set
aside for each one Of the boys to
write letter to his Dad SO here goes
mine. The war is finished, all but
signing Peace and getting us poor
homesick fellows home, and the CEN
sorship has lifted a little. under
stand, and there are some things we
can mention now that previously we
were not allowed to write about, that
is. II We show proper regard for the
truth. Some of the letters that will be
written today will be birds. l know.
A fellow Is writing one next to me
about his experience at the front and
the only firing he has ever heard has
in building Latrines.
We'll, to start at the beginning, we
left the States on April I'd, on one Of
the biggest passenger boats afoat. An
j English ship that was making her
maiden trip as transport, having
been used by the British as hospital
ship in the Mediterranean Sea. She
was heavily armed with six inch guns.
Il ut In Iyh
say and don't want to have this let
ter cut by the censor. SO am not say
ing from what port we left nor the
number OF guns on the boat ! was
very lucky in drawing my quarters
on the boat, as I drew, with another
fellow, a stateroom in the second class
cabin on the port side, and a couple
of decks above the water line. Pull
ing out Of the harbor l had the port
hole open enough to see what was 60
ing on, and we had it wide open all
the way over, except at night, and the
last two days out, when 1t was too
rough. We had running water in our
room, two closets and plenty of room
for the two Of us. OF course you can
not appreciate how nice we had it..
as you couldn't see what most of the
ithOWS ihu " put up WILL we hdu
no convoy and when we knew we
were in the Danger Zone you can
imagine how anxiously we scanned the
horizon for our protectors. We were
all alone. no other boats leaving with
us. A battleship spoke to us several
days out, and there was considerable
excitement. during which our boat
hoisted her colors upside down. which
hrIt no rr,io
take was quickly rectifed. During the
time we were expecting some destroy
ers to show up, to usher US into port,
many fellows would come rushing
down from the decks with the report
that so many destroyers were now
with us. They were all false alarms.
but remember one that was
pippin.' fellow came rushing into
our stateroom and said there were five
destroyers with us. Some one asked
him what they were, meaning national
ity. and he said they were five Swed
fish men-of-war. armed with slingshots
The destroyers finally did show up,
however, and we sure were pleased to
find that they were all American. We
fred six shots on the way across, and
of course there is a difference of opin-
iOAi 90 " "hVthCl VIC III SUI vi
not, so | won't express my opinion.
We had daylight trip across Eng
land, which is a beautiful country, or
seemed so to us. We had left the
States before things were turning
green and found everything green
when we landed. so it may be the
contrast that looked SO good to us.
"Our real trouble was experienced
In crossing the Channel The pass
age was usually made. since the war,
In eight hours, but we We're nineteen
hours getting across. Were in little
side-wheel steamer that was so crowd
ed that it was impossible for every
one to get below deck We were
caught in a storm. our electrical plant
put out of commission, therefore no
wireless working, one paddle wheel
continuously out of water, and unable
to make any headway Should have
been in long before daylight, but did
not see land until three o'clock in the
afternoon. ! was out on deck all the
time, being unable to get below, hold
ing on for dear life, and standing all
the time, as you could not sit down
Water coming clear over the boat and
wet through and through Not many
OF us gave a continental whether we
ever reached shore or not and not