TRANSCRIBED FROM THE JONESBORO WEEKLY SUN JULY 24. 1918 P 8
Sunny France,
May 20, 1918.
Dear Father:
With the greatest of pleasure I am answering your letter which came to me this morning. I was very glad to hear from you. I am well and feeling very good. The weather is lovely. The boys here are all enjoying themselves very well. Yesterday was Decoration day and we had a nice ball game and foot races, jumping, etc. It was a fine day for us there were two Y.M.C.A. girls with us. They have been with us three times and they say they had rather be with the marines than any other soldiers. They have never been with me but put on a show every time they have been with us.
Well you asked me what the Y.M.C.A. and the Red Cross were doing. For us they are doing great workover here, If it wasn’t for the Red Cross millions of wounded soldiers would loose their lives, but the Red Cross is taking care of them: that is what the Red Cross is doing. They also feed soldiers that are passing where they are stationed. I have never passed a Red Cross camp yet but what they gave me something. The Y.M.C.A. is also very good for they have lots of cigarettes and tobacco, fruits and so on. But we have to pay for all of that, so you see the Red Cross is the best. They won’t have pay for anything that they have. It is all for the soldiers and all free. All they have to do is to ask and they shall receive.
We get cigarettes and tobacco sent to us very very often by the Y.M.C.A. It is a nice place to go for entertain and write. They give us all the paper we use. If it wasn’t for the Y.M.C.A. and Red Cross, our lives would be a misery over here so tell your friends to give all they can to the Red Cross for they need it the more they have the more we will have and the more we have the more we feel like fighting and the more we feel like fighting the better we can fight.
So you see if it wasn’t for the Y.M.C.A. and the Red Cross, our fighting courage would be very weak.
So let Dollie do all she can and tell her to get the other girls to do all they can. I am sure you will never be sorry for it. Those people that are sitting still and doing nothing will some day be very sorry but it will be too late then. All that we do in this war will be on our record when we face the judgement and those that do nothing will see their mistake but it will be too late to do anything then.
May God bless and keep you able to do something every day to help win this war.
I have forsaken home and loved ones and do my duty toward winning this fight and we are going to (MISSING PAPER) but if the folks back home (MISSING PAPER) busy and do all they can it is going to take some time yet.
If you all could surly see what the French live on in order to help the soldiers, you could do lots more than you think you can they are only allowed 1 pound of sugar 1 pint of coal oil according and they will help us just as quick as they will their own soldiers. I would like to tell you what you ask but I can’t: the censor would cut it all out and there is no use of writing for the censor is a fine man and I don’t like to cause him any more work than possible. So I will close. Hope to hear from you soon, as ever your son.
SAM JONES
NOTES: Samuel Jones was writing to his father. He was born on August 9, 1889 in Illinois. He was attending the State Agri. School (NOW ARKANSAS STATE UNIVERISTY) before enlisting. He described as being tall and slender with brown eyes and hair. THIS SAM JONES IS PROBABLY S. R. JONES.
TRANSCRIBED BY CAROLYN YANCEY KENT.
Sunny France,
May 20, 1918.
Dear Father:
With the greatest of pleasure I am answering your letter which came to me this morning. I was very glad to hear from you. I am well and feeling very good. The weather is lovely. The boys here are all enjoying themselves very well. Yesterday was Decoration day and we had a nice ball game and foot races, jumping, etc. It was a fine day for us there were two Y.M.C.A. girls with us. They have been with us three times and they say they had rather be with the marines than any other soldiers. They have never been with me but put on a show every time they have been with us.
Well you asked me what the Y.M.C.A. and the Red Cross were doing. For us they are doing great workover here, If it wasn’t for the Red Cross millions of wounded soldiers would loose their lives, but the Red Cross is taking care of them: that is what the Red Cross is doing. They also feed soldiers that are passing where they are stationed. I have never passed a Red Cross camp yet but what they gave me something. The Y.M.C.A. is also very good for they have lots of cigarettes and tobacco, fruits and so on. But we have to pay for all of that, so you see the Red Cross is the best. They won’t have pay for anything that they have. It is all for the soldiers and all free. All they have to do is to ask and they shall receive.
We get cigarettes and tobacco sent to us very very often by the Y.M.C.A. It is a nice place to go for entertain and write. They give us all the paper we use. If it wasn’t for the Y.M.C.A. and Red Cross, our lives would be a misery over here so tell your friends to give all they can to the Red Cross for they need it the more they have the more we will have and the more we have the more we feel like fighting and the more we feel like fighting the better we can fight.
So you see if it wasn’t for the Y.M.C.A. and the Red Cross, our fighting courage would be very weak.
So let Dollie do all she can and tell her to get the other girls to do all they can. I am sure you will never be sorry for it. Those people that are sitting still and doing nothing will some day be very sorry but it will be too late then. All that we do in this war will be on our record when we face the judgement and those that do nothing will see their mistake but it will be too late to do anything then.
May God bless and keep you able to do something every day to help win this war.
I have forsaken home and loved ones and do my duty toward winning this fight and we are going to (MISSING PAPER) but if the folks back home (MISSING PAPER) busy and do all they can it is going to take some time yet.
If you all could surly see what the French live on in order to help the soldiers, you could do lots more than you think you can they are only allowed 1 pound of sugar 1 pint of coal oil according and they will help us just as quick as they will their own soldiers. I would like to tell you what you ask but I can’t: the censor would cut it all out and there is no use of writing for the censor is a fine man and I don’t like to cause him any more work than possible. So I will close. Hope to hear from you soon, as ever your son.
SAM JONES
NOTES: Samuel Jones was writing to his father. He was born on August 9, 1889 in Illinois. He was attending the State Agri. School (NOW ARKANSAS STATE UNIVERISTY) before enlisting. He described as being tall and slender with brown eyes and hair. THIS SAM JONES IS PROBABLY S. R. JONES.
TRANSCRIBED BY CAROLYN YANCEY KENT.