The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1919-01-03

Marion Green and was in the big
drive the latter part OF September,
where he was wounded. We are
all very glad he is improving and
hope he will soon be able to come
home
Mr.. and Mrs. Charles z. Beck, Mt.
Airy, have received the following let
ter from their son, Herman:
Camp Merritt, N. T.,
December 26, 1913
my Dear Father and Mother:
ct received your letter today and
I sure was glad to hear from you
once again. 1t seems strange to
get letter so soon after 1t is writ
en- for when L got them over there
they were always about month old
and sometimes older than that. You
don't know how good it is to be back
i'm a real honest to God country once
more.
"I sure was glad to be here for
Xmas. but I would loved to have
been home, but it could not be,
1t seems, but had a good
time up here You know / make
friends wherever 7 60 and | have
some here already. I worked all
night of the oath to get out our big
dinner and until after dinner was
over I took a rest. We had AS
different articles for our dinner and
had % roasted turkeys and roast
pork and other things too numerous
%@ af riUht q
sergeant from the cooks and bakers
school took me to: banquet that
was given by them and we surely
did have some more feed, and good
time, so you see I spent a pretty
good Xmas, to be away from home,
but / surely would loved to have
been at home, but I am sure glad
that was back in an honest to God
country for Xmas.
81 at least have a warm place to
sleep and a bunk to sleep on and
plenty to eat here and they are
some of the things that we never got
over there.
From the time | left Camp Meade
until l got wounded I never saw a
bed or bunk OF any kind. We slept
i'm barns, COW stables and anywhere
we could get in before we went up
to the front and then in she'll holes
or old muddy dugouts or out on the
wet ground in the rain with wet
clothes on and covered with mud
and Coolies The coolies we're for
conSany and lots of them wore
three service stripes, Ha, .ha.
II don't know how long I will
+@ r+o h1rf will
get closer to home before long, for
home will sure look good to me
when I get back once more. Sure
was glad to hear from both Of you.
7 suppose T will close for this time
and perhaps in couple of days /
will be able to tell you when we can
expect to meet again.
II will close for this time. Hope I
will see you soon. Write.
''I am your son, HERMAN.
Mr.. and Mrs. Geo. NJ Owings re-
ceived the following letter from their
son, Private George w. Owings, Co.
G, 112th M. NJ. Bn., A. T.. F.,
"Fiesnes sin Epance, France,
December 10, 1918.
Dear Mother and Adjust a few
lines to say I am weM and hope you
are all in the best Of health.
"Well mother the war is over and
I ann allowed to tell you where I am
and also where I have been, but 1t
is hard for me to try to tell you all
the names of the towns and villages
I have been in. But L can tell you a
few of them. We first landed at
Brest, from there we came to Occey
and then to Convenient, German
town, and there is where we went on
our first front. 1t was quiet sector
on the Alsace front From there we
went to Fraise and then to Gillwalter
on another front. That was pretty
lively, and then back to Fraise again
We stayed there for a while and drill
ed; there is where we saw the first
German aerdplane brought down by
a French plane. VIE left there and
hiked through Bedford to Evette. Then
we went by train to Verdun and there
is where we had our real fight For
we went over the top after them. We
chased them some too, believe me.
That was on the morning OF Oct. at
o'clock; we stayed there until the
night of October 20. Then we were
relieved by the 10th division, the 312th
MI. O.. Bn. Then VIE came back
through Barbecue to Robert-les-Es-
pange for few days and. then we
had orders to 60 back again to the
front to take Metz. But the armistice
was signed just in time to save us
from the gas and shrapnel. We came
to Rigny from there by train to JUS
sey from there here
We'll I met Earl here, as he was
hiking through here to JuSSey last
Saturday night. They also stayed in
this town over night. He slept with
me and of course we had a good long
chat for the first time since we left
Camp Mcclellan. He is well and he
has never been on the line at all, ne
was on an artillery range.
well I think probably we will soon
be bidding farewell to France Al
though some think they are going to
send US to Germany, but ] hope not.
Mother that slip or paper you
wrote to me about so you could send
me a Christmas package, it was given
to me when we were chasing the
Huns, and it was SO foggy and rainy
most all the time we were up there
lost the paper or something for
never could find it. Don't worry about
II for am only to glad am living
TO tell the story today.
Sargeant Baker told me yesterday
that Jeanette and Ed. were married.