The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1919-04-25
LETTERS FROM FRANCE

@M III VI @MWS pN~U@
Mr.. and Mrs. Nelson II. Bankard'
near Pleasant Valley received tne
following interesting letter from tnelr
son, Vernon p. Bankard 10 france.
Melay, France, January ~ ISIS;
Daar Mother and All:-Received
your letter O. few days ago ana was
more than pleased to hear from you.
am we'll at this writing and hope
that you are the same. Well, am
anioving life real well owing to the
fact that it is a real long way TO the
States but / am taking everything
good naturally but lots or times get
discouraged. / try to keep UP my
snirits by Whistling but / do not know
what r will do when my whistler
wears out. Ha, Ha. Well mother
the weather u real nice at present.
We 60 out without our oVercuats
- vo1 know that it is not SO cold,
hnt eness it is zero weather at nome
now and that you know what snow
~ nv this time. We have seen lttle
hut so little we scarcely could see II.
1t il fine here now, the sun has neen
shining for few days so we nave
been taking advantage OF the good
weather
have lots OF that, believe me. !
really think if it was raining swords
we would be- out trying to dodge them
by doing fours right and left. we
are all healthy though if we do urlll
a great deal Our colonel SAID ~
would be good for our health anu IL
we keen on we will never be SICK
Every afternoon we have foot races,
hoxing contests and leap frog and q
lot of sports to keep up our health
and spirits. You should see me writ
ing this letter. / have an old candle
and am leaning over a mantle piece
for desk with fire beside me and
INV feet are almost burning UP but
am writing just the same. When q
fellow comes over here he can 10
things that are really impossible 10
do in the States. I have eaten my
dinner with a piece OF bread serving
as a. fork and spoon, so you can see
!. that a lot of things are not lmpos-
NH Sjble. Hin, tHa. Il also must tell you
about the French people. The Y. MI.
r. A. had a show a few nights ago
and the people were like they were
crazy They were dangerous, almost
running over the top OF a FELLOW.
But they never saw anything like a
show SO we can put UP with their
actions. They have treated we boys
real nice though since we have been
i'm the little town of Melay. They
take lots OF the boys and give them
good meals SO you can see they treat
Us real good. There is also an olo
lady here who has been in Chicago
and can talk English and she talks
10 the boys a lot She is nice old
lady and the boys call her Madame
Chicago. 4 can talk. a good deal OIL
French but / would never make a
good Frenchman for L can not drink
that red wine like they do. III ii were
not forsthe wine the French could not
live, They say water is to wash
with not to drink We drink the good
old water but Will not tell you about
the beer, Ha, Ha One thing is true
that the water is not very good here
MAN and the officers put a large canvas
bag up called o. lister bag which
holds about thirty gallons of water
Then they put In tube Of carbonate
Of lime before we can drink 1t so we
Drefer the beer instead as that
solution gives the water a bad taste.
Ha, Ha. When we were on the front
we got very little water to drink so
when we could no. get it we did WITH
ont. Well mother, lots oil the boys
are getting anxious TO get back nome
and YOU should hear the arguments
that we have Some of the boys Cuss
Ale we tell them it will be at least SIX
months before we get home. They
certainly 60, I'D i'm the air and EEL
low cannot blame them, for it makes
me angry if some OF the fellows say
that. But think we will get home
real soon, that is about a month or
more. That is not SO long. Some OF
the boys are coming in from the Y. M
G.. A. and are telling OF the show tHat
they put on. We have some real good
shows but they are not like we have
back home. Will tell you little ex-
perience 4 had Or rather saw at the
front. To tell the truth it was hell.
One night we were in building that
was more than half torn down and
we we're all tired and sleepy. We
laid down to Sleep and the Germans
got real industrious and the shells
started, coming over. Then the band
began to play, only it was an imita-
ton band that was loose on the
shells and it made beautiful whistle,
then O. crash and the shrapnel began
to fly. A lot of pieces hit the OLD
roof and the boys said stick to ii
they are absolutely harmless and we
knew that they were telling the truth
Some Of the shells that came over
had large steel balls in them. They
were what they call the Gil cans and
I'll bet those shells had buShe
basket of those steel balls in them
If those shells hit close to any one il
was duck boys or die" and 1 could
do some ducking too, as L am wei