Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1919-02-13
Our Soldier Boys.

Private t. H. Mitchell, bet. Med.
Dept, 354th Infantry, writes the follow
ing letter to his parents on December
25th; Since | wrote you a week ago
we have moved from Rommersheim
about Is kilometers to a little village
named Lunebach. We had to-day a pro-
gram OF fun, a short devotion conducted
by the chaplain, and in the evening a
picture show. We also had a good din
ner. My Christmas box has not come
yet, but | do not have to wait until it
does come to thank you. Quite a num-
Der have failed to receive theirs yet.
Christmas v was the first sunshiny day
that we had had in Germany. That night
the first snow thai struck the ground fell
and quietly, beautifully decorated the
Christmas trees set up around our out
side door platform erected for the anna
teur program Of Christmas Day. The
day has continued without rain or snow.
Nature it seems was on hand to do her
part towards making a more cheersome
holiday.
want to tell you now something q
my travels after leaving Camp Mills.
Half of u regiment started on the night
OF June sd for Montreal, Canada, this
half including the Medical Detachment.
The other hall boarded ship in New
York harbor and went straight to Hall
fax, N. S. We arrived in Montreal about
8 P. NJ. of the 18th and immediateld board
ed our ship, the Aacanius, one Of the
Blue Funnel Line. 1t was British owned
and manned of course. We were assign,
ed our places in the hold that night and
got a nights sleep in our canvass ham
mocks before lifting anchor. At 6 A. NJ,
June 5th, a year from the date of oul
resignation, we set sail down the St.
Lawrence River. About twilight we
reached Quebec where the lights and the
profile OF the profile Of the steep fortress
bluffs wete just right to allow n to in.
dulge his imagination and see Wolfe,
Montcalm and other figures of the past,
doing their historic deeds about the ole
strongholds. In the Gull of St. Lawrence
we found a rough sea, The worst Of the
entire voyage, and | succumbed to sea
sickness. On Saturday the 8th we en-
tered the harbor at Halifax. We had {
whole day to rest our stomachs here, a:
we did not go forth for the main voyage
until Sunday P. NJ. Halifax was the ren
devious for the whole convoy, which
consisted of IS vessels, all told. Some
carried Canadian soldiers. A number o
torpedo boats accompanied us for som,
distance from the Shore. There wa:
nothing eventful during the trip across
except possibly our passing a becalmeC
sailing vessel away out ON the waterl
waste. Our biggest 3 funnel cruiser fel
out and stopped to investigate, but i
evidently discovered nothing suspicious
as it finally caught up with us, and W,
heard nothing more OF il. My hammocl
! was near a ventilating shaft, which open
ed near the ships whistle. The whistl
was to give a signal-a long and TIVE
shorts-ln case OF submarine danger, a
which we were immediately to assembl
at appointed places by RATS and life boat
} on deck. Because OF repeated fog thl
ships had to signal one another to max,
, sure of keeping their positions. Many
time | would listen to the first signal a
night when we would run suddenly int
a fog. After that blast would die dow.
not to be followed by the two shorts,
J would snugly adjust the draperies Of m
hammock about me and resume m
dreaming. The little destroyer met u
I as we approached the danger zone an,
accompanied us on in. We did not Ian
at Liverpool as. we expected, but wen
up the channel 10 Dover, June 20, wher
| we dropped anchor. The much storiel
chalk cliffs OF Dover were there in a
! their perpendicular wilderness. The neS
morning we sailed around TO the Thame
{ and up that stream and past the beautl
full green landscapes to Tilbury Landin
about 20 miles below London. We too
a railroad trip via the outskirts OF Lor
. don to Winchester. On Tuesday, Jun
] 2sth. We went to Southampton. Her
4 we waited all day at the docks beior
boarding the little channel ships tina
8 were to take us over to France. Will
( waiting there we had a sight Of a rel
: steam ship, one that made all the Other
Q | had seen look like ferry boats. II wa
r the Olympic, the big Tour funnel twi
Z sister Of the III iated Titanic. The lit
4 steamers that conveyed us across til
8 channel were small but last. We starte
! late in the P. NJ, but early enough to S,
BY daylight the shores OF the long Rivl
h Harbor running out from Southampto