The Belding banner-news. (Belding, Mich.) 1918-1973, 1919-04-30
FEEL
PROUD Of THEIR
PART IN BIG WAR
LETTERS TELL OF SEEING AF-
TER THE WAR SIGHTS IN
FRANCE AND GERMANY.

Mrs. Ed. King has received the fol-
lowing letter from her son, Charles
King. In it Charles tells of going
over some of the land where some Of f
the battles were fought.
Toul, France, April 4, 1919.
Dear Mother and All.
Just line this "a. m. while have
time, to let you know that / received
a couple of letters from you and sure
glad TO hear from home. | got one
with some of the clippings in that YOU
sent In February and cne that was
sent on March 5. You asked me i'll
| received the papers you sent. Yes.
received the bundle o. k. and glad to
get them. Well mother, j lust gotI
back from the dentist't office and
now have got 10 teeth all fixed up.
i have only got or more and when
they are finished I'll be able to eat
nails, of course / haven't get any gold
IN them as it is too hard to get. So
l think that when get home III have
it put in
Oh, yes, Mother, before l forget d
had two day trip the first of this
week and believe me what / saw was
worth while to anyone. First wentI
to Mars-Le-Tour then to Ccnflanes
then to Etain, all occupied once by
the Germans, then back to VerdunI
then to Gloria: then up on the Bell
gium border to Stenay and while ir
Stenay | went through the crown
princes headquarters and believe md
it was some palace. / was in thd
room where he rode his horse in and
had his picture painted: you could SCI
the hoof marks in the floor where th(
horse jumped around; then we wer
down in the dugout he had built fo
his own personal use and believe m
he sure must have been some cowar
for I'll bet the thing was all of 40 o.
80 feet deep and all this right unde
the house,.
Gee, sure did enjoy that tri
through there. Then we went dow
and went through an old German hos
pital that has been standing for hun
dreds of years. Then we left ther
building the lag national cemeter
for our dead. They said there wer
thousands buried there already an
they are still bringing them in by til
truck load. This place is in a grea
big battlefield and the town hasn't ed
over a dozen buildings all togethd
| that they will ever repair. Then v
went over to Clermount in the "A
gonne woods. This is where we lo
| a lot of boys and-believe me it is SON
sight to go through them now. The
to Froidos to a big hospitals; then
! Scnilly and st. MihieI and home.
was some tired when I got back, b
i wouldn't take lot for what / sa
| was around over a lot Of this cOu
\ try Uhi1a the war was on hut it "
always dark and we couldn't see an
/ thing. not even the shell holes we us
to almost get our cars stuck in.
1 is one of the most tiresome sigh
though to Just see nothing but q
shell-ruined towns and fields; you
always glad to get back where it
civilized again / wish you cou
come ever here and see some Of
/ sights in this country. If everyo
could see the things the boys have h
4 to put up with over here and wl
K they have gone through with tn
4 wouldn't wonder at the boys bel
all anxious to get back home. A
| for one am just as ready TO ST.
as anyone. / don't think it viii
over a month of two before we md
somewhere, and J hope ID is towa1
home. Well, Mother, I guess
close for this time, hoping to hd
from you soon, ! remain as befo
your loving son.
! Pvte. 1st Class Chas. E. King
Evac. Amb. Co., Prov. No. ]. Seb
tapol Bks.. Toul. F''-9s.1ce A. f.
j A. p. O. No. 7S4.
NJ Do.1ox~