East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1918-06-19
FRANK DICKSON SEES
AIR RAID IN PARIS
In France.
May 16, 1913.

| III
| May 16, 1918.
Dear Mother and Dad:
Well last night we had our first
actual contact with the Boche's, at
least that was in evidence. 1t was in
the form of an air raid on Paris and
We were almost in the thick of the
thing, although 1t wasn't a very seri-
GUS one as the enemy planes were un-
able to reach the city and only drop
ped a few bombs in the suburbs. l
had been lying awake in bed for
about an hour when 1 heard an air
plane buzzing over us. / don't know
whether 1t was a German or French
machine or how many there were.
couple of minutes later the siren
started up, sounding the alarm, then
after a few more minutes the noise
started The batteries around Paris
certainly made the night hideous for
about an hour and we could see the
shells bursting in the air and the
lights of the planes. Finally things
quieted down and we went to sleep
again as though nothing had occur
red. The excitement started about
1915 p. m. and lasted about an hour.
1t certainly is interesting to be see
ing some of the things that we have
read about for the last three and a
half years in the States and I'm glad
that I'm here where ] can see it and 1
not taking it easy in Fort Stevens or /
some other place in the good old U. 1
s A. .e&
There is no place like, home and it .
isn't brought to any ones realization 1
more than 1t is to us sometimes over
here, but when we get back we will
know how to appreciate in the. way we
should. while before there may have
been many times when we didn't real
lie how lucky we were, M
Two letters arrived today and they
were surely welcome. They were
numbers IA and Is and were written
right after my card arrived saying
that we had arrived safely overseas.
I have not written for a whole week
but / hope you won't take 1t that
am getting lax because 1t was at the
censors' request that we write fewer
letters so as to give them a chance
to make out the payrolls. And I foi
one don't care to have that delayed
a great deal longer as my pocket
book needs a little recuperation. You
may think that have thrown the
money that 1 left Portland with but
IL hasn't been that altogether OF
course some of it has scared away on
those types of wings but we had to
pay the price before getting onto the
French ways. And as Pete and Smock
and I say when we are on pass the
best is none too good for us, so we
take in a fine meal whenever we get
the chance and anything else that
III. !
like. Don't take this as a. hint for an
advance as I draw plenty of money
and can get along on ii in fine shape.
Henry and 1 went on pass to Paris
for the purpose principally
II seeing Roy Ritner. whose name we
had seen in the Daily Mail as be ng
registered at the Hotel Continental
We had just left the omnibus at the
and were walking up the Rue
lie Rivoli when l noticed two Y. NJ,
:. A. women coming toward us and
Is they came closer thought one of
hem looked rather familiar and on
ooking again 1 noticed 1t was Mrs
Cohen. You can imagine Henry's
md my surprise and we could hardly
believe our eyes for a while. She said
hey had arrived in Paris last Tues
lay and that hardly anyone knew of
ler coming. We walked with them
ip to Roy's hote4 but were disappoint-
ID to learn that he had left the day
,efore. After walking around awhile
We left them.
Pete was on pass also and had a
inc time with an old friend OF his
Who is a captain In the aviation. He
COX Pete to lunch at the Hotel Rita
nd in fact showed him around the
ity In regular style with an aeroplane
ide thrown in.
Smock and took in a show and
i'd a little sightseeing and then had
ne Of our looked forward to Ameri-
an cooked and served meals at the
IN. c. A. In the evening. The French
neals are very good hut the restau-
ant proprietors don't seem to have
ny respect for a soldiers 80 bucks
month.
We are getting pretty well advanc-
d In the school and like Il fine SO
ar. i expect We will be through with
in couple Of weeks more and
hen 1 have no idea why're we win
%. possibly back to the old outfit but
not the three Of us are ready to go
here they want us
1 would like TO hear OF Harvcy's
.hereabouts and hope he gets over
ere and with the old Battery d
gain.
Sn1oci1 and I have been in the Vi.
nifty OF several air raids recently but