The Liberal democrat. [volume] (Liberal, Kan.) 1911-1924, 1919-02-06

| nave iOOheu swell W US IHSHs VIC
only stayed there two days. The
evening of August we sailed for
lie Harve on the Howard, fine little
excursion boat from the Pacific coast,
and operated by a real American
crew. The submarines almost had
the channel blocked but the Harvard
made a mad dash across and came
thru safe. At lie Harve we stayed at
rest camp or rather in an old barn
with double deck hunks until the fol-
lowing day when we took the train,
and it was some train too, an Ameri-
can hog train would have been pal
ace compared with it. We rode
crowded into box cars without room
for all of us to lie on the floor at
once. 1t took us 80 hours to make
the trip from La Harve to Sancerre,
distance of about 1870 miles.
After ten days rest we boarded an
other French train and started for
Toul, a two days ride. We were
sent to a camp just outside Toul for
few days rest where we had fair
quarters, but that expression "rest
camp" is a joke in this country. The
only thing l have seen that looked
like rest camp is cemetery.
We were assigned to the fourth
corps as headquarters radio and here
is where our real work began. On
September 9Th we took charge of two
radio stations in Toul and few days
later moved with the 4th corps to
Mina-la-tours, where we operated the
corps and army radio stations and
four others of less Importance. The
company of rs men had had very lit
tie training in radio, that is with the
French instruments and the methods
used in actual warfare, making it i'm
possible for anyone but an expert
enced telegrapher to get by and there
was only about twenty experienced
men in the company, so you see we
had plenty to keep US going. The
remainder of the company was as
signed to other work.
The night of the st. Mihiel drive
(Which started at l a. m. Sept. 12)
dugout when the artillery all at once
broke loose. 1t seemed as tho all
hell had torn loose, and it continued
for four hours, at which time the ar
tillery let up to give the infantry a
chance to go over Well, the result,
you read in the papers.
There was not much moving until
after the armistice was signed We
were at that time located at Woin-
vile. There was very little demon
stration there when the news came
that the armistice had been signed.
| had just ate breakfast and gone to
the wireless station in dugout to re-
lieve the operator for breakfast, who
had just picked up the news from the
Paris radio station. 1t was in French
but we could translate the part which
read: "The armistice was signed al
five o'clock and all hostilities will stop
at Hoo" That was about seven
o'clock or two hours after it had been
signed Il a. m. your time). made
certain that my watch was correct anC
few minutes before eleven, / held i
in my hand and waited for the fight
ing to cease as it had been heavie
than ever that morning, it seemed a
tho the Americans were trying tt
shoot all their ammunition away be
fore eleven o'clock, but by hal,
minute after eleven all was still.
November 10 we started with the
army OF occupation for Germany
have to walk but travel in trucks
making about an average move of 20
miles and then. stop a few days, open
station and carry on communication
between the various units of the
army 1t has certainly been a great
trip, the first part was little difficult
as the bridges were destroyed, but the
balance of the way we have had good
roads. We made three stops in Lux
emburg and received good treatment
from the people. We crossed the line
into Germany December a. Well, the
way the German people act and treat
us you could not imagine that there
ever had been a war. We sleep in
their houses in real beds, buy apples
at the stores, etc. Yesterday | was
in barber shop and an ex-German
soldier who had been in the German
army four years and two months
shaved me. 1t seems almost like a
dream to think that only a few days
ago the great battle was raging. The
Germans say they are glad we are
here instead of the French or British.
l am now in Cochem, town of
about 1000 inhabitants, thirty miles
up the Mosel river from Colhence.
l will close for this time with best
regards to all and hoping to hear from
you soon.
| Your son,
| CCT DnVAI IEhCE