The Holly chieftain., 1919-02-06
Former Editor Of Chieftain
Busy in France.
HIS DUTIES STRENUOUS;
NOW HAS Z. n. c. A. HUT
Is with S2d Division Looking
After Sd Battalion Bovs-The
Transportation Facilities Are .
Handicap Throughout France.

Chalancey, France, Jan. 7.-Dear
Mr.. Page: Previous to my departure
from Holly you very kindly asked me
to contribute occasionally to the Chief
tain, and while the strenuous duties
have had to perform have made it inn
possible for me to do SO with any reg
ularity have never forgotten my
promise or the good friends l have
left behind and I am resolved right
now to write you personally and the
readers of the Chieftain collectively,
although duties remain to be done, and
in a great many ways / feel that l
do not reasonably have the time to
spare from those things which ought
urgently to be done.
This letter is directed to my many
friends generally, to whom had hop
ed to write personally and who, am
sure, will understand and excuse my
failure to do SO. The work to be done
in Europe is so tremendous and the
workers are SO few that all of us are
doing the work of two men in length
of hours and in the effort to accom-
plish our mission to the men under
handicaps incident to war conditions
far from home and the supply base.
First Of all, want to say that these
days in France will constitute land
marks in my life until "the night
cometh" and that with every added
opportunity for service rejoice that
Il have been privileged to share in so
worthy an undertaking. l have never
been SO wet, so cold or so happy in
my life and the only regret I have is
not that made the sacrifice to come,
but that delayed the sacrifice so
long. Over and above this l regret
that circumstances over which l had
no control delayed me so long after
the sacrifice was made.
Perhaps have already written you
of my experiences and observations in
England and of my later experiences
in LIE Havre and Paris. l do not re-
member. Be that as it may, l shall
write now particularly of my work
with the 82nd division to which l am
now attached and in which l have
come to feel great interest.
AS the army of occupation was just
moving to its new positions on my ar
rival in France no extensive education
al work could be done with them for
the present and the probability that
the reserve divisions would momentari-
ly be sent home likewise prevented any
only serious educational work with
them So l was for the time being
put in charge of ell Y. M. C. A. work
here pending the establishing of staple
conditions with the army in Germany.
For one thing, have had the unique
experience of opening up Y. M. c. A.
work in an unoccupied field and l
have had the pleasure and the salts
faction of seeing it grow and prosper
in measure which is gratifying be-
yond expression.
My first work with the S2nd divis-
ion took me out to Chalancey, to estab-
lish a hut with the 3rd battalion,
among boys who had just come out
of the fighting lines, wearied with rig
orous hardships and exposures and for
many weeks deprived of those things
which add the touch of fellowship and
"a hint of home. Many of them had
been unable to write home for long
periods of time and all of them were
glad to see US come. A Mr.. Partridge
of Connecticut was with me and
building was soon secured. Into this
we unloaded large motor truck load
of cookies, candies, gum, chocolate
powder for serving hot drinks, tobac-
cos, and the various details of can
teen stock. The boys were almost lit
orally starving for sweets and almost
everything which the stern necessities
of war had forbidden them in the
lines. They lined up and plead to be
served and although our stock was not
on the shelves we opened our boxes
and served them as best we could. Un-
til late into the night they stood in
line and when .at last the line disap-
peared our stock had also mostly dis
appeared. We are handicapped in our
scarcity of trucks but are doing our
best to keep our cantccns rs well sup
piled as possible.
Throughout France transportation
facilities are a handicap and this is
true in the army rs it is in the "Y
Here in the 82nd division, comprising
approximately 100000 men, we have
but two trucks and two touring cars
with which we must accomplish every
transportation need. This includes
transporting stock from cars to divis-
ional warehouse, supplying csnteens