The Belding banner-news. (Belding, Mich.) 1918-1973, 1919-01-29
RuMmLER MEETS
WITH RUMMLER
IN GERMAN CITY

The night after the armistice was
signed the major gave orders TO
build q lot Of big fires in field, the
first we had had for a long time. We
were on q march and were tired out
but when we heard the news l hon.
estly believe we could have gone an
other hundred miles.
State Of Luxembourg, Nov. 81.
This is q small place and car can
90 round the edge of it in one hour.
It il q pretty place. There are rich
coal mines here and the people are
hard working peoplA This little
4 state was not In the war at all. We
are two miles from Germany. Yes
terday we went on q hike and had
view Of Germany. can't see what
the people get out of life here only
work. 1t sure has been a hard four
years for them and they show it,.
This trip that we are on now is
dandy one and besides that we were
first in France, first in battle, first in
Germany but not first home. The
First division has done her bit and
we hope to be home in the spring.
There are Just q few left IF the old
first division to tell the story. My
chum, Michigan boy, has been sent
home wounded, Corp. Hurd. If you
had asked me month ago where. l
expected to be in a month l would
have said "six feet under the sod"
saw him fall but when 1 could get
to him / saw he had a bad wound in
his arm. / saw boys fall all around
me when / would not give two cents
for my chance. How / escaped is
more than / know. / see Bob New
man often and saw Timms once.
The city of Coblenz is pretty
place; was there one day and one
night. / guess I won't talk much
when come back for in Texas we
could not understand, then France
we had to learn little and Luxem-
burg and now Germany so I've got
them all mixed together so guess
can talk to the chickens now.
December Fl.
We have just finished standing re-
treat and now chow and we are ready
for that We have expected to hear
"Call to arms" at any minute. l
have a dandy little room in one of
the German homes.
We have just finished a 800 mile
hike and we are about all in. We
have worked and fought hard to get
here.
Chatillion, France, Jan. 5.
am back in France for a month
at machine gun school. An Off
Ger and sergeant from every company
are sent here. / guess have learn
cd something in schools here.
We stayed in Coblenz and got our
rooms and where my room was there
!. was man and his wife and daughter
and after supper the girl played the
yxso vxI me rrrf a haayfy xuol-
come.
expect to go back to my COM
pany again but / wish they would
make mistake and send me home.
We seal our own letters now and
they are not censored and you will
get them quicker, guess.
When they said the first over the
first home they made a mistake !
guess for think the First division
will be last home. Well, must close
now so with love to you all and my
Bedding friends. Yours.
Sergt. Clarence G. Bailey,
C.. A. Ord M. G. Bn., A. E. F. France.
Sergt. George Menkee, SON of Mr..
and Mrs. w. r. Menkee, writes the
following interesting letter home:
LIE Mont Dore, Dec. 30, 1918.
Dear Folks:
received the Christmas package
O. X. and Of course / was exceedingly
glad to get it. 1t was just what !
wanted and had no trouble in getting
rid of it. A couple of days before
an order came out for 1000 men out
Of the division to leave on pass and
there were two allowed out of Hdqrs,
bet. so / put in my name not expect
ing to get it but ! did and we were
scheduled to leave the 21st, but for
some reason the train didn't go and
we didn't get away until IL p. m. on
the 23rd. They. put us in box cars,
40 in little car and started US to
Nancy, France via Metz.
1t was awful in those cars; the one
was in was a cattle car and all
open, also we had no room to lay
down. Well we got to Nancy at
1890 a. m. the next morning and
went up to the Y. M. C. A. and took
q bath and got new clothes, that is
who wanted them and then we went
swimming in the big pool there. This
pool is natural warm water and it has
q temperature of about 80 deg. +.
and It sure was fine. Then we went
back and got in our box cars again.
The order read that we were to have
coaches but we did not. The next
day was Christmas and we were near
ly frozen when we came to Is-sur-tele
that 10 a big Gov. depot for supplies
There the Red Cross gave us hot
cocoa and a slice of bread and a
Christmas box, also we got an Ameri.
can locomotive on our train and that
night we travelled, before we had just
logged along, stopping some times
every half hour some place in the
country; that's the way with the
Frenchman. The next noon we got
to Clermont that is at the base OF
the mountains we are in and we split
up the train and went on up. There
was about five inches of snow on the
ground and it became colder than the
deuce In the old box car and we al
cussed ourselves for coming especial.
ly when the old train would stop out
on the side of the mountain and VIZ
were freezing. You see we had sup.
posed we were going to AK Les
A.