TRANSCRIBED FROM THE ROGERS DEMOCRAT DECEMBER 19, 1918 P. 1
Nov. 24, 1918.
Dear Dad:
We have finally settled down at last for a while at least. At the present day we can tell you where we are located. I will endeavor to tell you. We are located in a little village called St. Aignan about twenty-five miles from Tours. I think it is southwest of there. We are in a camp hospital here and arrived day before yesterday. Don't know what our duties will be but guess we will find out tomorrow.
Guess I will give you a little sketch of our travels since we left the U.S. We boarded the ship in New York on the morning of the 6th of October and sailed that afternoon. Had a fine time watching New York and the Statue of Liberty fade from view. Everybody was feeling fine as we sailed down the bay until we got out into the ocean. Then things began to happen to some of us--myself among them. I began to get dizzy and very soon was as sick as I ever want to be. I was a pretty sick boy for six days, and I didn't eat a thing but some fruit I bought at the canteen on the boat.
We had ten ships in our convoy not counting a British destroyer. Got through alright without any subs getting us, but we sure had a scare the last night we were on the boat off the Irish coast, but that will have to wait until I come home. We sighted land on the tenth day and on the morning of Oct. 17th we sailed into the harbor of Liverpool, landed that afternoon, and unloaded our baggage. We took a train there and traveled nearly all night to Winchester, England, to Camp Windall Downs; stayed there about two days and then by rail to South Hampton, there we were put on a boat again and the next morning we were in Le Havre, France; we were then taken to a rest camp and stayed there one day and one night; were then put on a train again and rode for two days and three nights; unloaded at a little village called Clessons, I think, and marched six miles to another town called Argrefeville. We were billeted there for about two weeks in houses and had a good time. We next marched in Nantes, about 14 miles, stayed there two days, and just as we were preparing to leave, we were told that peace had been declared, and also that we had about six months work ahead of us. Wish you could have seen the Frenchmen; they all went on a spree that day. We were loaded onto a train again and traveled all night and all day--a trip of about two hours by passenger. We stopped five hours in Touris, were unloaded in St. Aignan and stayed all night in a large barn, and the next morning we moved to a camp about seven miles distant. We stayed there eleven days, and had to go through another personel board. Our company has been split up, and the company I am now in is made up of parts of several others. They took 52 out of our company, so it seems nearly like the old one. We were marched back to St. Aignan and we are now located in a hospital, not a base, but just a camp hospital.
We are comfortably fixed here and they certainly 'feed' good, and I am willing to stay here until my time comes to go home. I understand that all the wounded and sick go first and then Class B and C, and as I am in Class A, I guess I will be among the last, but that doesn't worry me, as I don't think it will be over six months at the most. There are quite a few little details that I have left out but I'll tell them when I come home.
Tell mother that I received three letters from here, and one from Elizabeth a couple of days ago, dated from the 16th to the 20th of October. I guess mother was feeling a little anxious the way she wrote letter that week.
Well, I have about run out of anything to say, so guess I will have to close for this time. Am feeling fine and hope you have all kept clear of the influenza.
With love to all,
Harry
Camp Johnston No. 26
A.P.O. No 27 A.E.F., France
NOTES: This letter was written by Harry Edison Hays to his father Maurice Hays of Rogers, Arkansas. He was born on December 29, 1895 in Rogers, Arkansas and died on December 23, 1949. He is buried in the Ridgelawn Cemetery in Collinsville, Oklahoma. He enlisted on July 5, 1918 and was discharged on July 12, 1919. He departed New York, Ny on October 6, 1918 onboard the Zealandia. He was listed as a Pvt. serving in Ambulance Co. 149, 113 Sanitary Train. He departed St. Nazaire, France on June 17, 1919 onboard the Antigone. He arrived in Newport News, Va. on June 28, 1919. He was listed serving as a Pvt. in Camp Hospital No. 26 First Replacement Depot.
TRANSCRIBED BY LAEL HARROD
Nov. 24, 1918.
Dear Dad:
We have finally settled down at last for a while at least. At the present day we can tell you where we are located. I will endeavor to tell you. We are located in a little village called St. Aignan about twenty-five miles from Tours. I think it is southwest of there. We are in a camp hospital here and arrived day before yesterday. Don't know what our duties will be but guess we will find out tomorrow.
Guess I will give you a little sketch of our travels since we left the U.S. We boarded the ship in New York on the morning of the 6th of October and sailed that afternoon. Had a fine time watching New York and the Statue of Liberty fade from view. Everybody was feeling fine as we sailed down the bay until we got out into the ocean. Then things began to happen to some of us--myself among them. I began to get dizzy and very soon was as sick as I ever want to be. I was a pretty sick boy for six days, and I didn't eat a thing but some fruit I bought at the canteen on the boat.
We had ten ships in our convoy not counting a British destroyer. Got through alright without any subs getting us, but we sure had a scare the last night we were on the boat off the Irish coast, but that will have to wait until I come home. We sighted land on the tenth day and on the morning of Oct. 17th we sailed into the harbor of Liverpool, landed that afternoon, and unloaded our baggage. We took a train there and traveled nearly all night to Winchester, England, to Camp Windall Downs; stayed there about two days and then by rail to South Hampton, there we were put on a boat again and the next morning we were in Le Havre, France; we were then taken to a rest camp and stayed there one day and one night; were then put on a train again and rode for two days and three nights; unloaded at a little village called Clessons, I think, and marched six miles to another town called Argrefeville. We were billeted there for about two weeks in houses and had a good time. We next marched in Nantes, about 14 miles, stayed there two days, and just as we were preparing to leave, we were told that peace had been declared, and also that we had about six months work ahead of us. Wish you could have seen the Frenchmen; they all went on a spree that day. We were loaded onto a train again and traveled all night and all day--a trip of about two hours by passenger. We stopped five hours in Touris, were unloaded in St. Aignan and stayed all night in a large barn, and the next morning we moved to a camp about seven miles distant. We stayed there eleven days, and had to go through another personel board. Our company has been split up, and the company I am now in is made up of parts of several others. They took 52 out of our company, so it seems nearly like the old one. We were marched back to St. Aignan and we are now located in a hospital, not a base, but just a camp hospital.
We are comfortably fixed here and they certainly 'feed' good, and I am willing to stay here until my time comes to go home. I understand that all the wounded and sick go first and then Class B and C, and as I am in Class A, I guess I will be among the last, but that doesn't worry me, as I don't think it will be over six months at the most. There are quite a few little details that I have left out but I'll tell them when I come home.
Tell mother that I received three letters from here, and one from Elizabeth a couple of days ago, dated from the 16th to the 20th of October. I guess mother was feeling a little anxious the way she wrote letter that week.
Well, I have about run out of anything to say, so guess I will have to close for this time. Am feeling fine and hope you have all kept clear of the influenza.
With love to all,
Harry
Camp Johnston No. 26
A.P.O. No 27 A.E.F., France
NOTES: This letter was written by Harry Edison Hays to his father Maurice Hays of Rogers, Arkansas. He was born on December 29, 1895 in Rogers, Arkansas and died on December 23, 1949. He is buried in the Ridgelawn Cemetery in Collinsville, Oklahoma. He enlisted on July 5, 1918 and was discharged on July 12, 1919. He departed New York, Ny on October 6, 1918 onboard the Zealandia. He was listed as a Pvt. serving in Ambulance Co. 149, 113 Sanitary Train. He departed St. Nazaire, France on June 17, 1919 onboard the Antigone. He arrived in Newport News, Va. on June 28, 1919. He was listed serving as a Pvt. in Camp Hospital No. 26 First Replacement Depot.
TRANSCRIBED BY LAEL HARROD