The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1919-03-06
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SOL DER BOY LETTERS
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A Letter from Henry Sanders in
France.
Bastendrof, Luxembourg.

| Bastendrof, Luxembourg.
Feb. 10. 1919.
O. e. Hull: l will drop you few,
lines to let you and the people in
| and around Leon how | am and a
little of my trip since l have been
! in France. will start with the day
we landed in France. We landed in
the Brest harbor on May oath and
was on the ship two days and then
unloaded from the ship on small,
er boat and then went to land and
hiked about five miles out of Brest
and there we set up our little pup
tents and we lived in them for
| about a week and hiked to Brest
and loaded in box cars. The box
cars over here are only about one
third as big as they are IN the
and then it was crowded but beat
hiking, but before we left Brest we
unloaded a ship called the Lincoln
and then we rode the train for
about two days and landed in Os-
mont. We got off the train and hik-
ed to Languewarth. we YER. were there here
aGput seven Sc days. de t We w ane
something like two weeks and then
we had a two days, hike to ALLY.
Here we drew our first pay in
France. 1t was on the night of
July third, and we had rowing and
jumping and a ball game. Our
company played Co. G. Of the same
regiment, and several other things
lonesome day Of July fourth: We
were in ALLY until July 18th, then
liked to the Allenville roads. We
were for awhile, some of us, in a
gas school so we would know what
gas smelled like. We then went to
the reserve trenches for our hrst
time up it was the, Melville sector
and we were there about a week and
it rained very near every night
we were up there, but we knew that
we had to get used to it some time
SO we might as we'll get used to it
first as last and we sure did too.
Between rains we could look for
Querrit woods then to the, Maullin
woods and from there back to re-
serve trenches at the Albert Front,
then we went back to the same
woods and rested for two or three
days and then we went to the front.
We were in that front line for sew
eral days. This was at the Albut
for a day or two | was on patrol.
When the whiz barrage would fly
all around us We would lay on the
ground or get in a shell hole and
maybe we would have to lay there
all night or about so, till the Huns
would stop firing long enough to get
back to our trenches. We got
one night that we could hear them
talking and they heard us and open
ed fire on us with machine guns but
we stood our grounds and got back
to our trenches all o. k. without get
ting anyone hurt: When we LETT
there we went back to Moulin
woods and took four days rest and
about 26 hours and hiked on to
Nant-de-Petit and here we stayed
about six or seven days and then
to Moltencourt and from there to
Blercourt by trucks. We were there
about two weeks and moved to Balm
Le-Bethevitt and then to Bair-de-
Witte, from there we went to
to the reserve trenches and back to
Bethencourt and from here we went
to the front line, that was along
about Sept. 5, 1918. and we were in
the front line from that on until
the Huns stopped firing, and then
We were out of the lines few
weeks and started on a long hike:
1t was some hike too. l was about
all in when | arrived in Luxem burg
but am all right now. was lucky
enough to draw furlough for seven
days went to AiX-Les- Balm,
France. was at Battenhof. LuXem
burg, when | left on my trip, but
when | returned the company had
moved over here at Bastendof, Lux
emburg. | am all 0. k, hoping that
everybody that reads this is the
same. If any body wishes to write
they will find my address at the bot
tom, so this is all | will say about
my trip in this letter. The weather
over here is about the same as in
the States Will close, good bye,
one and all. sincerely yours,
Pvt. Henry W.. Sanders,
Co. d, 1870 Infantry, A. P. 0. $50,
33d Division.