Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1919-01-09
NEWPORT SOLDIER
DODCEO BIG SHELLS
Was in Building Hit Three Times
by Hun Shot; Shrapnel Cut
His Leggins.

| Newport, Del, Jan g--Corporal
| Arthur f. Groome, Go. Is. l4Sth Infantry
has written to his home folks an inter
csting letter. He encloscs two pieces
OF money, one French money, and the
| other German The letter in part follows
Dcinzc, Belgium,
| Nov %, 1918.
| Dear Dad: This is Dads Day as
YOU probably have read, so ! will write
| to YOU today, and as told mother about
! the Argonne drive in my last letter, l
| will tell YOU about the Belgium drive.
: After we left the St Mihiel Sector IN
J France we got on the train at 1oul ana
! started for Belgium. On our way up we
| passed through Nancy, outskirts OF ParIs
/ and Calais We got of the tram at
! Vlamcrtinghc. and walked out to DIRTY
! Bucket Camp II was British camp and
we were there for two days. We Ger
| tainIy had a good time VITA the TONNES;
| We left there on the third day and passed
| through Ipres and the famous hattc-
| field of Flanders.
"Yprcs is level to the ground, and
| il would be hard to describe 1t. Just
! hevond Yprcs is the battlefield where
| thousands Of men lost their lives, and
were never hit by shot or she'll. II was
| lust one big barren waste ot mud and
! water. There is not single living tree
! or bush. and everywhere YOU sec some
weapon. such as cannons, tanks, etc,
mircd IN the mud We passed through
| this scene and campcd for n few DAYS
| at q L. GIFTS We left there and stayed
| n dav at Pitthcm. We left Pitthcm TO
move mp to the front lines. which were
/ al Olscnc We arrived there AT midnight,
and everything was quiet, except Tor an
| occasional shell hitting somewhere IN
/ the town. We rested IN the cellars all
| the next day. not even going ont for
air, AS our attack was 10 bc a surprise.
/ tThcrr were only two American Divisions
| in Belgium. and we were one Of them.
In the afternoon. Jerry ehelicd the
town heavily, The building was IN was
| hit three times but We had a good cellar
and no one Was hurt II ) Q clock that
night. the order came to make up light
packs At II o'clock We moved up to the
front and relieved the French We
found 4 nicr hov stack and lqld down
to rest until morning 1t $50 We were
awakened and the harragc etartcd At
545 The officers gave the words Come
oil bows lct's 90. We were tho trst
wave, and believe me II IS some sensation
10 20 over with machine gun bullets
WhlzzIng all around ECn.
Jerry cointer-harragcd but We never
stopped minute, and n little later the
prisoners y"rc being sent back m hunches.
N y M. VIC had reached orr first
objective. W. dug in for the night. and
he ncNt morning we're up and At them.
This dav we took tho town OF CiNrSantem,
and il was there that We had such 4
demonstration from the Beglums. hey
gave us food wine, and would nave
given us ANYTHING VIC wanted, but we
had t1 keep on moving. and did not stop
until We came to the town Of Hcurcn
on the Escant River, We dug IN there
! for the night.
The next morning VIC started 70 bridge
the river Jerry used aeroplanes, ~ G.
and artillery. but after several hours
we had a bridge IL was tree with 4
- inch plank on it,. Just as we finished,
Jerry laid over barrage aud be 1--we me
prayed, and dag in and did little hlt
| of everything al II once. Later IN the
| afternoon We started across again. and
| IL was then that ] came near beng IL
/ the land bevond A she'll hi about 10
| feet away. and shrapncl cut my ieggln
1 clear through to the skin. and took Z
| t,ig hunk out Of my pants The con
! cuSsicn knocked me unconscious, and
/ after | came TO | crawled over against
/ the bank o safety.
! In later letter to his mother, he
tells Of The fine display Of fireworks
| When We went over, iorry sent M
/ flames q red rockets capterpillarS. and
1 all kinds oi signal lights. II i one ot tie
most wonderful sights that yon could
/ ever SEE ard along with this yoI sec
| the fash of the artillery and overhead
is sfiapnel bursting. and in front ycn
J can see little dots Of fire q the machine
| guns, and then the great red sun comes
our and all this becomes lnvlsaoic, or
/ rather loses It's brllancy Icu know
F.. the zero hcrn. or the time We 90 over
Inc top Is inst few minutes before
dawn II is the most beautiful sight
! have ever witnessed and II even makes
vou forge; danger until some shell lands
near and aro,ISes you from your dream
With oceans Of love 10 YOU all
y our son.
"A