The Cordova daily times., 1919-05-13
DETAILS GIVEN
 OF BOYS WHO
 DIED0VERSEAS

who did not return from France are being mailed their nearest relatives by Lieutenant Colin Dyment, North west newspaper man, who went over seas with the division as a Red Cross searcher, and who remained with the Western men, in battle and out, un til they started for home.
 Scores of letters from relatives o1 the men killed in France are received by Lieutenant Dyment at his office ir the Red Cross headquarters here Nearly all the letters come from the Western states, the homes of the men of the wild West" division.
 Did he leave any word for us: How badly was he wounded? Were his comrades with him when he died Did he say anything after he was shot: Can we get any of his personal be longings?" These and many other ment.
 Answers for the questions are taken by Lieutenant Dyment from mum Der of note books he filled while on the Western front. These books con tain something regarding nearly every death in the division. Most of the facts were gained by the lieuten ant from the officers and men who came out of the battles and told how their comrades died.
 ''It will take million words of die tation to answer all the letters and write to the relatives who do not write for information" Lieutenant by ment said recently. Letters are vel, comed by the lieutenant, and are an swered as fully and as quickly as possible.
 Some of the letters received come from relatives of men in other divi- sions. Lieutenant Dyment has no rec ord of other than the Ninety-first di- vision deaths; therefore he can not answer the others fully.
 Lieutenant Dyment started his work in Paris before he returned to Amer ica. About two hundred letters were sent by him from the French capital advising relatives of the details of the deaths. #
 Occasional Hast straw hopes are blasted by the answers. Some rela- tives may have some bit of informa- tion that will lead them to doubt the truth of the telegrams sent them by the war department telling that their boys were killed. Often the relatives will have letter from the soldier postmarked after the soldier died. Others will know of some other sol dier who claims he saw their relative after the government reported he was killed. In nearly every case, how ever, the war department has been correct, Lieutenant Dyment thinks.
 Most of the letters received ask if the writers can get some personal be- longings of the dead soldiers. To one mother Lieutenant Dyment wrote that her son was smoking pipe when he was killed. The mother replied ask ing if she could get the pipe
 Nearly all the letters contain at least two questions. Samples follow:
 T am writing asking for informa- tion regarding the death of my only son. Will you please tell me if he left any word for us?"
 Please let me know what you can about the death of my brother The last letter we received from him he said he was in hospital suffering from typhoid. Next came the war de- partment telegram telling that he was killed in action"
 The answers read as follows:
 Your son was shot in the stomach by German snipers half way between the villages of Very and Eclisfon- taine."
 Your brother was killed on the night of November l, about the cen ter of the town of Waereghan, Bel gium. German airplanes had appeared over the town and had forced the peo- pie to hide for safety. As your brother with several other soldiers. was de- scending into cellar, bomb struck near by and threw him against the wall, killing him instantly"
 In cases where one shell killed sev- men, Lieutenant Dymen punches the deaths and describes all in one letter. Copies of the letter go to the relatives of each of the men.
 No facts. no matter how bad, are withheld. Recently the lieutenant had to write the Washington father of a boy who was so badly wounded that his comrades did not dare move him. and had to leave him behind to die when they changed their position.
 Lieutenant Dyment estimates that the Ninety-frst suffered about five thousand casualties. Of this number between 1,400 and 1,5OO were fatali-