New Britain herald., 1919-01-13


 us to sec the men in it and how it was worked Git was great-) Towards night we were beginning to see vil- lages more and more Some of them had met with air raids and let me tell you there was little left of them Rode all day Tuesday and Wednesday sleeping at night the best way possible Thursday night, the railroads being so congested as we neared the front, we spent in the cars at a station and all day Friday we stayed there. About D. m. Friday, we had to change cars and got into box cars. We had been riding in third class passenger cars but let me say right here that the worst was yet to come. After a day and night of riding in the box cars we had to change and get into open freight cars but the ride only lasted about an hour. Don't think for one moment that I am complaining. as I enjoyed it as a whole very much and wouldn't have missed it for a great deal. Take it from me the boys who are having real experiences are the boys with the A. E. F.
 On eur way we were allowed to get out of the train and visit the old battlef1elds of 1914. I cannot begin to relate to you the sights which I saw on that field. By the way, I think we were the first real tourists to visit it. Human skeletons, and in some in~ stances the bones of legs were still in the leather leggins and in one place l saw a foot inside a shoe. These re- mains were nearly all of French Sol diers and on one hill on the battle field the French lost more than Q whole division of men. Later the Americans captured this hill, but lost between five and eight hundred men in doing 1t. For miles the fields and hillsides were covered with barb edwire entanglements and the dead trunks of trees on these hills stood out as sentineIs guarding the honored dead on the fields below. I got a number Of French bullets out of a bullet bag right side of a skeleton.
 The hills all about were just honey combed with duSouts and tunnels, The dugouts made by the Germans were made out of concrete and the walls were two feet thick in some cases They were very elaborate also and all were electrically lighted. Oh, yes, the Germans certainly had the comforts of homo while in those dug outs for four years. A great many of the acts of work done go to show con clusively that they never expected to have to give them up or the surround ing country, as on one hill they had a little park built with two marble statues in it, I think it was 8, beer garden for the officers as they sure did have wine and beer enough. At the foot of this peculiar hill, they had o 17rI1e and those who had wen the iron cross. Their headstones were simply beauti- ful.
 We stayed in that town which is the direct line Of communication for several days. There we received our trucks and ambulances. Then VIC travelled by auto passing through town after town that were little better than piles of rocks. All along the road lay dead horses just as are seen in the films shown at home. Some folds you would think had been ploughed up, the shells fell so fast and turned up the earth so.
 1 am at present in a large hospital which the Germans used once, in fact only left it last Saturday afternoon. I cannot begin to tell you the way they left it. Everything was up side down. Straw and dirt were all over. The toilets were utterly uncared for. By the number of pianos they had here I judge they stole all there were in the town. There was a lot of good furniture which they threw around and destroyed before we got here.
 Please take note Of the German writing paper l am writing on and also the fact that I have German officers helmet as a souvenir. Am well and hope you are. Will close with love.
 GEORGE.