Free trader-journal. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1916-1920, 1918-08-09
OTTAWA BOY TELLS.
TRENCH THRILLS IN
LETTER BACK HOME
GRANDSON or MR.. AND MRS.
CHRISTIAN WALTER WITH
108TH ENGINEERS WHO HAVE
FIGHTING.

Mr.. and Mrs. Christian Walter 12l
Columbus Street, from their
grandson, Walter Barrow. a former
we'll known Ottawa hos who now is
with the l0sth Engineers in foreign
service. Walter. who enlisted early in
the war has been over there" for
many months. AT the time of writ
ing his grandparents he was right
where things were happening the
fastest.
He writes of bOche air raids with
exceptional descriptive powers and
tells OF an attack he witnessed upon
one OF the American observation bal.
looms. The observers after being as
ssulted by Hun birdman. were seen
to make parachute leaps from their
gas bag and drift gracefully down 10
the ground His increment brought
IN 1000 German prisoners during the
recent fighting. He says:
July IS, 1918.
In France.
Dear Folks al Home.
The Censor looms up very large
over here so | am forbidden To tell
you many things that know would
interest you.
AT the present time. We are not far
from the front lines he bows are
digging trenches and laying barbed
wire entanglements and the rain has
been falling for several days tin this
part OF the country is a sea of mud.
We are being we'll treated and though
the boys work hard at time that is
what we are here for The life am
living is truly an Interesting one
somewhat exciting at times and some.
times rather dull but all is so new
AMI so strange that seems | will
never become accustomed to the
sights we see every day
This p. m. for instance. Jerry
came over ourine in one of his ma
chimes and attacked our observation
balloon with his machine gun, the two
observers We're about 5000 feet M
and as soon as Jerry" began firing
upon them, they Jumped with para.
chutes and sailed safely 10 the ground
though badly shaken up The eigan.
tie bag they were in burst into a
mess of flames and dropped 70 earth
Often these observers are shot While
on the descent Fritz isn't much OF n
sport.
When man ie obliged to leave his
balloon as in the case just cited. he
is allowed six months leave for home
TO Blighty' Sammy's slang for Eng.
land. Ottentimes these lads pray that
Jerry might wing them so they may
sail to the ground and then go back
home. We see aeroplanes everywhere
some days they hy over our heads so
nigh in the air and in such numbers
as to resemble a flock of geese mi.
grating and vet the rat-a-tat-tat OF the
machine gun can be heard as they
give battle TO our planes These dar
ing men are as much at home in the
air as we are on lant Really. folks, A
Fellow gets accustomed TO hearing
shells and bombs that II gets TO be
second nature to him Then lhey
come too close. YOU wake I'D to the
fact Fritz is coming your way. It's a
gr at life.
A few days ago while driving
through a village. saw two women
going about their work AS uncon.
cerned as though war had been with
them always, and their town was he.
ing shelled at the time. II seems
these people have reached such a
state that they are immune to all
about them.
Last week, one very dark and
cloudy night, Jerry" came over on a
bombing raid. We hardly expected
MIN FOR as a rule the clear moon
light nights suit him best. We heard
the whir of the engine as he flew
over so ! crawled out Of my dug.out
10 see what was going on. The search
iisht men were on the alert and soon
there were between 20 and ~ rays
streaming up into the heavens, which
seemed to make the whole sky mass
of silver, 1t was very beautiful sight
and one ! shall never forget. They
soop got Terry" in the rays and Won
could see him away up in the beav.
ems, huge silver butterfly. he looked
to be. The machine guns and anti
aircraft guns and the shrapnel were
soon bursting all about him, then he
began to unload his bombs. When
he did The earth seemed TO shake
with the explosions. The next morn.
ing | learned from Tommy that the
monster had been shot down and was
10 feet wide and IS feet long and had
carried 9 men the largest of its
kind and one of the kaisers best and
newest bOmhers.
One reefs so many different races
Of men over here---lIndoos, Chinese.
New Zealanders, Africans, Egyptians,
and Australians The Australians and
Americans are much alike and we
get along like brothers, They are the
l.