Alma record., 1919-01-23
DAVENPORT WRITES
Vestaburg Man Writes Highly In.
teresting Letter From France.


burg. Harry enlisted in Grand Rap
ids and went to Detroit in June, 1917,
taking his training in the camp at
the fairgrounds. He is in France with
the 10th Engineers.
Spincourt. France, Nov. "a
Dear Ones All:
This is the first time that | have
been able TO tell you where / am To-
Gated since | have been in France
with the exception of once when |
was in Meuse. | was then so far be-
hind the lines that | could do no harm
in telling. | presume you have won
dered many times where have been.
Last winter we were in Issurtille
putting i'm one of the largest camps
or supply bases that there is in
France. Then we were sent up with
the British. This was in April. You
will remember that was during the
time the Germans were making their
big drive on the British. We were
under shell fire all the time there but
they failed to get any of our boys at
that time.
Then in July and August we were
at Meuse. In September and part of
November we were at Meuse putting
up a large hospital Then we were
called back to the front again, up by
Verdun.
We were fixing the railroad di-
rectly along the line north of Verdun
when the war was called to finish.
There was great excitement about
that time. We could even light a
candle and feel that an airship was
not going to fly over and hand US a
package. You could see all kinds Of
celebrations going on in every direc-
ton.
You see we all thought the war had
finished about five days before it real
ly did close. They had called our
boys TO standstill TO let those Ger
man officers cross the line and every
thing being so quiet we thought sure
they had stopped. That night we
realized that the war was still on
but the Germans were retreating all
the time.
| wish you could see these towns
where the fighting has been going on.
Some of them are nothing but great
pile of stone. Where we are now the
yillages are in COOL shape These
places were taken by the Germans at
the outbreak of the war so they have
not suffered so very much. People
are moving back here now. You
should see how happy some of them
seem TO be, others have some hard
stories to tell.
One cid lady was telling one of the
boys the other day that German
officer had taken her daughter, about
fifteen years old, to live with him and
that she was just alive and that was
all.
The French people who have been
in Germany during the war are re-
turning to their homes and it is
heart sight to see them.
They are happy though to think they
can come home under the French
government.
wish you could see the prisoners
coming back-walking, catching a
ride wherever they can. The stories
we used TO read about the soldiers re-
turning from the Civil war are moth
ing compared with this. Fathers re-
turning and finding their families
all scattered. maybe dead. Some of
the men who were fighting in France
while their wives and daughters were
still in captured territory are now
coming back to find them awaiting
them with Dutch babies in their arms.
A French woman was telling one
of the boys today that when the Ger
mans took this town at the outbreak
of the war, they took all the young
French women, from twelve years up,
and kept them as white slaves and
when they were tired of them they
killed them.
have seen a good many Germans
lying on the ground with their faces
up but not with a contented look on
them. couldn't help but think that
the time had come to them to answer
a few questions. Old Kaiser Bill must
think "Gott" has gone back on him.
He gave in little too soon. wish
we could have gotten into Germany
just to show his people what war is
the way he gave it TO the French.
have been spending the day wan
dering around looking for souvenirs
that ! could carry / sent a helmet
German gas mask and a German
gun home today. The gun is as rusty
as it can be because | picked il up on
the field but | know you would like
to use little sand paper. | don't
know as we are permitted TO send
guns through the mail but | took a
chance. | have another gun that is
"a dandy but it will be quite a job to
get it home.
Our regiment, | understand, is in
the third army. So if you can fol-
low the papers you will be able to
tell where we are. | have received
several letters from you lately but
haven't had chance to answer them
because we have been on the move
most Of the time. We have been
following up old Germany, that is,
when we could keep up with them.
This is German paper that | am
using. 1t is all have or would use
something else. found this in a
book and took all the clean sheets
We have moved eight times in the
last three weeks so you see / had no
more stuff with me than was neces-
sary.
We hit the trail one dhy over
twenty miles. / had two suits of un-