Perth Amboy evening news., 1919-03-05
LOCAL SOLDIERS
RETURN HOME
Many From This City and Coun-
ty Back After Service at
the Front

Five Perth Amboy Soldiers, one
from Keyport, one from Roosevelt and
another from Shrewsbury, came in on
ships which docked at Hoboken Mon
day. They were mechanics and help
ers who did not experience trench
warfare, but who saw much of the
world war nevertheless.
Joseph Diamond, of 336 Maple
street, and Morris j. Fettman, 4O7
ark avenue, of the 95th aero squad
ron, came in on the Frederick. They
spent SIXTEEN months in aeroplane re-
pairing, first on the Champaign front,
then at Toul, later at Verdun and fl
nally at Chateau Thierry. Their unit
was a pursuit group, in which Quen-
tin Roosevelt, aviator son of the late
Col. Roosevelt, lost his life. Their
stations were bombed occasionally by
the Germans, but they suffered no
casualties on that score. Several of
their officers were killed in aerial
combats.
Thornstein Carlson, OF 1873 Smith
street; Michael j. Donohue, 2SS Da-
wilson avenue; Thomas +. Egan, 100
Washington street; John J.. Carney,
Slower, 81 First street, Keyport, who
served with the t65 AFRO squadron,
also came in or the + ;Ierlak.
They were passengers on the
steamer Sibony, locked at New York.
James Mcnamara, of 425 East W.
pue, who went over in the medical
section fifteen months ago, came
back in Casual Company 20 as the
result of an accident in which he was
injured slightly. He was a passenger
on the Sibony. He was in the Amer
a army of occupation and saw sec
tons of Belgium and Germany. Like
Others in this army, he reports the
Germans today are not as bad as one
might think. They were h~ospitable
Yanks who had been billeted in
barns. He found soap about the
scarcest article in Germany. For a
bar weighing only an ounce or two a
German would do most anything,
even commit murder. White -four is
scarce there too, black bread being
the chief article of food.
Mcnamara went over with the
10th Engineers INC later was trans
at Camp Dix and was active at Ver-
dun.
The other Amboyan Sn the Sibony
was Hans Hansen, whose street adj
dress was not given in the passenger
list. He came home as an influenza
co~nvalescent, practically recovered
from illness contracted in France
sLItcI liz was ltOs
Others back were
Corporal Simon Simmonson, of
Fords, served with Company + Of the
303rd supply train.
Henry p. Scherg, whose wife lives
in Old Bridge n who fought with
the 34Sth infantry.
Myron Suydam, Matawan, one Of
the original Camp Dix recruits, who
battled with Company B of the 312th
infantry, a Jersey unit.
They also spent sixteen months in
European service, but their speciality
was hangar and other building con-
struction work. They TOO had ON
German bombs fall near them, but
came out whole.
Benjamin Van Vliet, of Shrewsbury,
an i~nfantryman, who saw trench SER
vice in France, came in on the Great
Northern, which locked at Hoboken
an hour before the Frederick.
Sergeant Torstein Carlson of the
ASS Aero Squadron, arrived in this
country Monday on the u. S. S. Fred
erick. Sergeant Carlson lived at 27S
Market street and enlisted at the local
recruiting station early in September,
1917, after which he was sent to Fort
Slocum. He was then transferred to
Kelly Field, Texas, and later to Min
cola, Long Island. He was in train
ing at that station for nearly a month
and was then sent overseas. Gotfried
Bjork, who lived /. sersS sar,sfN. at
27S Market street iiap -Mpienlisted
and went through practically the
same experience as Carlson, returned
! on the Frederick also.