TRANSCRIBED FROM THE WASHINGTON TELEGRAPH JANUARY 24, 1919 P. 1
Invergordan, Scotland, Dec. 2.
My Dear Dad:
At last I can write what I like and I don’t know just how to start. I got back from London yesterday morning. I had a good time, but it takes money. I am in the north end of Scotland and have been for eight months at a mine base, No. 12. There are two bases, one here at Invergordan and Base No. 18 at Invernese, 36 miles from here. Invernese is the capitol of the Highlands. The two bases have layed 200,000 miles in the North Sea. The British said it could not be done, they had tried it for two years, and gave it up, for as fast as they laid the mines, the Germans would sweep them and lay them for the British. But, Dad, Uncle Sam made a mine of his own and God help the ship that tries to sweep it, at least for one year. It only had 336 pounds of T. N. T. in it. The ship I was on carried 840 mines; we made 27 trips in the North Sea.
Admiral Sims was here a few days ago and told us we had the credit for 42 subs. I don’t know about that, but I do know when we were mining off the coast of Norway we found any number of German sailors and we mined in Helgoland, so it was impossible for subs to come out. We were in sight of land, but we had six of our biggest battle wagons and twenty-four destroyers. After August 15 it was impossible for the German fleet to come out in the North Sea.
I made one trip to Genoa, Italy, and one to Algiers, two to Brest, France. When I came over last December I came on a destroyer to Queenstown, Ireland. We made it over in six days. I was sent from there to Liverpool, England, and back to New York on the “Vaterland,” the biggest ship in the world. I came back on the St. Louis, a passenger boat. We landed at Liverpool. That was the quickest trip I ever made. I was sent again to Queenstown on a destroyer called “Simes Circus.”
I am a second-class carpenter’s mate and have done my bit the very best I could and have made lots of friends * * * Don’t know when I will get back to the States. May leave here this month, so don’t write anymore until you here from me.
Your son,
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NOTES: Joe Bailey was writing to his father, Mr. L. J. Bailey of Washington, Arkansas. His sister was Mrs. T. G. Haynes also of Washington.
TRANSCRIBED BY MIKE POLSTON