The Grenada sentinel. [volume] (Grenada, Miss.) 1868-1955, 1919-01-03
Continued from page one)

the boys, He had a bunch around
him talking and laughing with them.
l did not see him after we reached
port.
The rest camp at Brest is about
3 miles from the docks and nearly up
hill al of the way. We walked and
walked until finally we reached there.
The camp We found was a pasture
very level ana a pretty good lace to
make a camp. We arrived there about
1910 p. m. Sept. Sth. We made a
camp using our pup tents" then it
started to rain. 1t rained every few
hours every day for -four or five days
and then turned cold. We had a
pretty hard I re al Of the time we
were there. most Of It Eeing on &C
count of the rain. Cool water was
very scarce there also. We had to
walk about one half mile Tor water
that. was pure. which was at Pom
ta1ezan Barracks. which are also used
as a rest camp. but was filled up.
These barracks w2ro used at n
time hy Napolean's was what
we were told. There was an epidemic
of cholera in Brest while we were
there and we were not allowed 10
go to town. However | managed to
go through the town on a truck one
day and saw most OF 1t. Ihere Is
not much to Brest, considering other
places in France, and | have not
heard a man say that he liked the
town. There is a little town that
is about two miles from the camp
named Gousen, or something Ike
that. We went over there a few
times. There is a church there that
was built in the. sixteenth century,
still in use and very pretty and cost
w furnished on the inside. That was
about the only thing of interest a
round Brest. =
On September 10th we left Brest
via side door pullmans. The cars
marked $40 hommeS or . cheveauX
40 men or 8 horses) the cars about
20 feet long and 8 feet wide. So many
packs and men that we were damned
like sardines; just a place to rice,
nothinr else. We left Brest on Sept.
lGth at 1915 I'm travelling -hrou"h
Messac On September II, a. SO a.
M. and we were 50 st!if &nI cTamped
from riding in the one position that
we could hardly walk. However 1t
is all in the war, so | said what
General Sherman said and let 1t drop.
Messac is in the Department of He
et-Villiarc-thev arc not called states
over here. but DEPARTMENTS. ItcT2
we we're billitcd until we coulG ~ct
in The training camp located .9*r
by. / was billitci i . garage O. a
hotcI. Most OF the boys in Head
Quarters Company stayed - the 'c,t
of ,hc barn Of this hoSc'. -"
STAYED in private homes, other II
hotels. barns and Just anywhere we
could stay. However. this was fine
life. We ali had a good dry place to
sleep. plenty to eat and live right
there in town. We stayed IN Mes
sac until September 9th, when we
left for the training camp at Camp
de Coetquidan-on foot. The dis
lance was about 20 miles. However
the day was nice and cool and they
carried out our packs by truck, so we
had only to carry our dinner and
canteen Of water and ourselves, which
all proved to be a load by the time
We struck Coetquidan, This place
is located about 5 miles from Guer,
which you can locate on the map II
you get hold Of a big map of France.
This place is in the Department of
M%Orbihan. At this camp we were
furnished our equipment-the French
75's. There is where we had our
real training and completed the
couree, carrying off the honors of
mailing the highest grades in the
Brigade. This camp was also an
old French camp-wooden barracks
and we enjoyed ourselves very much.
All had fine health as we were located
on a very high place where the air
is light ard did not have much rain.
From there ! made two trips or Sun
day. | went to Rennes one Sunday
and Nantes another; both very large
towns, which opened my eyes to the
French people for they were very
different from the ones we had been
coming in contact with. At that
place ! saw one Of the worst sights
/ ever saw in my life, which [ can
not tell you about now for ! would
be breaking the regulations of the
contents of this letter. Will have
to wait until they remove the censor
all together. At Coetquidan * alst
the place where George Doyle ha.
beer nearly ever since he got on
Of tie training camp which made hin
an OIL e.. BY the way, | just received
the Jews sayingo that his mother ha'
= died. The last day we were III Coet
quiGa1 he asked me if had hear'
anything about his mother being sicl
and said that he had not heard fron
home for a couple of weeks and ha'
heard that his mother vas sick.
around the 3rd G 4th OF Novernht
we received orders to proceed TO Val
dahOu from there we would be sen