Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1919-03-06
SOLDIER LETTER

their son Pet, who is still in
France. It's very interesting
tho not written for publication.
Simply a family letter, but a
good one. 1t follows:
End Company, Provisional Po-
lice Corps, Caserne, Galland Bar
racks, A. F. F., France.
Jan. %, 1919.
Dearest Mother: We'll, moth
er dear, | have had another trans
fer, as you may perceive. | am
stationed or rather living in Cas-
erne Galland, (Galland Bar
racks, in the city Of Langres.
It's a swell place, just like big
hotel and it is situated in the
heart of the city.
| suppose you will be reading
in the paper that the Tank Corps
Battalion that | was with last.
is on its way home. They left
here last night. | surely got fool
ed nicely. In my last letter writ
ten to you about a week ago, |
told you that | expected to get
into the NJ. P's. well III tell you
about it.
AS you know | did not belong
to the 1872 Bat. 7. C. and you al
so know that | was just trans
ferred into the Battalion after
the armistice was signed. They
were doing the detail work Of
the whole camp and naturally |
had to do my share. Well | was
getting tired of Wallowing a
round in the mud and as it hap
pened some Staff Officer came a
round asking for volunteers for
the Military Police Corps. Well
| figured that | would sooner do
six months of easy life in the NJ.
2. Corps, rather than three
months of that hard work be-
cause | have done my bit and the
rumor was that they wouldn't
leave for home for three months.
| was transferred last Thurs
day and they left last night.
Kind of tough luck alright. Ha!
Ha! ct doesn't worry me much).
Too bad it don't. | sure would
like to be on my way home, but
it is my own fault and | am going
to hit the game with big smile.
This may be sour grapes, but
it is somewhat true and please
do not get the conception that |
did not want to come home.
Supposing | did arrive home
the first of March or April. It
would be too late to start the Sc
cond semester at school and |
would undoubtedly lay around or
do labor mans work until the
school started next fall. Also |
read in the U. S. papers that en-
ployment is scarce. Another
thing, Ha! Ha! the States are
going dry in short time and if
| wait a while they will be dry
when | get back and then | won't
be tempted to drink. Ha! Ha!
Ha! Speaking seriously, moth
er dear, | think | can gain more
knowledge and education that
will be a most wonderful help to
me when | get back to school.
While at school, at home, taking
up the subject of History. | could
tell any teacher or professor,
now, more about it than a histo-
rian for the reason that | have
seen the things with my own
eyes. When | do get home | will
talk you silly. There are only
two more cities | want to see in
Europe and they are Rome, Italy
and Coblentz or Berlin, Germany
and | think if luck is with me
that / will see one of them at
least. | know London as we'll as
| do Grand Rapids, and Paris
has also been infested by me.
There's no use of my starting to
tell you of what I've experienced
because it would cover a volume
of books.
| have been over here nearly a
year now, and | imagine my nu-
merouS movements and trans
fers have been a real mystery to
you and as long as | have start
ed to write so much, | might as
well finish, so | will tell you and
straighten out few things for
you.
| Twill start on the back of pare
/. which will therefore be mark
ed ii.
| arrived in Liverpool. Eng
land, on March II, 1918. | came
across on the Leviathon ship, the
largest one af1oat IN the world.
AS you know | took sick and was
held in a hospital in Liverpool
and the regiment | was with
went on to France. That was
the last saw of them.
I STAYED in Liverpool until A