The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1919-07-31
F"CURLEY" MILES !.
KILLED BY SHIPPER
Mother Receives Letter from.
Sons Comrade Giving De-
tails of His Death

Altho he left here several years ago
Merle (Curley) Miles will always be
remembered by those who knew him
as Kennewick boy and his name will
undoubtedly find historical place in
the list of Kennewick's honored dead.
The news that Merle had met death
on the battlefields of France reached
herr several months ago, owing to the
fact that his relatives no longer reside
here the details of his death have not
been generally known. The Courier
Reporter is in receipt of letter from
Merle's sister, Mrs. j. G. Thomas, of
White Swan, in which she encloses a
copy of letter written to her mother
by one of Merle's comrades. Merle
was known in the official army list as
Sgt. Ellis M. Miles. The letter follows:
Lentesdorf am Rhine, Germany
May 80, 1919
Dear Madam:
AS part of the observance of Me-
mortal Day this year it was planned
for a letter to be written to the moth
err or nearest of kin of every soldier
who lost his life over here, by the one
who knew him best.
Altho I was not as well acquainted
with Ellis as some of the men who
were with him at Mare Island, knew
him better, perhaps, than anyone now
in the Saith company.
The purpose of this letter is to give
you all the information can concern
ing him after he came to France. Of
course I may add but little to what
you already know, for we realize that
the censorship during the war pre-
vented a good many things that might
have been of interest to those at home.
1 know that other friends wrote you
but do not know just what or when
they wrote.
My acquaintance with Ellis began
in the early part of January, 1918,
when 1 came to Quantico from Paris
Island, s. C. and was assigned to the
10th Co., 1st Repl. Bn. and in his
platoon. We came to France and
landed at Brest on the 25th of Feb.
and Immediately went to our training
area at Chatillon sur Cher. I went
to the First Corps school at Gondre-
court with Ellis and he and I were
two of the five N. c. O.s from the LIST
Repl. Bn. who took the machine gun
course, so that we were together
a great deal, during the month Of Apr
When the Bird Repl. Bn. came over at
about the middle of May we were
transferred to it on the 9th of June,
and the Bird Repl. Bn. was ordered to
the front for the 9Th and 9th regi-
ments, and when we arrived there Ell
lis and I were both assigned to the
84th Co., but to different platoons, so
that, while saw him nearly every day
we were not together so much as for
merly. We were in Chateau Thierry
sector for about month and on the
10th of July we were loaded on cam
ions and rushed up near scissors,
where the, LIST and End American di-
visions were aiding in striking a hard
blow at the, Germans.
It was great success for the AL
lies, but our casualties were very
heavy. On the 18th the 9Th regiment
attacked and on the 10Th the 9th
went over. Our advance was over
q level stretch of land for about three
with a wooded ridge be-
yond. After advancing across the
field under heavy shell fire, we rushed
The wooded hill and captured it, tho
there was left only about thirty per
cent Of the original strength. Still,
Ellis and had come so far 0. K. and
about half an hour later we were to-
gether in one of the two large dug
puts which we found there. Soon aft
hat was assigned to duty on the
eft flank of our company position and
lid not see Ellis again, but was later
informed that he had been killed by
/ German sniper. He was on the
light of our position, which was on
Ugh ground and in going from one
position to another he was shot thru
he heart and death was instantaneous.
was very busy and did not get to see
lis body that evening and as soon as
t was dark he was buried by the bury
ng detail, who, / am sorry to say,
allied to get his personal belongings,
his watch which I would
liked to have sent to you. We were
elieved early next morning by a
Moroccan diviSion and I had no OPP
,ortunity to recover them. I suppose
,ou have been notified of the exact