The Belding banner-news. (Belding, Mich.) 1918-1973, 1919-03-05
LOCAL BOYS ARE
WELL CLOTHED FOR
RUSSIAN WEATHER
ELMER KINGSBURY AND 9TH
ERS FROM HERE GUARDING
BRIDGE NEAR ARCHANGEL.

BRIDGE NEAR ARCHANGEL.
Mrs. George Kingsbury has just
received the following letter from
her SON, Elmer, who together with
some other local boys whom he names
in the letter, is stationed near and at
while it is cold up there they are
dressed to amply take care of any
weather they might have.
Dec. 6, 1918.
Dear Mother and All:
Just few lines to let you know
that i am feeling so good that it
hurts. | guess / left Camp Custer
about in time to miss the Spanish flu.
1t sure is too bad about the boys who
died. l can't hardly realize it.
received your letters of Oct. n and
Oct. IL, the oath also one from Eora.
You don't need to worry about me
getting cold as / have mere clothes
than can possibly wear and it hasn't
been very much colder here than it
is there. Of course there has been
snow since November.
Well yesterday was Christmas.
received Edna's box Christmas day
and sure was fine.
| lHeTe are 6tNcH VI uS DOyS Out
about 100 miles from Archangel liv-
ing in little house in the woods,
guarding bridge; will be relieved
next week scme time.
l got pair of socks, candy, nuts,
dates, raisins and cigarettes from
the Red Cross.
We had turkey, mashed potatoes,
apple pie, coffee, peaches, friedcakes
and sherry wine for Christmas dinner
not so bad for being in Russia is it.
| Will probably get your box when
l get to Archangel.
Say, Dad, if anybody hollers about
the high cost of living tell them they
ought to live here. The other day
l went to little town about two
miles from here, where there is can
teen, bought four small packages Of
Quaker Oats, 6 small cans of pre-
pared coffee, box of cookies, A cans
of condensed milk, 6 packages Of
me 103 rubles or about 5000.
carried this back in little bag ana
few days before cne of the boys
spent $16.60 or 166 rubles and put
all the stuff in a little box and drew
it in on sled.
About the only boys there are here
from home are j. p. Darling and
Glenn Huduut, at least they are all
/ have seen.
Well, Mother, guess / will close
for this time. Good bye with love,
Pvte. Elmer Kingsbury,
&c. /, 339th Inf, Archangel, Russia.
Francis J. Magin, whom many Of
| our readers know and often inquire
: about, has at last evidently started
, on his home trip. He tells of finding
other local acquaintance and asso-
ciating with them in France. His
letter is as follows:
Rue du Chateau, Loue, France.
Dear Brother Ed:
Here it is Sunday night and havn't
any mademoiselle to go to see. Oh
how l wish / was back in Michigan.
sure was glad when / bumped into
this town. We hiked over 10 kilo-
meters and were just about all in as
it was our first long hike since we
. went up to the frcnt on the 25thof
September. We had to carry all our
belongings and it was some load
had because / always do have lots
of junk with me. | was among the
first to get into billet and when we
all got upstairs in that barn it was
some crowded place. Any place was
good enough for that night. Any
way in the morning another boy and
myself located this place and we are
still in it. Say, Ed, you ought to
, see this bedroom. There are eight
of us in here. 1t has dandy little
steve in it and there is paper on the
walls with a window, too. French
/, people live downstairs and we live up
stairs. We are that much higher
than they. They keep the stairway
door closed, / mean locked, so we have
to come upstairs by ladder. Most
all billets are entered by means of a
ladder unless a full house is being
used. This living in billets is a
great life if you don't fall and break
, your neck.
Our train left the old Convalescen.
camp Sunday afternoon and had one
cold trip in these box cars over here
! and was glad we only had one night
to spend in them We had a hard
time trying to keep warm but we did
! for a little while. Our car had an
! iron floor in it and we built a bonfire
in each end of the car but the smoke
bothered us so that the fires soorl
went out so we just naturally hud-
died together to keep as warm as pos
sible. We came through few large
! cities and finally got off that cid train
Monday evening and we didn't get out
, to this place until after | o'clock on
, Tuesday morning. Tuesday while I
! was eating my slum for dinnerI rec
, ognized boy from my old Co. at
! Custer and later en- / met several
others / knew and / am in the same
company with Don Pilkinton and
Clayton Knapp. Art Strong is in
. this town. too. He cut my hair for
me the other day. / sure am glad
to pet back to the old S5th division.
I have met let of boys from the OLD
outfit.
Well, Ed, l hope it won't be long
before get back to Camp Custer 20