The independent-reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1909-1955, 1919-02-27
From IA Radio Operator

The following letter vas recently
received by Mrs Sidney Berry at
! Pleasant Ridge, from the only child
of her husbands widowed sister Mrs
Connie Fclker, whose home is on Mid
die street Madison
Some time in May. 1911. Leon L.
i Felker tried to enlist but was not ac-
cepted He shortly after Went to
Chicago, Ill. where he entered Il
/ school to study 10 become Radio
operator. \ few weeks later h was
called to the eolors, and came back -
i Camp Devens. whore he was in train
ing until jun. 1918 He wa made
corporal just before sailing for
France. with the 3o3rd Il. F. \ His
age is about twcnty-four years
Camp De Souge
Jan. l.. 1918
! Dear Aunt Susie
How are you and all the other folks
up there? All well, | hope ! am O. *
and everything but happy Am lit
/ tie homesick | guess. Have been in
/ France nearly seven months now and
wear a service stripe and Il hearty dis
! Ike for this God for5aken good for
nothing country ! am pretty well
disguised with this country 1t wasn't
50 bad when We were near the cities
as VAS in Clermont, Perrand nor
had at all when Has at the front
! | p there Wis Heaven fer us fellows
WHO had been drilling drilling all
day long. Up there we had no drills
We worked And enjoyad ourselves
loo. | was in charge OF the Radio Sta
ton of our Battalion and had a fine
deep duEout on the top OF a hill. We
had the apparatus set UP and ! kept
an operator on duty all The time.
Was on myself a lot, one time for
twenty hours at stretch. We had to-
receive the wireless messages from
Ia balloon station. They would give
Us the temperature, wind velocity and
other facts so necessary TO the cor
rect shooting of our big guns. So
fast as | received it ! would telephone
il to the guns. We had two gas
alarms in the dugout ! believe | will
always jump if near klaxon horn.
At the front, to hear it meant that you
had perhaps thirty seconds to live
unless you got your mask on quick.
wasn't warned by il although | smell
ed il once or twice. We we're not
homharded and all we got was an oc
casional gas or high explosive she'll
/ that would tear a hole in the ground
! big enough to put pool table into.
! | saw few of them burst little ways
from me one day when | VAS out look
ing around in the woods.
We were up there less than three
weeks. then the armisticc was deelar-
ed | remember had my watch in my
i hand waiting for the bombs and bangs
around me to stop. Exactly AT clev-
en- O'Clock it grew quiet. Then the
| boys began To shout And | picked up
at least half dozen big radio sta
tons sending out the news. 1t sure
sounded good. In about week we
moved to a place called st. Christie
/ piers Farm, about two miles from ST.
/ Mihicl All the towns around there
were just heaps of ruins. No chin
neys or walls left standing. | took a
walk up to the lIindenburg line one
Sunday and looked ii over for mile
or so. There was not an inch in sight
that hadn't seen she'll explosion
Skulls, bones and such things were
all around | foolishly picked up
what looked to be a perfectly good
leather boot and out dropped a whole
foot The forests there are entirely
blasted away, only short stubs of
what had once been big trees left in
some places | sure doubt if ! would
be alive today if | had been taken
when | tried to enlist. I'd have been
fighting in the trenches in that very
spot perhaps. We stayed at ST. Mihiel
TrOyon and other towns for month
or so and then boarded a train and
landed in this camp. which is about
Is miles from the port of Bordeaux.
We expect to sail for America within
two months or so SO You see, this is
where the hard part comes in this
waiting and waiting. The camp is in
sort of desert The grass is green
and it Is warm No, so up there, eh t?
| will try to come UP and see you
when | get my discharge VIII tell
all about il then.
! al,