TRANSCRIBED FROM THE SPRINGDALE NEWS JANUARY 10, 1919 P. 1
Dec. 12, 1918.
Dear Mother:
I will drop you a few lines tonight to let you know that I am just fine. I see in the papers that there is a lot of sickness in the states. I am anxious to hear from you. but the papers don’t say any thing about any down in that part of the country.
What did you do Thanksgiving? We had a fine time. We made tables and benches and had a big dinner and had all the beer we could drink and had fine music. We are at a small village the name is Ihillombois near St. Mihiel. You probably know where St. Mihiel is for that was a big front. I never saw much fighting excepting aeroplane fights. A German plane came over one day and downed one of our balloons right over our heads. There were two men in the balloon but they jumped out with their parachute and came to the ground safe. I saw one Dutch plane brought down. I never got around our guns much when they were firing. I drove horses the most of the time. Well I guess I will close for this time.
Henry R. Anderson.
Battery D 136 F.A. 515285, A.E.F.
NOTES: Henry Ray Anderson was born in Springdale, Arkansas on September 25, 1899 and died on May 13, 1977 in Washington Island, Wisconsin. He is buried in the Island Cemetery in in Washington, Wisconsin. His military headstone identifies him as a Private serving in the US Army during World War I. He enlisted on June 12, 1918 and was discharged on April 8, 1919. He departed Newport News, Va. on September 22, 1918 onboard the Dante Alighieri. He was listed as a Private serving in Ninth Battery August Automatic Regular Draft FA Camp Jackson, S.C.
TRANSCRIBED BY MIKE POLSTON
Dec. 12, 1918.
Dear Mother:
I will drop you a few lines tonight to let you know that I am just fine. I see in the papers that there is a lot of sickness in the states. I am anxious to hear from you. but the papers don’t say any thing about any down in that part of the country.
What did you do Thanksgiving? We had a fine time. We made tables and benches and had a big dinner and had all the beer we could drink and had fine music. We are at a small village the name is Ihillombois near St. Mihiel. You probably know where St. Mihiel is for that was a big front. I never saw much fighting excepting aeroplane fights. A German plane came over one day and downed one of our balloons right over our heads. There were two men in the balloon but they jumped out with their parachute and came to the ground safe. I saw one Dutch plane brought down. I never got around our guns much when they were firing. I drove horses the most of the time. Well I guess I will close for this time.
Henry R. Anderson.
Battery D 136 F.A. 515285, A.E.F.
NOTES: Henry Ray Anderson was born in Springdale, Arkansas on September 25, 1899 and died on May 13, 1977 in Washington Island, Wisconsin. He is buried in the Island Cemetery in in Washington, Wisconsin. His military headstone identifies him as a Private serving in the US Army during World War I. He enlisted on June 12, 1918 and was discharged on April 8, 1919. He departed Newport News, Va. on September 22, 1918 onboard the Dante Alighieri. He was listed as a Private serving in Ninth Battery August Automatic Regular Draft FA Camp Jackson, S.C.
TRANSCRIBED BY MIKE POLSTON