The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1919-03-06
FROM A SAILOR BOY

Mrs. E. j. Johnson of near 0cala
has received the following letter from
her son IN the navy:
U. S. Naval Forces, Europe, Feb 6.
Dear Mother: / left New York In
October, 1917. on my. way to Europe.
AS sailed out of New York harbor /
felt as though | might never return.
knew that some of US would have TO
die and | thought it might as well be
me as anyone. We were sixteen days
going from New York to Portsmouth,
England. We had large convoy and
some of the ships were very slow. /
was on new ship that could make
nineteen knots an hour. We had five
inch guns and lots of shells. We had
drills every day. / think that it was
in the afternoon of the fourteenth
day, we had the mattress drill and
had just gone down to put away our
mattresses when the alarm was given
to fall in at general quarters. Some
of the boys said that it must be a sub
this time, but l said, "No, they are
only fooling you. We are going to
get lots of drilling now, for we are in
the war zone"
When | got up on deck / noticed
that the ship was going full speed,
and looked up at the mast and saw
the red flag and knew that the subs
were there. They showed up twice
that evening but stayed out of range
of our guns. We had to stay on deck
that night, so we would be ready for
battle but we never saw them again.
We stayed in Portsmouth a day or
two and then went ashore at five a. m.
and marched through the town to a
railroad station, where we got on the
train and travelled until o'clock,
when we got off at Cardiff, Wales.
We had five hours liberty to take a
look at the town, which is a real nice
place. A great many people would
stand along the streets to get a
chance to touch US for good luck.
They gave US books and cigarettes
and tobacco, and crowds followed us
ID the train to tell US goodbye. We
went from there to Fishguard, where
we went aboard an English steamer
going to Queenstown, Ireland, from
where we were sent to different ships.
Some went to destroyers and some to
repair ships, and suppose some of
them are dead long ago. l was well
acquainted with many of the boys who
were killed. / was talking to two of
them about ten minutes before they
were killed, and I came so near to be-
ing killed that / could never tell just
how it happened.
After | had been here for awhile
and was getting acquainted. / asked
for furlough and went to London,
to rest for awhile. Just as was be-
ginning to recruit from my long trip
the Germans came over and started
racket. They would come every
night about nine or ten o'clock and
stay until two or three o'clock and
they made so much racket and ex-
citement that no one could sleep.
They dropped bombs and fought with
their machine guns. The English
planes went up to meet them and the
guns were firing all over town. Of
course, could not do anything. was
looking for little excitement but not
that kind. They furnished all the ex-
element that anyone could look for. /
did not have time to think about get
ting hurt. | was thinking about the
poor women and children that would
be killed or crippled and their homes
destroyed. When a bomb struck a
house it ruined it, and before /, could
get to any house that was struck the
ambulance would be there taking the
dead and wounded away. They were
right or the job. That is one week of
my life that / will never forget. Any
one that has never seen an air raid in
town cannot realize what terrible
thing it it to see the poor women and
children murdered and crippled and
suffering. 1t would make any one
want to fight the Germans, and now
they are asking for mercy. Suppose
the Germans could have. won the war,
what would this world be with such
people as that to rule it. / can say
one thing for the Americans, and that
it there has never been Drawer ma
tion of people in the world. When
they were in battle they would be
laughing and shouting as though they
were playing baseball game. They
never seemed to mind it a bit. It
makes me feel good to know that /
am an American. 1t is the greatest
nation in the world.
Your loving son, Oliver.