Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1919-05-09
Further Report OF The Bravery
OF Our Boys In France.

or Our Boys In France.
In letter recently received by one of
the old Company X fathers. Maj. Brooke
Lee, formerly captain of Company X
writes of the old company and many of
its members doings in France. He says
Arthur Sabin went up to the Mouse as
sergeant commanding a platoon in the
Machine-Gun Company of the ll5th. His
leadership, courage and judgment were so
good that Captain Jarman of that COM
pany recommended him for a second lieu
tenancy for 'gallantry, leadership and abili-
ty demonstrated in action" Arthur was
armistice. but will be given a Reserve
Corps commission as testimonial at the
end of the present emergency.
Maj. Tydings. of the 1llth M. G. Battal-
ion. told me that the end of the 2l-day
offensive found Lieut.. Neale D. Franklin
the most undisturbed lieutenant in his
battalion. Neale on one occasion had COM
handed his platoon in position slightly
in advance of our first line to furnish
barrage for the continuation of the advance.
Neale was always game, cheerful and
ready to 60 out among the big ones. All
four company commanders wanted him
assigned to their companies at the end of
the offensive.
Corporal Carl Springrth. of the Signal
platoon of the 115th, did good work thru
this offensive. The stringing of telephone
wires and the regular work on the line is
about as dangerous work as can be found
when Fritz shells the rear areas as he did
on the Meuse. These wire men have no
comeback Clarence Springirth stayed with
the front line of X Company wherever the
company went and proved himself as dar-
ing as any man in the company. was
used as an assault company whenever the
3rd battalion was used as an assault bat
talon.
The 115th has as proud record for re-
sistance overcome, prisoners and material
: captured as any outfit we have heard of.
: but we will tell you about that when we
are home. 1t is much too long to write.
Chick Shoemaker went thru it all with
the 57th Brigade, but have not seen him
since the armistice. We are over ten miles
apart here.
II missed all but the windup of the
heavy work ON the Mouse by developing
. pneumonia on the troop train on the way
up to the Argonne. When got to build
: ing sand-bae Notifications in the compart-
ment for 6. in which we had 8. they took
my temperature and finding that had
l04.5 was put off on a stretcher. got
up on the Meuse. however, in time to see
where the ll5th had fought its way thru
| three lines of defenses and to get very
: well shelled as we were relieved. October
20. by the 10th Division from Camp Meade.
Capt. Hewitt is regimental supply Off
Ger. We received an issue of new clothing
on the Verdun front within 800 yards of
the front line rife-pits. Hewitt's company
kept an ample supply Of food and small
arms ammunition up with the front line at
all times: this in spite of very heavy
Smelling of the rear areas
There was no better soldier or Drawer
leader in the 115th than John Saxon. of
Kensington. John was killed on the Meuse.
You have probably heard of his good work.
| am glad E. never got into action. for
am afraid they would have had to kill
him too before his platoon would stop
1T has been a long winter since the
armistice, but it has been so much better
than we had expected before the armistice
that we are all content to wait our turn to
embark. We have had no serious sick
ness and have had plenty to eat and wear,
and good beds or cots
Il was fortunate enough to be awarded
the French croix de euerre twice while in
Alsace. | have sent one home to each of
my baby boys, so there can be no charge
of favoritism in the family.
Harry Fling who is a corporal and OBJ
server in the Air Service, was here from
Paris last week. He looked very we'll
Everyone gets a ten-day leave here
now about every five months. My brother
Blair and myself had a wonderful trip
together from Paris to Nice, to Monte Carlo,
and return. early in February Blair has
scar over his left eye from shell frag-
ment that hit him on the last day of his
divisions (the 80th) first Argonne often
sive. He was hit on October 4th and got
back to his company on October 30th in
time to take 1t over on November | in the
last offensive. Blair's company captured
Buzancy. an important village on the
Meuse. For the last three days of his
push, Blair commanded the battalion. They
made Is kilometers against resistance on
this last shove. That is good record for
man in his twenty second year, is it not
Tell E. that Major Finley is now
Lieutenant Colonel of the 18th. Captain
Woodcock is senior major Of the ll5th and
has our old battalion. Major Markey, of
the old LIST Maryland. is now Lieutenant
Colonel of the Hath. He commanded the
1l2th NJ. G. Battalion on the Meuse.
II would greatly appreciate news about
Carl Shaifer. We hear he is in the Walter
Reed Hospital. but hope he is o. X. now.
Ask E to drop me a letter II he is
home now. Where is Captain Clayton
located ? owe him letter. Give my re-
cards to Mrs. S and any other X Com
pany parents you see.
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