The Colville examiner. [volume] (Colville, Wash.) 1907-1948, 1919-05-17
SOLDIER KEEPS
DIARY IN WAR
ALBERT MOTTNER RECORDS
EVENTS OF LIFE AT FRONT
WITH 91ST DIVISION
Brief Entries Give Reader Glimpse
of Hardships Endured by Boys
Overseas with A. E. f.

The diary of local boy who was
overseas with the 91st division is of
interest to those who would like to
know just what the boys were doing
day after day and what sort of an
existence they led at the front.
Albert Mottner, son of Mrs. E.
Mottner Of Colville, kept diary
from the day he sailed for France
to the day the 'armistice was signed.
He made brief entries most of the
time, but reading between lines, one
gets great deal from this diary,
which Albert has given his per-
mission to have published. Bert,
as young Mother is called by his
friends, considers his part in the
great war but small one, but
most of us would think we had done
much if we had gone through half
of the hardships which these boys
have endured in the fight for de-
mocracy.
July 4, 1918-I left Camp Merritt
with five men and went to guard
baggage on the train going to Hobo
ken, N. j.
July 81 went with the baggage
on barge across the Hudson river
to Brooklyn, N Y, and embarked
on the good ship "Karoa."
July 6-At 10 a. m. sailed for
overseas. There were 16 boats in
our convoy, six sub destroyers and
two areoplanes, one dirigible.
July 17--At daybreak saw first
sight of land. At $3.50 a. m. started
up the Clyde river and at pulled
into Glasgow, Scotland. Stayed on
the boat all night.
July 1S-We got off boat and
marched through the city of Glas-
gov and put up to a large railroad
station where a Scotch bagpipe
band gave us send-off We left
there by train at 2:30 p. m.
July 1--we pulled into the city
of Southampton, England, at 4:15
a. m. Went to rest camp and
stayed there until 2:2O p. M, when
we marched back to the dock and
took a channel boat for France.
July 20-At daybreak we landed
at LaHavre and marched through
the city and up onto big hill to
another rest camp.
July Give rode down to La
Havre in trucks and paraded before
the king and queen of Belgium be-
fore riding back to camp. At 3:15,
we marched out of there for the
railway station, got into box cars
and pulled out at midnight.
July 22-At $3.50 p. m. got off the
train and slept side of the railroad
that night.
July 23-Got up in the morning
and started to hike for Epinault.
Arrived there at s p. m and went
into billets in barns.
July 24-Rested all day.
July 25-Started to drill and
drilled every day from then on until
September 3.
Sept. 3-Early in the morning we
rolled our packs and left Epinault by
foot. My pack weighed 80 pounds
and we hiked 23 kilometers, or
16 miles. We pitched shelter tents
for the night. l was pretty nearly
all in, so I slept fine.
Sept. I've packed up and hiked
eight miles to a railroad station
called Challenry. We pitched our
tents in about a inches of mud and
stayed there all day and all day of
the 5th.
Sept. g. We rolled up our packs
and took the train north.
Sept. ARRIVED at town called
DeMonge at $3.50 a. m. We got
orders to stay under cover on ac-
count of enemy airplanes. This was
the first place we could hear the
roar of the big guns from the front.
They sounded many miles away.
Sept. 9-We had big regimental
maneuver up in the woods west of
town with full packs. l saw a
little French deer in the woods and
when | saw him it reminded me of
home.
Sept. 10--Left DeMonge by foot
for the front. We started at dusk
and were not allowed to smoke. We
camped in the woods at daybreak.
Sept. live moved four miles
and stayed all night. 1t rained all
day and all night. My blankets
were wet and weighed ton. We
we're living on one meal day.
Sept. 1--we left camp at p.
m. and marched about 2 miles to
Void, and took French trucks at