Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1919-01-01
OUR BOYS
in
OUR COuNTRY'S SERVICE

son will be interested in the following
letter received b Neil Benson on Dec
18th. In connection with the letter all
will be interested TO know that Corp
Benson was in active service at the
front for "A days. The letter reads:
France, Dec. /, 1918.
Dear Brother:
Have l ever written to YOU since COM
ing over here? 1t seems that ! have
and then again l can't remember when
| wrote il l cid. Anyway ] am going
to write you enough letters this time
to make up for all should have writ
ten, ! will try TO tell you about what
1 have some through .ince leaving
Camp Davens.
We left Camp July 18th about 1
0 clock IN the morning and went TO Bos-
ton where we got aboard the transport
'Miltiades. British ship and a fairly
good sized one too. From there we
went to Halifax and waited couple OF
days and then with - otner ships and
a British cruiser left for Europe There
wasn't much of interest during the
voyage unless it was watching some
fellow beat it for the rail and feed the
FISHES. | came very near being seaSick
but wasn't l felt pretty mean for q
few days but got over il after d while
When we Were not on guard watching
for C-hoats we laid around the decks
out were Joined by about Il dozen Eng
.isn and American destroyers. Believe
me they looked Sood to US for VS. knew
We were pretty near England and in
dangerous waters. Well We sailed on
Tor another three DAYS aad then came
the G-boats. The tirst We knew of their
being sighted WAS when the siren whis-
lie on one of the destroNerS started
blowing Then me a shot from one
a the ships and the light was on. The
H'stroyers dropped depth bombs for
ahcut half an hour and ii was surely
somc sisht. Those boats can so like the
very G"tli aud the bombs were dropped
ID befor" they went off the boat was
Ear enough away TO be out Of danger
EH; Wnvn they went off they made the
pla tcs on our ship rattle as though some
gigantic hammer had hit them. The
bombs shot the water into the air about
80 feet II was said that four C-boats
were STINK but ] am not sure whether
they were or not. 1t is funny but
ditln seem 10 have time to get scared
or anything else. Things happened so
fast and it was SO exciting that ddn'.
think of anything but 10 see all ] could.
We landed in Newport Wales, the
first Americans to land there. They
gave us some reception. From there we
went by train to Winchester the an
Gent capital of England and the place
where the Knights of the Round Table
used to stay. We saw many interesting
things there but haven't the space to
tell you about them all.
We then went by train again to
Southampton and crossed the English
channel on the L. S. S. Yale, a boat
that used TO run between Boston and
New York. 1t was a very speedy boat,
it taking US but eight hours to go to
LIE Havre. France. where we landed,
staying there two days. From there we
went 10 the city of Clermont- Ferrand.
passing near enough to Paris to see
the Eiffel tower very plainly. This trip
we made by train, but not in passenger
cars. We had box cars on the sides of
which was painted 36-i0 hommes, s
chevauN. meaning Sc to 40 men or eight
horses. BY the smell l think the car
| was in was last occupied by eight
horses. 1T certainly was some trip.
From Clermont- Ferrand we marched
to Aubiere where we stayed nearly
three months, then again We travelled
in our side door pullmans to the town
OF Dugny. Just south of Verdun. We
could see the city from the I'M, near the
station. We also saw our first aer,-
plane fighting there. After spending
half of the night standing, lying. or ste
ting in the rain and the other half in a
barn full of baled hay We left for the
place we are now in. village by the
name of Creue. pronounced kroo. inside
Of what was the st. Mihiel salient and
about % miles from Metz. We were not
here long before hcsti!ities ceased, but
we got into the fight just the same.
Since the war stopped / have been to
within eight miles of Metz. in the town
of Noinville, beyond where the front
was when Germany quit. All we do
now is sit tight and wait for the word
that will send us home. We have seen
about all there is to see. for we are not
going to the kline, that is we don't ex-
pect TO. and We are anxious to get
home
| wish you very merry Christmas
Neil and hope that the next Christmas
that comes along will find me home.
Your brother,
Corp j. NJ. S. Benson,
Headquarters Co. 3O3d r A