Morris tribune., 1919-02-07
ROY BASTIN TELLS OF
SERVICE In FRANCE
Was in the St. Mihiel and Argonne
Drives, and is Now Across
the Rhine.


landing until he reached Grenzhau-
sen, little village across the Rhine.
The letter follows
Near Coblenz, Germany,
Dec. 10, 1918.
Old Friend
Will drop you line today to let
you know that I am still among the
living and have had good health
while over here. Have been wanting
to drop line before but did not for
some reason.
Well, now that the war is over,
things are quite different than they
were, and we can write a whole lot
more of it.
We landed in Liverpool the 26th of
July and went from there to South
hampton, where we took another boat
for Cherbourg, France. And then we
took the box cars to a little camp at
Thizy in the southernmost part of
France where we stayed few days.
Then we moved nOrthward and joined
the First Division near Toul the last
18th Inf. Med. Dept. for first aid
work at the front. And we stayed
with the infirmary of the first pla-
toon till the first of September and
then we were assigned to the differ
ent companies. was with a machine
gun company and on the night of the
18th we hiked to the front. 1t was
70
then went over what they call "the
top" in the morning at daybreak on
the st. Mihiel or Mount Sex. The
drive was an easy one, but we had
lots of artillery with us and we
walked right along with but little to
do. We we're up for three days and
were relieved and came back a short
ways and spent few days in the
woods. And the Dutch airplanes
came around at night but did not do
much harm.
From there we took tracks and
October 1 and then went to a front
near Verdun. Was in reserve for
five days and then we went forward
for five days. But we did not go
very far here. We struck knot for
a couple of days and we were quite
busy The main fight was at hill
No. 240 in the woods, and that morn
ing it seemed that every gun from
baby up was ready for us. But we
slowly pushed them back. There is
one day that we will not forget very
soon. I also picked up some Dutch
men that we're wounded and they
were glad to see me, and as the am
bulance took them they thanked us.
On the tenth day we we're relieved
and the boys we're quite tired but
were happy at that We hiked that
day to a little place called Rosnes
and billeted there till November 1
and then we hiked back near the last
front we we're on. And on the night
of the 9Th we went in forward the
next morning with no artillery.
Everything went fine till noon and
then we had little to do but it was
light.
That night we we're relieved and
did some hard hiking, and the next
day as we were hiking through the
mud the news came to us about 10
o'clock that the guns would stop their
work at II o'clock. And we could
hear them yet, but after dinner we
could not hear much Of the loud re-
ports. But the mud did not bother
the boys then.
And we heard we were to go to
Verdun. So by hiking two days and
resting one we got there the 18th Of
November. There we got our ORDERS
to go to Germany for guard duty and
we hiked back through Dead Mans
Hill where the French lost so heavily
and it was sight to see through
that part of the country.
And we had hard hiking till we
got out Of the old battlefelds and
through many of the shot-up towns.
But when we struck the French line
it was pretty good. And then we
entered the country Of Luxembourg
and found good buildings and clean
cities with few flags to greet us.
The bells rang in the churches and
the people cheered us as we came
along. Then it was getting more
like home to us. We then started bill
letting in the small towns for the
nights. And on the 21st of Novem-
Der we paraded through the capital of
Luxembourg, large city. The streets
were filled to the edges and all Of
the flags and bands were out to greet
lis, The Germans were in it the day
before this and the Luxemburgers
told them it was the wrong way to
Paris. And the next day we hiked
again, making from ten to 80 k1lo-
meters a day and kilometer Is the
same as f1ve-eighths Of a mile. And
in this little country there are fine
large smelters and mines and the