The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1918-05-01
.B0NN'E;Y WRITES
FROM FRANCE
Sidney eonney Writes Letter to His
Mother at Buck Grove Telling Of
Experience Gained in France.
PICKING UP MANY MEMENToEs
Now With An Engineering Corps and
Doina Al He Can to Lessen the
German Population.

Mrs. a. F.. Bonney. of Buck Grove,
has sent the Review letter which
she received recently from her son,
Sidney. who is serving with Persh-
ings forces in France. Bonney was a
member of the regular army at the
time the United States declared war
against Germany and was in one OF
the grst contingents to 90 across.
The letter from Sidney contains
many interesting things in regard to
army life and the letter will be Of in
terest to the Review readers. The
letter follows:
France, March q, 1915.
Dear Folks:
Letters No. 10. II. and manifolds OF
No. 6. s and 9 received. No. and 3
reached ME a couple of days ago.
Therefore think that several OF them
have gotten tangled up in the mail
service, which is q marvel Of complete
marvels and will no doubt show up in
the course Of time.
The following have been received:
/ package OF tobacco, 2 pairs gloves,
l watch, l box sugar. box chocolate,
also 3 other small packages OF choco-
late.
realize that your bump Of curiosity
is itching the worst way and that you
would like to know what | am doing
and where am spending my time but
am afraid that until such time as
the censor removes the present re-
strictions regarding such things, you
will have to rest content with the
knowledge that l am in France, with
an engineers regiment, doing all that
l can to make the population of Ger
many less. You might ask some mill
tary friend of yours what l am doing.
Perhaps he can tell you from the let
ters indicating my statute as stan or
ficer.
So far I have not heard whether
you got the collection of junk that
sent you or not. Following Is a list
of what | have sent to date:
1 o. F.. hand grenade Trough cast
iron} e..
l Fl hand grenade (blue painted TIM
/ gas bomb (bright TIM
i pom pom shell and cartridge 81
nm anti.tank gun. -
/ fragment air craft bomb Git nearly
got mel
1 Mills head for trench mortar shell
(brass with spring plunger in one endJ
2 French rifle bullets Cong sopper
bullets)
l nose cap from German gas shell.
aeroplane bomb (small pear shaped
painted grey, with steel and brass de-
|tonating fuse)
You might list everything that you
have received so I can duplicate If
possible those that do not get through.
Some of them are very rare and diff
cult to get and most of them l have
picked up in the trenches myself. some
times when they got rather too close
to make me feel good. Rather funny
feeling to hear SO she'll coming
your way and not be real sure where
it is going to hit the ground. They
also have a nasty habit of spilling
pieces OF steel weighing anything from
a quarter ounce up all over the sur
rounding country. I have one nice
dent in my tin hat that one OF them
made one day. was lying down or
it might have messed me up a bit
do not want you to get the idea that
am near sudden death every minute
that I am moving around as such is
not the case. but as l am at the front
every day, I meet the average number
of calling cards from the hun and 1t
is all in days work. Istil am Of the
opinion that he hasn't got my name in
Berlin yet and until he does am not
going to worry at all. '.'
am going to try" to send few OF
the Christians that tried to send me
something some small pieces. do
not know il they will care for them
at all, but ii not tell them that they
can give them to you and put them
with the rest OF the stuff.
Cousin Nell is sending me cigarettes