Greenbrier independent. [volume] (Lewisburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1980, 1919-01-10
FROM SGT. FRANK ZIMMERMAN
Co |, 3rd Bin. z2nd Engineers.
a. p. o. 703. France
December >, 1915.
Dear Papa {:

l
December ;. 1915.
Dear Papa:
In view IF the armiStice new rules
of censorship have been adopted and
we are now permitted to tell the his
tory Of our organizatiOn-its exact
location and activities. So will
Try to tell you briefly where we have
| been, where we are. and what we
have been doing
| We left Camp Upton. l.. l.. New
York. about o'clock in the after
noon of August 21st and took train
| to Montreal, Canada, arriving there
In the afternoon Of the 22nd. We
| went through Bridgeport, Conn. but
1t was night when we passed there
and | didn't get to see much besides
the station.
We boarded the English troopship
"Nalacia" at Montreal on August
! END ct about 500 D. III. and started
Gown the ST. Lawrence. We stop-
red at Quebec and were anchored
there for Twenty-Five hours. Then
we resumed our course down the
! river. hndlng ourselves on the next
dfy accompanied by -four or five
other ships. Having passed out the
mouth of the river and crossed the
Gulf of ST. Lawrence in Il south
eaStcrly course we ran into the far-
DOT at North Sidney, Capt Bret on,
where we were anchored for four
days. Our time there was occupied
IN reading. singing, boat drills. guard
duty and inspection chiefly. boxing
ana wrestling matches afforded
amusement part OF the time. And
some OF the boys secured ffshing lines
and hooks from two Canadian bows
wEo rowed out to us from the shore.
ana whilcd many moments away
h:%ling down by the side of our boat
Tor channel catfish. as they called
them. held the line for one fellow
for few minutes and had the pIeas-
nre or catching one about ten inches
long Several life boats full of fell
lows went out rowing and swimming
enc day while we we're anchored
there. Thus we spent four DAYS
while waiting for orders TO move. In
The meantime the other ships pulled
out and left us. We heard later
That they were faster ships than ours
ana That that was the reason we
didn't go On with them. When we
did move we moved back toward
Quebec. We arrived there ;jbout
eight O'Clock a. m. on the morning
Of September 3rd That afternoon
We went ashore and marched around
to another dock from which We
boarded the British troupship "Port
Lincoln''
AT four O'Clock the next morning
our boat pulled out ard when We
woke up AT daylight We were on our
way back down the river and really
starting over There" This was
the beginning Of our thirteen day
trip oversee.
We pulled into the harbor at Liver
pooll England. about 800 p. m,
September 10th and anchored about
q hundred yards from the wharf.
There We spent about five hours Gaz-
ing upon Che city and the numerous
ships about uS.
Liverpool is said to he the biggest
seaport In the world. SO | have seen
! the biggest city in the world and the
| biggest seaport and Am new i'll the
greatest country in the world-tc
! sail from-COmpree?
Ii was 7.44 by the big clock on {
! tower at the wharf when | walked
: down the gang-plank. Having dis
embarked we mar he'd through tn
streets TO tn" railroad station. an,
boarded u train for Southampton
Arriving there NJ $50 the next morn
ing we stopped of and liked on
about mile and half To Il res
camp. We got our first meal o
land just otter reaching thtt CamT