Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1919-02-18
OUR BOYS
OUR COUNTRY'S SERVICE

Letter received by A. H. Went
worth OF Albion from his son. Priv
sydney D. Wentworth, Goth Co. lst
Air Service. Mechanics Rest.. 4. E. +.
Epinal. Eosges. France.
Nay. -, 1918.
Dear DAD:
As YOU know. today is one which
has beer selected on which every.
soldier in the A. E. F. shall write a
letter 10 the fellow who has been
backing him all his life. which na,ur-
ally is MS father.
/ don't think Ia. that any fellow
over here has a father who has done
any more for him. according TO his
means. than you have for me: and
although l may not have seemed 20
Appreciate il, can assure you do
.npEeci..a il, and have realized il
more sInc. s.I:C over sere than I
ever did before n 10 lie.
You and were 7ever E-ca on cor
responding and perhaps never will be.
We aren't all given the gift of letter
writing. bu. l have never felt that
you were not interested. even though
YOU did no, write. Ma has written
me many times that you were most
anxious 10 hear and to read my let
ters. But if at any future time you
should happen 10 have the inciina-
ton TO write. don't hesitate for fea1
that 1t might give ne heart failure
for / assure YOU that since being
over here l have learned to withstand
almost anything.
Well %H.S c,,nnAeaS ~ a
letter telling YOU about what had
done and places l have been. etc. All
censorship rules are lifted for this
letter and SO here goes.
But let me tell YOU before ! begin
that l have taken a very small par
in this big fray: but that is the for
tunes OF war" This must be an es-
sential branch Of the service, else we
shouldn't have been placed here
But being non mechanic in a me
chanical organization is like being a
bum actor with first class show.
You are bound to get the bum end OF
done what they told me to do and as
we'll as l knew how, which is about
all anyone can do.
Now for the story. | landed at St.
Nazaire the 2sth OF Feb. 1915. after
being on the water IS days.
We vert TO a rest camp for TWO
weeks during which time was taken
down with the mumps and sent to
the base hospital. was there one
day. then sent by ambulance to
Base Hospital in place called
Savenay. about 20 kilos from there.
l was pretty sick for awhile and after
getting nearly we'll had toasilitis,
which kept me there about eight
weeks in all. 1t was a fine place,
with fine nurses and doctors. We
had the best OF care and food.
There was one other fellow there
from my company. We left a. the
same time to join our company which
had left ST. Nazai.e in the meantime.
We started out at nine O'Clock one
night and the experiences We had
travelling on that French train for the
first time were both interesting anG
amusing. There are three classes.
list which is very nice. I'd which is
sood. and Sd which (well. it gets you
ihere.) We we're booked for Sd and
So Sd we went. l had the first real
chance 10 Try out my French. which
found got me by and that was about
all.
We arrived in Tours at 100 the
next A. n. which is one Of the large
cities Of France. We had TO wait
there till o'clock.
At that time the Germans were
making that big spring drive. and
the station was full OF refugees, going
somewhere. hardly any Of them
knew where. l can tell you il was a
pitiabie sight.
When it came time 10 leave we
hunted up our train and started for
Blois. Before getting on. however, I
decided we might as we'll try travel
ing I'd as Sd. and if they tried to drive
Us out ii was no compris. but We
made it all right and the riding was
much better.
We arrived in Blois about $50 and