Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1916-1918, 1918-04-16
THINKS FRENCH
ROADS ARE FINE.
SERGT. WILLIAM osLER WRITES
OF FRANCE; SLEEPS IN OPEN
ON ST. PTRIck's DAY.

B. H. Peck, secretary of the u. C. T.
received an interesting letter from
Sergeant William Osler Of g company.
Excerpts of this letter, written March
II, are given:
"Your letter was delivered to me
while we were doing. our hitch up IN
the front line, and perhaps by the time
this reaches you the newspapers will
have given you an idea Of what We
did. But l will say this, that Com.
pany G came out in fne shape and
OttumWa can well be proud Of her
men. We did not lose single man
and that Is certainly going some.
LIKE FRENCH ROADS
you spoke Of cold weather. We
certainly have been mighty lucky
about that as we have had no cold
weather to speak of, In fact, We have
had nothing to crab about except mud
and rain. We have had our share OF
that. You should have your LIZ over
here, Burch, as they do have some
roads. That is the one thing where
they have it on the United States.
Most all the roads have rock base
and are made Of crushed rock. Many
Of them are lined with trees ON either
side. about ten yards apart. I'm ann.
iously waiting for summer, as I'm sure
they must be great. Wish had car
on them. A man could sure make some
time.
"We used to crab about the passen.
ger service on some roads, but say,
some Of you fellows should bee the
train service over here. The kszs are
not as large as our old street cars,
and are divided into sections. These
sections have two seats facing each
other and are supposed to accommo-
date four people each, and are 81 just
plain hard boards. Once In q while,
guess, man finds one OF soft wood,
and suppose then it is little moro
comfortable.
SAYS eILLETs ARE NOT BAD
"Since last wrote you we have
made quite a few jumps, each time
being billeted. You probably have
heard great deal about these billets,
but one must live in them to really
know what they are like. They are
not nearly as bad az you would think
and the fellows really seem to enjoy
them. Generally, they are III barns IN
the NOW, or in deserted houses. OF
course, If we had tackled them during
a winter like you people had. It would
have been far from comfortable. But
with the weather we have had, and
with our bunch no one is bothered. and
think it will be great when warm
weather really sets in.
7 when you fellows get stuck al
home in one OF the little towns like
Melrose and Buxton don't crab, as
they are great. certainly didn't know
when I had 1t right. Don't think I'm
complaining as think 1t Is the best
thing that ever happened to the whols
bunch Of us and we will be much bet
ter of after our experiences.
I'VE have been hitting mostly the
rural districts and have no way OF
comparing this country with ours but
we have furlough coming soon and
then perhaps We will get to see little
more Of 1t.
TAKE OPEN AIR sNoozE
To-day was certainly swell one
In fact, the sun was hot and bunch
Of us went UP on the hill Just behind
the town where we are located and
took nice snooze. Quite stunt for
st. Patrick's day. don't you think1
"All the fellows you knew are fins
and dandy. can say this of every
one in that way"
GEORGE MATrox WRITES
Two letters we're received by Mr..
and Mrs. NJ D. Mattox from their SON
George, who is a member Of G com.
pany In France. The letters were writ.
ten on March 16 and II and are largely
personal to his parents. He tells OF
the fine weather and of the fact that
he and other members of the company
we're out in the sunshine writing their
letters home. He also said that while
in the trenches, G. company gave q
good account of itself and that the
American artillery showed the boche
some new kinks in bombarding.