Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1919-01-03
MOONLIGHT NOT
WANTED THERE
Ed Kelly Tells of Playing Hide
and Seek With the Hun
BomberS
Montfaucon, France
Nov. 2G. 1918

Nov 2G, 1918
/ Dear Mother: Eleven months ago
| today we left the dear old r. S. a. for
| France. Does it seem that long to youi
! The time has passed quickly for most
Of us over here since then hut now that
| the war is over with we are all anx-
| ioUs TO get home as | feel as though the
2lst Engineers have done their bit
even if they didn't go over the top.
They have all worked hard since the
10th day OF last January, that's the
date we landed at Brest. From Brest
we went by train to GieverS which was
4 new camp at that time, but in it's
first step toward being the largest
railroad yard III France operated by
L. S. Engineers Well that meant q
great deal of pick and shovel work
and you know how / love that work.
We thought we were lucky though as
we only stayed there from the 10Th day
of January until the 18th day of
March and broke camp and started for
where. we did not know. After two
days and two nights travel in a third
class French train we landed at Sorcy
which wasn't even in it's infancy
toward being railroad yard. That
meant more pick and shovel work but
we were promised that as soon as the
road was completed we would start
operating and everyone sure did work.
1t was real peaceful little town until
we had the shops, roundhouse and
warehouse completed then Fritz start
ed to pay us visits at night and even
had the nerve to come in the day time
to drop his bombs. No one knows how
we hated to have moonlight nights.
The first raid seemed to be a novelty
but after that it was no fun at all and
after we went through seven raids we
moved.
Have you ever read that story,
moonlight Nights and It's HOrrors?'
The fellow that wrote that sure had it
doped out true. l have wished many
times in civil life that | was big, but
after | ducked bombs for awhile and
hugged mother earth | was satisfied
to be small One feels as though he is
the only target in the world when he
hears one coming through the air.
After the road was completed, shells
and rations were hauled to the front,
all steel near the front lines was put
in at night and Is hours after the ST.
Mihiel drive we had our railroad con
nected UP with German steel All this
meant a move again for us SO we left
do Of oh
own road OH what turned out to be a f.
day trip, and the third night Fritz got
a line on us and started sending over
some nice big ones. Wish you could
have seen us hit the dirt when the first
one came over It sure made me think
of home. Well we didn't ride on any
trains that night. We walked until
we were sure it was safe to get back
on again which was the next day at
one O'Clock. During this nice long
walk we stayed 20 feet apart and I
think / was down on the ground MAX
ing myself as thin as possible every 10
minutes. We finally landed at Dom
basle and the first night there another
air raid. We wondered if we were
ever going to get away from that Hun.
Had four raids there and then we
moved to Montfaucon. the place we are
at now. You perhaps will wonder
why all this moving around. Well it
the Huns back and they (our tro0ps}
needed supplies.
It was almost impossible to get sup
plies to the front by trucks as Fritz
sure did tear up some Of the nice roads
in France. 1t wasn't quite so easy to
hit our little slim gauge as we call it.
We only went through one raid here,
When the 18th of November showed
up it was happy day for us. We
could 60 to bed at night and not be
driven out by Fritz.
We are hauling ammunition back
from the front now and as soon as We
finish that we are to move to Confians,
near Metz to operate Standard gauge
that was handled before this last
drive by Fritz Some Of the regiment
NAV get as far as the Rhine and | hope
it is Company y.
We are having rainy weather now
and it isn't very cold. | would like to
move soon or see good cold weather set
in as there are all kinds of dead Ger
mans around here that their comrades
did not have time to bury and you
know how warm weather will act on
them.
Hope everyone is feeling fine at
home and don't get the Spanish fiu-as
we call it over here.
Be patient now mother as it won't
be long until we are all home again,
and I'll be glad to get on real rail
road--the 500 Line.
Love to all,
ED KELLY.
Co. d. o1st Engineers, A. e. +, France
E3--