TRANSCRIBED FROM THE DREW COUNTY ADVANCE MARCH 11, 1919 P. 4
Luchon, France, Feb. 15, 1919.
Dear Homefolks:
Have got lots of time to spend leisurely for a few days so will write a few lines home this afternoon. I have written letters home frequently and mailed them through the American P. O., some of them reached you I suppose and some didn’t, but I’m trying a different route this time and am going to mail it through the French P. O. I got a very nice and pretty French Mademoiselle to address me an envelope and she is going to mail it for me. Don’t know if it will go without being censored or not, but I think it will and it will be surer of reaching you and probably more promptly.
I am on furlough. I am spending 7 days in the Pyrenes Mountains in the extreme Southern part of France, just a few miles from the border of Spain. The government has arranged with the hotels here to take care of the boys and I am staying in a $2,000,000 hotel—the best in this part of France. Am getting very good eats and the room cannot be beat. These French beds are simply wonderful and I have a bath room in connection—hot and cold baths. This little city, Luchon, is situated right in the Valley. It is a great summer resort for the rich only. You can look out in any direction and see nothing but snow-covered mountains, from 5000 to 10000 feet high with electric cars running to the tops. It is a wonderful place— nothing exciting about the place—just the beauty and the swell homes and mountains. It is very quiet place here and wonderful for its purpose—rest. I sleep every morning until 9 or 10 o’clock then go for a hike, or to the Y. M. C. A. and read or write. A. J. Reach, the big American sporting goods man, has built a million dollar hotel here and it has been turned into a Y. M. C. A. building. It is magnificent. It has a large canteen where we buy coffee, tea, chocolates, smokes, etc. A large dance hall, a pool hall, a large rest room, a library, a museum, a large writing room, a big moving picture hall and a very nice theatre hall. Everything fully equipped with books, tables, large sofa chairs, and every room has from one to 3 or 1-2 dozen magnificent chandeliers. It is certainly very nice for the soldiers who spend their vacations here. I never would have believed it until I saw it and now it really seems like a dream. I only wish you could see the hotel where I am staying. It would certainly be hard to beat. The dining hall is one large room with no walls except large plate glass windows and the room has 4 large very pretty chandaliers. The mountains are all covered with snow and makes a very pretty picture. I will try to send you some post cards of the place. It is just beautiful. The city is something on the principle of Hot Springs. They have only one, but very large, bath house where diseases, etc., of all kinds are treated with hot sulphur water. Everybody who visits here for a summer vacation must have loads of money. Every soldier who comes here gets a free hot bath and, altho I have not had mine yet, I know from what I have heard others say, it must make a young man out of an old one. So I am certainly going to take a good one before I go back and get back the 10 years of age I have gotten in the army. The people who live here are all nice clean, well-to-do people. I became acquainted with one girl here at one of the Y. M. C. A. dances who is very attractive and I think all of a lady, as the Y. M. C. A. allows no others at their dances. The “Y” has about 50 people on its staff and they all have their eyes open and see that things are run right. This girl’s father is a very nice old “Gent,” and owns a shoe store here. The cheapest shoes you can buy in France are $15 and they run up to $35. Things certainly are expensive in France and I guess about the same at home. Don’t know how soon I will get home; some time in late spring or summer I suppose. No mail as yet from the States since before Christmas. Last information was that our mail is on this side, but had been lost. We expect it any day and feel quite sure we will have received some by the time I get back to the company. I leave here on the 19th for the company—much to the regret of myself and the other 41 who are here with me from our company. I trust this reaches you O. K., and promptly and that it finds you all in the best of shape. I am fine and dandy. I deny myself everytime I look into a mirror, I am getting so fat and if I should stay here for a month I would be too fat to kill. Almost supper time so will close, eat my supper and come back to the “Y” for a very good show, which is to be here tonight. They have 2 shows here every night and some are very good. Good-bye and good luck to all. With lots of love from your boy.
Grady Green.
NOTES: Grady Joel Greene (the newspaper dropped the last “e”) was born at Montongo, Arkansas on November 30, 1895 and died on March 4, 1977 at Stuttgart, Arkansas. He is buried in the Lone Tree Cemetery in Stuttgart. He enlisted on March 4, 1918 at Little Rock, Arkansas as was discharged at Camp Pike on July 8, 1919. He was a Supply Sgt. serving in Co. A, 312th Engineers. He served overseas August 8, 1918 until June 6, 1919.
TRANSCRIBED BY LIND MATTHEWS
Luchon, France, Feb. 15, 1919.
Dear Homefolks:
Have got lots of time to spend leisurely for a few days so will write a few lines home this afternoon. I have written letters home frequently and mailed them through the American P. O., some of them reached you I suppose and some didn’t, but I’m trying a different route this time and am going to mail it through the French P. O. I got a very nice and pretty French Mademoiselle to address me an envelope and she is going to mail it for me. Don’t know if it will go without being censored or not, but I think it will and it will be surer of reaching you and probably more promptly.
I am on furlough. I am spending 7 days in the Pyrenes Mountains in the extreme Southern part of France, just a few miles from the border of Spain. The government has arranged with the hotels here to take care of the boys and I am staying in a $2,000,000 hotel—the best in this part of France. Am getting very good eats and the room cannot be beat. These French beds are simply wonderful and I have a bath room in connection—hot and cold baths. This little city, Luchon, is situated right in the Valley. It is a great summer resort for the rich only. You can look out in any direction and see nothing but snow-covered mountains, from 5000 to 10000 feet high with electric cars running to the tops. It is a wonderful place— nothing exciting about the place—just the beauty and the swell homes and mountains. It is very quiet place here and wonderful for its purpose—rest. I sleep every morning until 9 or 10 o’clock then go for a hike, or to the Y. M. C. A. and read or write. A. J. Reach, the big American sporting goods man, has built a million dollar hotel here and it has been turned into a Y. M. C. A. building. It is magnificent. It has a large canteen where we buy coffee, tea, chocolates, smokes, etc. A large dance hall, a pool hall, a large rest room, a library, a museum, a large writing room, a big moving picture hall and a very nice theatre hall. Everything fully equipped with books, tables, large sofa chairs, and every room has from one to 3 or 1-2 dozen magnificent chandeliers. It is certainly very nice for the soldiers who spend their vacations here. I never would have believed it until I saw it and now it really seems like a dream. I only wish you could see the hotel where I am staying. It would certainly be hard to beat. The dining hall is one large room with no walls except large plate glass windows and the room has 4 large very pretty chandaliers. The mountains are all covered with snow and makes a very pretty picture. I will try to send you some post cards of the place. It is just beautiful. The city is something on the principle of Hot Springs. They have only one, but very large, bath house where diseases, etc., of all kinds are treated with hot sulphur water. Everybody who visits here for a summer vacation must have loads of money. Every soldier who comes here gets a free hot bath and, altho I have not had mine yet, I know from what I have heard others say, it must make a young man out of an old one. So I am certainly going to take a good one before I go back and get back the 10 years of age I have gotten in the army. The people who live here are all nice clean, well-to-do people. I became acquainted with one girl here at one of the Y. M. C. A. dances who is very attractive and I think all of a lady, as the Y. M. C. A. allows no others at their dances. The “Y” has about 50 people on its staff and they all have their eyes open and see that things are run right. This girl’s father is a very nice old “Gent,” and owns a shoe store here. The cheapest shoes you can buy in France are $15 and they run up to $35. Things certainly are expensive in France and I guess about the same at home. Don’t know how soon I will get home; some time in late spring or summer I suppose. No mail as yet from the States since before Christmas. Last information was that our mail is on this side, but had been lost. We expect it any day and feel quite sure we will have received some by the time I get back to the company. I leave here on the 19th for the company—much to the regret of myself and the other 41 who are here with me from our company. I trust this reaches you O. K., and promptly and that it finds you all in the best of shape. I am fine and dandy. I deny myself everytime I look into a mirror, I am getting so fat and if I should stay here for a month I would be too fat to kill. Almost supper time so will close, eat my supper and come back to the “Y” for a very good show, which is to be here tonight. They have 2 shows here every night and some are very good. Good-bye and good luck to all. With lots of love from your boy.
Grady Green.
NOTES: Grady Joel Greene (the newspaper dropped the last “e”) was born at Montongo, Arkansas on November 30, 1895 and died on March 4, 1977 at Stuttgart, Arkansas. He is buried in the Lone Tree Cemetery in Stuttgart. He enlisted on March 4, 1918 at Little Rock, Arkansas as was discharged at Camp Pike on July 8, 1919. He was a Supply Sgt. serving in Co. A, 312th Engineers. He served overseas August 8, 1918 until June 6, 1919.
TRANSCRIBED BY LIND MATTHEWS