TRANSCRIBED FROM THE ASHLEY COUNTY EAGLE JANUARY 2, 1919 P. 1
Le- Valdehon-Boubs, France,
November 24th 1918.
Mr. E. T. Johnson, Hamburg.
Dear Father:
As this is “father’s day” and the “ban” is lifted on the censorship, I will try to give you some of the inside dope on my doings in France. Of course this being the first time I have had a chance to relate any of my doings it will be impossible to get it all, as I shall likely save some to tell you when I return.
I sailed from Hoboken, New York, January 13th, 1918, at 4 o’clock, aboard the steamship “Agamemnon,” which was a big steamer belonging to Germany and had been interned the the U.S. The German name of the boat was “Kaiser Wilhelm II.” This is a fine boat and about the third largest and fastest afloat. We had 6,000 troops on board and being one day behind our accompanying transports and one battleship we made pretty fast time (in a zig-zag fashion) for four or five days in catching up with the other boats. We had a continual stormy sea on the whole trip, and the waves were coming over one deck or the other every day. On the 5th night we struck a real storm, and it is said our boat made a 43 degree rock. This was caused from the fact that a soldier on guard reported a man overboard (tho he was in error) and the boat in making a hasty turn jammed its rudder and we were caught in a great hollow and wave. It came pretty near upsetting everything. Everything was sliding from one side of the boat to the other and those that were not holding fast to their beds did the same. The sailors it seemed were more excited than the soldiers, and the captain of the boat reported that it rocked farther over than he had ever experienced. He said that a cargo of steel and iron in the bottom of the boat was the only thing that kept us from going over.
We landed in Brest, France, having been met two days out and escorted in through submarine zone by a bunch of submarine chasers. We were on the water eleven days.
Brest, France, is one of the most important ports here though at that time the American soldier was a new thing at that port. There were only 200,000 of our soldiers in France then and most of them came via England. Brest is on the north west coast of France. From there we were immediately sent to St. Maixent as a rest camp, which is located near the coast, near Spain. Here I was quartered for one month in an old castle that was built in the 15th century and was later used by Napoleon and his troops. The old dungeons, gallows, and other places of death and torture are still there, including a twenty foot wall around the whole place.
I was then transferred to the 800th areo and shipped to this place, LeValdahon, France. We remained here about a month, when I and 11 others were sent to Tours for a course of instruction. This is the largest Americao instruction camp in France, and they have several hundred planes there. Tours is a very large city and is a very beautiful one. It is located about the centre of France. We were there only a month and returned here to Le Valdahon with our planes.
Le Valdahon is a small town (about 1,000 people) situated on the eastern border of France. It near the first chain of the Alps mountains and is within 15 or 18 miles of Switzerland. We are about 35 miles south west of the Alsace-Loraine front and this is about as close as we have been to the fighting lines. I have been over on the Switzerland border a couple of times but we were not allowed to go across. However just as soon as the guards are removed we are going over and spend a day or two.
At one place here is found the the most renowned clock in the world. It is about twenty feet tall and eight wide and its mechanism consists of 30,000 pieces. It has different dials that record the times of every city of any size in the world. Also shows the revolutions of the earth, the sun, moon, stars, etc. Shows the tidal waves at every port of importance; shows every movement concerning the winds, the changes of the moon, day and night, and other things, including a miniature resurrection of Christ.
The Spanish influenza struck this place when there were about 10,000 soldiers in an artillery camp about a mile from here, and for more than a month they were constantly burying about an average of ten men a day.
I have been up in the clouds many times and do not find it anything out of the ordinary. My first ride in an automobile was just about as thrilling as looping the loop in an areoplane. We have had a good many visits from Boche planes but no harm was done to amount to anything.
In regard to coming home I do not know as to when it will happen. I do not think the aviation section will get to go for a couple of months.
The American soldiers are great collectors of souvenirs and are collecting all kinds of them to carry home. I have often started a collection, but thinking they would be hard to get home with I have given up the idea. I’m thinking that the sooner we forget this thing over here the better off we are. One thing I am sure it is leaving many dead and crippled persons for each nation and more especially for France.
Your son,
Columbus Johnson,
800 Areo Sqdn, A. E. F.
NOTES: Johnson is from Hamburg, Arkansas.
TRANSCRIBED BY MICHAEL FREDRICKS
Le- Valdehon-Boubs, France,
November 24th 1918.
Mr. E. T. Johnson, Hamburg.
Dear Father:
As this is “father’s day” and the “ban” is lifted on the censorship, I will try to give you some of the inside dope on my doings in France. Of course this being the first time I have had a chance to relate any of my doings it will be impossible to get it all, as I shall likely save some to tell you when I return.
I sailed from Hoboken, New York, January 13th, 1918, at 4 o’clock, aboard the steamship “Agamemnon,” which was a big steamer belonging to Germany and had been interned the the U.S. The German name of the boat was “Kaiser Wilhelm II.” This is a fine boat and about the third largest and fastest afloat. We had 6,000 troops on board and being one day behind our accompanying transports and one battleship we made pretty fast time (in a zig-zag fashion) for four or five days in catching up with the other boats. We had a continual stormy sea on the whole trip, and the waves were coming over one deck or the other every day. On the 5th night we struck a real storm, and it is said our boat made a 43 degree rock. This was caused from the fact that a soldier on guard reported a man overboard (tho he was in error) and the boat in making a hasty turn jammed its rudder and we were caught in a great hollow and wave. It came pretty near upsetting everything. Everything was sliding from one side of the boat to the other and those that were not holding fast to their beds did the same. The sailors it seemed were more excited than the soldiers, and the captain of the boat reported that it rocked farther over than he had ever experienced. He said that a cargo of steel and iron in the bottom of the boat was the only thing that kept us from going over.
We landed in Brest, France, having been met two days out and escorted in through submarine zone by a bunch of submarine chasers. We were on the water eleven days.
Brest, France, is one of the most important ports here though at that time the American soldier was a new thing at that port. There were only 200,000 of our soldiers in France then and most of them came via England. Brest is on the north west coast of France. From there we were immediately sent to St. Maixent as a rest camp, which is located near the coast, near Spain. Here I was quartered for one month in an old castle that was built in the 15th century and was later used by Napoleon and his troops. The old dungeons, gallows, and other places of death and torture are still there, including a twenty foot wall around the whole place.
I was then transferred to the 800th areo and shipped to this place, LeValdahon, France. We remained here about a month, when I and 11 others were sent to Tours for a course of instruction. This is the largest Americao instruction camp in France, and they have several hundred planes there. Tours is a very large city and is a very beautiful one. It is located about the centre of France. We were there only a month and returned here to Le Valdahon with our planes.
Le Valdahon is a small town (about 1,000 people) situated on the eastern border of France. It near the first chain of the Alps mountains and is within 15 or 18 miles of Switzerland. We are about 35 miles south west of the Alsace-Loraine front and this is about as close as we have been to the fighting lines. I have been over on the Switzerland border a couple of times but we were not allowed to go across. However just as soon as the guards are removed we are going over and spend a day or two.
At one place here is found the the most renowned clock in the world. It is about twenty feet tall and eight wide and its mechanism consists of 30,000 pieces. It has different dials that record the times of every city of any size in the world. Also shows the revolutions of the earth, the sun, moon, stars, etc. Shows the tidal waves at every port of importance; shows every movement concerning the winds, the changes of the moon, day and night, and other things, including a miniature resurrection of Christ.
The Spanish influenza struck this place when there were about 10,000 soldiers in an artillery camp about a mile from here, and for more than a month they were constantly burying about an average of ten men a day.
I have been up in the clouds many times and do not find it anything out of the ordinary. My first ride in an automobile was just about as thrilling as looping the loop in an areoplane. We have had a good many visits from Boche planes but no harm was done to amount to anything.
In regard to coming home I do not know as to when it will happen. I do not think the aviation section will get to go for a couple of months.
The American soldiers are great collectors of souvenirs and are collecting all kinds of them to carry home. I have often started a collection, but thinking they would be hard to get home with I have given up the idea. I’m thinking that the sooner we forget this thing over here the better off we are. One thing I am sure it is leaving many dead and crippled persons for each nation and more especially for France.
Your son,
Columbus Johnson,
800 Areo Sqdn, A. E. F.
NOTES: Johnson is from Hamburg, Arkansas.
TRANSCRIBED BY MICHAEL FREDRICKS