TRANSCRIBED FROM THE OSCEOLA TIMES MARCH 8, 1918 P. 6
My Dearest Mother, Father and All:
I will write you a few lines again tonight. It has been some time since I had a letter from home but I received my pacage today. I had begun to think I was never going to get it, but better late than never. Everything was in the best of shape.
Give Mr. Ross my best regards and tell him I thank him very much for the sweater- it sure did come in handy, for it sure is some cold over her—below zero.
I am going to write Marie and Mr. Keck in a day or two.
I thank you and father very much for your kindness and I hope to return some day to show you all how I appreciate what you have done for me, for I don’t know what I would have done if you had not sent me tobacco, for I sure was tired of this spick of tobacco.
This leaves me all O.K. and I sincerely hope it finds you the same. I received the papers yesterday and so I have enjoyed reading them today.
I received a package that Linsel had sent, but I know you addressed it, for you could never fool me. I am going to write him a few lines tonight and thank him for the tobacco.
You couldn’t sent me anything that would have been of any more service to me than the watch. You said you had mailed me a box later than the one containing the sweater. I have never gotten it yet, but I guess it will be here in a few days at least.
I have an appointment with a pal of mine to go up town, but it is too cold and I have backed out. Think I will stay at home.
Mother, I wish you or father would get me a pair of good kid gloves with fur lining and send me, for we are very hard pressed for gloves over here and the only kind we can wear except kid are the regulation style and I know you can’t get them Kid gloves are not the regulation kind, but they don’t care for us wearing them. I have one pair and they are beginning to wear and to tell the truth, a French woman gave me those. Her husband is at the front and couldn’t wear them, so she gave them to me.
Give my best love to the boys and tell them to write, and also give my love to Dear Old Aunt Sallie.
The poem entitled “Don’t Forget, which appeared in the Osceola Times is good, and if everyone would do so there wouldn’t be so many slackers I have clipped this and placed it with some others I have collected.
A pal and myself have been playing catch this afternoon in snow almost knee deep- just had to do something to pass the time away. Have there been any deer killed at home with winter? I had some nice sport Friday morning. I was out on outpost, away over in the mountains and about six o’clock a big red fox came out on the side of the slope and commenced playing in the snow and I just couldn’t resist the temptation and my rifle just wanted to shoot. He was about 70 yards away from me and when my rifle fired he had a fit, but before he could get straight I had worked the bolt and the second shot was on the way and Mr. Fox was finished.
I have seen several since I have been in this part of France and the rabbits are thicker than fleas in the states- there is a flea or two over here, also.
I don’t know what the program is for tomorrow, but I think it will be snowing by that time, but it is several degrees too cold to snow now.
From the reports in the paper I see there are a few in Ross that are doing quite a lot of riding in a big Jeffery.
Did Linzel come down to see you all while he was paying his respective visits to Luxora. Who is M. C. Boyles? Is it Linzel Aunt Pet, or who? I never knew there was anyone in the family by that name.
Well, as I can’t think of any more to write I guess I will close, and don’t forget to thank Mr. Ross for me, and again I thank you and Father very much. Givem y love to Little B and Earnest and Ben- I would call him little, but he might be offended, judging by the letters he writes in which he writes that he thinks he is a man.
Your loving son, as ever,
Phillip B.
NOTES: He goes by both Charles and Phillip. Charles P. Boyles enlisted in the Marine Corps on April 2, 1917. At the time he wrote this letter on January 6, 1918 he was serving with the 49th Company, 5th Regiment Marines. He was writing to his parents Mr. and Mrs. N. D. Boyles of McFerren, Arkansas.
TRANSCRIBED BY PAYTON DHOOGE
My Dearest Mother, Father and All:
I will write you a few lines again tonight. It has been some time since I had a letter from home but I received my pacage today. I had begun to think I was never going to get it, but better late than never. Everything was in the best of shape.
Give Mr. Ross my best regards and tell him I thank him very much for the sweater- it sure did come in handy, for it sure is some cold over her—below zero.
I am going to write Marie and Mr. Keck in a day or two.
I thank you and father very much for your kindness and I hope to return some day to show you all how I appreciate what you have done for me, for I don’t know what I would have done if you had not sent me tobacco, for I sure was tired of this spick of tobacco.
This leaves me all O.K. and I sincerely hope it finds you the same. I received the papers yesterday and so I have enjoyed reading them today.
I received a package that Linsel had sent, but I know you addressed it, for you could never fool me. I am going to write him a few lines tonight and thank him for the tobacco.
You couldn’t sent me anything that would have been of any more service to me than the watch. You said you had mailed me a box later than the one containing the sweater. I have never gotten it yet, but I guess it will be here in a few days at least.
I have an appointment with a pal of mine to go up town, but it is too cold and I have backed out. Think I will stay at home.
Mother, I wish you or father would get me a pair of good kid gloves with fur lining and send me, for we are very hard pressed for gloves over here and the only kind we can wear except kid are the regulation style and I know you can’t get them Kid gloves are not the regulation kind, but they don’t care for us wearing them. I have one pair and they are beginning to wear and to tell the truth, a French woman gave me those. Her husband is at the front and couldn’t wear them, so she gave them to me.
Give my best love to the boys and tell them to write, and also give my love to Dear Old Aunt Sallie.
The poem entitled “Don’t Forget, which appeared in the Osceola Times is good, and if everyone would do so there wouldn’t be so many slackers I have clipped this and placed it with some others I have collected.
A pal and myself have been playing catch this afternoon in snow almost knee deep- just had to do something to pass the time away. Have there been any deer killed at home with winter? I had some nice sport Friday morning. I was out on outpost, away over in the mountains and about six o’clock a big red fox came out on the side of the slope and commenced playing in the snow and I just couldn’t resist the temptation and my rifle just wanted to shoot. He was about 70 yards away from me and when my rifle fired he had a fit, but before he could get straight I had worked the bolt and the second shot was on the way and Mr. Fox was finished.
I have seen several since I have been in this part of France and the rabbits are thicker than fleas in the states- there is a flea or two over here, also.
I don’t know what the program is for tomorrow, but I think it will be snowing by that time, but it is several degrees too cold to snow now.
From the reports in the paper I see there are a few in Ross that are doing quite a lot of riding in a big Jeffery.
Did Linzel come down to see you all while he was paying his respective visits to Luxora. Who is M. C. Boyles? Is it Linzel Aunt Pet, or who? I never knew there was anyone in the family by that name.
Well, as I can’t think of any more to write I guess I will close, and don’t forget to thank Mr. Ross for me, and again I thank you and Father very much. Givem y love to Little B and Earnest and Ben- I would call him little, but he might be offended, judging by the letters he writes in which he writes that he thinks he is a man.
Your loving son, as ever,
Phillip B.
NOTES: He goes by both Charles and Phillip. Charles P. Boyles enlisted in the Marine Corps on April 2, 1917. At the time he wrote this letter on January 6, 1918 he was serving with the 49th Company, 5th Regiment Marines. He was writing to his parents Mr. and Mrs. N. D. Boyles of McFerren, Arkansas.
TRANSCRIBED BY PAYTON DHOOGE