Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1919-02-08
UR BOYS
OUR CouN1RY'S SERVICE

Jun UuUNInI ! OCnvlUE
Letter from Corporal John l.. Hoy
ard. Battery d. 3o3d Heavy Field Al
tillery, TO w. z. Overlook, Washington
with whom he lived from his childhood
up to the time he went into the service
October 3, 1911:
Troyon, France, Dec. II, 1918.
Dear Pa and Ma
Just received letter from you and
Ma and one from Addie (his wife,. II
seems almost like seeing you all an
having a good little visit to get you:
good letters. You spoke of its rainine
at home. l bet it can't go ahead OF
France. sunny France" l cannot for
the life of me understand where that
tantalzing saying came from. 1t has
rained here the most of the time fol-
the last month, is still raining, and bids
fair to rain another month, and then
some.
Censorship has been lifted, now we can
write anything, or at least most any
thing we want TO. except crticising the
some Of the things you have wanted III
know ever since 1 left the old U. S. A.
We lett Camp Devens at midnight
July 18th Just week after l bid YOU
good bye at the sentry line in the early
morning of July Sth. We took the trail
to Boston, and embarked on the Mil
tides the same night. We left Common
wealth Pier at A. NJ. July 18th. and
went to Halifax, n. S. We laid in Hall
fax harbor from July IS to July 20. and
then started across in a convoy of :,
ships. We had an encounter with soma
subs on the last afternoon of the trip
which was July 80. We were told tina,
the u. S. destroyerS sank two of them
We landed at Newport. South Wales, on
the afternoon of July 31st, and marche
through the streets for distance OF
four miles. Thousands of people. most
~ women and children. thronged the
tinually as we marched through. From
Newport we entrained and went &c
Winchester, England. where we stoppe
at a rest camp for a few days. The day
before we left there we had the privi-
lege of seeing the Winchester cathe-
dral; this l studied about in the dear
old Washington high school. 1t is Il
very fine piece of work and is very old
dating back to 1880 The next day We
entrained again and went to Hampton
and that night we came across the Eng
lish channel on the Yale. The night
before we came across the channel. a
hospital ship loaded with wounded was
torpedoed and sunk. We came across
however without event and landed at
lie Harve. We stopped there at rest
camp a day and a night and then tcok
the train once more and after three
nights and two days we landed at Cler
mont Ferrand. AS soon as we got the
train unloaded we hiked about six kilo-
We stayed there and got out training on
the large guns we were to handle. and
the last of September We went to the
range at Randan for 10 days. We Uhe
second battalion) did the best shooting
Of any outfit that had been there, which
made us feel pretty rood. You may nc
interested to know something ar",lt onI
little gun we used. 1t is 155 milemeter
Grand pom FilouX rifle. Some name
isn't it? Well she is some gun too. II
weighs 10 tons and is hauled by the 5;
Holt tractor which weighs 10 tons. The
barrel of the gun is 10 feet. G inches, AMI
the gun overall. is % feet inches 1;
shoots a projectile weighing between
SO and 100 rounds. I am not sure about
the amount of powder required to fire
it. but think between II and Is pounds
These guns cost $4,000 We left Ceyrat
by train November LIST and went by
train to Dugny where we detrained and
with sergeant. corporal and four men
for each gun we started for the front
We left Dugny at P NJ. Nov. 4th and
travelled all that afternoon and nigh!
and pulled into Aprimont woods at /
A. NJ. Nov. 5. We were some sleepy
believe me. .<ot since my counting days
have / been SO sleepy as l was that
morning. We at. little breakfast and
layed down until about P. NJ. when
we got up and cleaned out some Ger
man camps. After We got them swep.
out and some hunks fixed up we had
supper and turned in for the night The
|
began to realize the work the Huns
had done. They were driven out of these
camps about six weeks before we got
there by the "Yanks" after holding
them for nearly four years. They had
railroads marrow gauge) all through
them and had brought in large supplies
Of barbed wire and dynamite which
they were forced to leave behind them.
About +. NJ. Nov. 6. we left the
Aprimont woods. leaving the guns be-
hind, and Travelled to where the guns
were to be put into action which was in
the Woever Woods on the Woever
front 1t was about IL miles Gistan,
and after having long wait we arrived
there at $50 A. NJ. the next morning
(You will notice that all travel was
done at night) Arthur Burghess and !
Plenty of exercise, fresh air,
regular hours-is all the pre-
scription you need to avoid
Influenza through