The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1919-01-17
LETTERS FROM BOYS
IN The ARMY CAMPS

Miss Alma Jones mas received the
following letter dated November ~
from her brother, Uriah V. Jones, who
is with the First Air Depot, zone OF
Advance, Colonby Les Belle, france:
my Dear Sister: I'll tell you
where we landed when we arrived
across. We landed in Brest, France.
We stayed in Napoleon's old build
ing's where he kept his army hun
dreds of years ago. There is a big
wall all around the place, just like a
prison. We left there and 1t took us
two days to go to st. Maixent. We
ride in side door PullmaHs CD here.
1t took three days and nights to get
to a place not far from here, and that's
the last long move we have made.
This place is but q short ways from
Nancy and Toul. They are two pretty
large towns. I've been there several
times. I've been to all the towns for
miles around here. | saw the build
ing where Joan Of Arc was born, and
the church and other places connect
ed with her life. They have histori-
cal buildings, here hundreds of years
old. ! was right up to the front twice,
and it sure was some exciting place
You would see some awful sights
there, Alma. We used to have air
raids here quite often. The old hun
would fly over here and drop bombs
all around. These bombs would make
holes about FIVE feet deep and ten
feet ir diameter, and the shrapnel
would fly hundreds of yards in all di-
rections. 1t sure made things dlsa-
greeable for us at times. The old hun
wouldn't even come in the day time,
but would come when We wanted to
sleep. so you see he didn't have good
manners at all. l can't imagine why
the huns go riding at night, but there
is reason ! suppose.
THE first night they heard a Ger
man plane coming about $50 p. IN.
The signal was given and everybody
rushed for the trenches with gas
masks and helmets. Well, he didn't
drop any bombs that night, and after
the men get back TO the tent Cakes
looked in my bed and there was Uriah
sleeping-never heard a thing, but
got out of bed several times later, as
| can tell the world.
I'm have to tell of a little incident
that happened night before last. We
went to bed about nine O'Clock and
abOut twelve o'clock | woke up and
the teri roof was or fire. Well. l
yelled and woke up the rest of the
fellows, ard everyone got busy throw
ing clothes out Our hunks didn't burn
because we threw water on them; but
it was only a few minutes before the
old tert was all burned up. At 1880,
Just half ar hour afterward, we were
all back IT. our hunks, with the sky
shelter and plenty of fresh air, and l
fell asleep at once ard slept until the
bugle woke me up next morning at
600 a. IN. Some of the fellows said
they couldn't 60 to sleep for awhile
but / fell asleep in few minutes. l
only lost pair of mittenS and
scarf. The fellows said they couldn't
imagine how woke up as there wasn't
airy roise at all, ard my bunk was
farthest from the fire, as | had slept
through the first air raid. A tent pole
remained up after the fire, and we
hung a French flag on it, so you can
imagine how it looked next morning
that old flag waving over on the
burnt pole. Some of the fellows in
the next tent, only about twenty feet
away, didn't know our tent burned
down until the next morning. There
are twenty of us in this tent, and they
call it the noisy tent, and it is, too.
We all planned to have the same
tent so we could have good times to-
gether. 1t is very quiet now, no huns
visiting us. "Bosh finish" as the
French say. l got letter from Will
Roberts, and John l.. got a cablegram
from them last week, too. They
wanted to know how things were
here.
well, we are all very anxious to
start back TO the states now. | hope
it won't be lorg until I can say,
'Homeward bound l just received
your letter of October q, and only
wish you would write oftener. 1t is
raining here today ard has been wet
ard cloudy for the last three or four
weeks. got letter from Mr.. Grand
ALL and he was busy as they always
are this time Of the year. l suppose
you are goiEg TO school, and studying
every night. If your have any kodak
pictures of pa, or ma, or any of you
kids, serd me some.-Your loving
brother, Uriah."
Mr. ard Mrs. j. f. Henry received
the following letter from their son
Lloyd.
Belfort Sector, December II, 1918.
Dearest Folks: | will now take the
time ard write you folks few lines
tonight because maybe in the morn
ing the rats will have eaten me up.
am sleeping in barn where the rats
and mice and owls are so thick that
it makes me think sometimes that l
will, but here is hoping for / want to
get home sometime again before
long. | don't know just when we will
leave. | have been in France nearly
five months now but it seems about
ten l can tell you. l have sure seen
lots of this country since l have been
over here. Our division has been to
so many of the fronts but it would
| take so long to describe them all so
| will wait and tell you when | get
home / have not seen any of the
boys from around home since | have
been over here. Did Lula ever say
where Ray Hoffman was or whether
he is alive or not? l sure would like
| to see him because there is no friend
like Ray for me. Did / ever tell you
| that Thomas TOnaSon is in nv regi =