The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1919-02-07
1HIS lad SAIE TIE
VERY WORST OF Il
Harold Hamilton Got to
France Early in the
Year 1917.

OOAA We 0AuAASIAtOh VA psS 41s1k - 80 -
avenue has received the following
very interesting letter from his son
Harold Hamilton, who was in Idaho
at the time the United States entered
the war and enlisted in the Second.
Idaho guards the day after the formal
declaration OF state OF war was
adopted:
Somewhere in France. a town by the
name of Blercourt, on the Main
Yerdun Highway, France.
Dear Dad, Edgar and All-well at
last the lid is off censorship and am
going to Jar loose with little of what
l have gone through with and the
different places ! have been, battles,
engagements and etc.
On December "a, P. NJ. 1917, we
sailed from dock No. 50. New York
City; the day after Christmas we tied
up at Halifax U. S. P. N. On the
18th of December our convoy loft for
France. via England. u forgot to
mention our boat was the Lap!and, a
100000 ton passenger liner. Red Starr
There we're only LOO on board and
a big boat; We sure had dandy trip.
We landed III Liverpool, Eng. and
from there wen. straight to Winches-
ter. was in camp there three days; saw
many places OF historic interest, King
Arthur's Round Table. Castle OF VIM
chester, and the Cathedral Of Win
chester and many other places too
numerous to mention.
January 9th. 1918. we left Winches.
ter and was i'll La Harve, France Jan.
9TH. 1918. via South Hampton, Eng.
Were only in La Harve days.
On Jan. II. 1915 we entratned at
Harve for Bordeaux, France and were
stationed at Camp de Souge, short
way from Bordeaux, this camp is
about the largest in France and used
exclusively for artillery training. Our
division. .41st.l on arriving in France
was used, as Requirements for other
divisions but lack was with our Regt.
and we were given the new French
gun Is 5 M n, (6in) G. p. F. Rifle,
"a guns to the Regt. The beauty OF it
is the 146tln Field Artillery was the
LIST regiment OF Americans to get
them, Frcnchman inventing these
guns. The French did not take much
to them at first. but we experimental
with them and trained up to where we
were ready for target practice, on the
range. just to illustrate their accur-
acy one Of our batteries firing on a
target 10 kilometres or Z to Z 1-2 miles
got IS direct hits out of 90 shots on
target triangle shape 81 on each
side and e high. Well we trained
about months and then went to Cher
mont Ferrsrd, Southern France.
Were there two months training two
more Regis. after giving them the
two moa:hs instruction We entrained
on the morning Of July 9Th, 1918 for
Meaux. on the Marne River. Our guns
went into action in front of Chateau
Thierry, some firing on the country
back of the town, some went into po.
Veaux and kept right on through
nearly 20 the Vesle River.
was on that big gun inlplace-
ment the Boche had their Paris gun,
that was Fere en- Tardenois.
We were camped near La Ferte on
the Marno River and the Germans
opened up on a hill about 200 yards
from our camp firing this big gun from
Fere en- 1'ardenois, and 1t was the
most terrible shrek 1have ever heard
shell make since we were on the
front. They shelled there for three
days off and on. Thought they wero
Smelling an ammunition dump but i.
was nothing but an old abandoned
brick yard. That was my first dose Of
shell fire. and tho first shell that came
over was about 200 A. NJ. had
just gotten home from 50 milo trip,
starting after supper and getting in
camp at 900 a. NJ. and that frs
Shot came over. Well that wasn't the
last one heard by far.
From the Chateau Thierry front or
the End battle Of the Marne, we pick.