TRANSCRIBED FROM THE POCAHONTAS STAR HERALD JANUARY 31, 1919 P. 3
Langres, France, Nov. 24, 1918
Dear Father:
Today has been designated as “Fathers Day,” so here goes for mine. I am well and getting along fine, have joined my company after more than two and a half months in a hospital.
Well, father I hope to be at home before another winter has passed. Do you realize it has been four years since I left home? I imagine things have changed quite a bit since I have been to the army, no doubt we will find that we can get along much better now, and can start some kind of business and be able to make a success of it. How are things with your business and what kind of a car do you anticipate buying?
Father, now that the war is over, I am going to tell you a few things about the war and my part in it. To begin with I sailed from Fort Adams. R.I. on Aug. 16, 1917 and in at Halifax and then at Bounty Bay Ireland, from there to Liverpool, England, from there to South Hampton and across the Channel to LeHarve, France. I then went to Camp DeMailly and from there came to this place, Langres. Have been all along the the front from the North Channel to the Swiss border. I was with the C.A.C. then, we had big railroad guns and I had the honor of pulling the Lanyard, and I pulled quite a few of them off. Then I transferred to the Tank Corps, on the 21st of June, 1918. Went up to the Toul front and went over the 12th of Sept. After five days in St. Mihiel attack, I left and went up to Lummeyville. We fooled the Germans, by going into little towns after dark and making all kind of noise; the Dutch would then send over a barrage, we would load up and go to another one and pull off the same thing. We kept it up for ten nights. After that I went to Verdun, went into that scrap and got wounded on the third day. I happened to the accident just outside a little town by the name of Verny and that started my hospital career-I was wounded up at Base 44 at Pongus, a big French health resort. This city has mineral springs and is situated outside Nevers in the central part of France.
I have been in Paris, Lyon, Marseilles, Bordeaux, Brest, Orleans, Tours and most all of the larger cities of France. Have also been over quite a lot of the devastated part of this country. You people have no idea what war is, until you have seen this war wrecked country.
But after all the traveling that I have done in France and England, the U.S.A. is good enough for me. You should see the Tank Center we have here, it certainly is some place.
Will start some nice pictures, post cards and etc. of this country home in a few days.
Love to dearest mother and sister,
Lovingly yours,
Alvon
NOTES: Alvon Knotts is writing from France to his father.
TRANSCRIBED BYISAAC WOLTER
Langres, France, Nov. 24, 1918
Dear Father:
Today has been designated as “Fathers Day,” so here goes for mine. I am well and getting along fine, have joined my company after more than two and a half months in a hospital.
Well, father I hope to be at home before another winter has passed. Do you realize it has been four years since I left home? I imagine things have changed quite a bit since I have been to the army, no doubt we will find that we can get along much better now, and can start some kind of business and be able to make a success of it. How are things with your business and what kind of a car do you anticipate buying?
Father, now that the war is over, I am going to tell you a few things about the war and my part in it. To begin with I sailed from Fort Adams. R.I. on Aug. 16, 1917 and in at Halifax and then at Bounty Bay Ireland, from there to Liverpool, England, from there to South Hampton and across the Channel to LeHarve, France. I then went to Camp DeMailly and from there came to this place, Langres. Have been all along the the front from the North Channel to the Swiss border. I was with the C.A.C. then, we had big railroad guns and I had the honor of pulling the Lanyard, and I pulled quite a few of them off. Then I transferred to the Tank Corps, on the 21st of June, 1918. Went up to the Toul front and went over the 12th of Sept. After five days in St. Mihiel attack, I left and went up to Lummeyville. We fooled the Germans, by going into little towns after dark and making all kind of noise; the Dutch would then send over a barrage, we would load up and go to another one and pull off the same thing. We kept it up for ten nights. After that I went to Verdun, went into that scrap and got wounded on the third day. I happened to the accident just outside a little town by the name of Verny and that started my hospital career-I was wounded up at Base 44 at Pongus, a big French health resort. This city has mineral springs and is situated outside Nevers in the central part of France.
I have been in Paris, Lyon, Marseilles, Bordeaux, Brest, Orleans, Tours and most all of the larger cities of France. Have also been over quite a lot of the devastated part of this country. You people have no idea what war is, until you have seen this war wrecked country.
But after all the traveling that I have done in France and England, the U.S.A. is good enough for me. You should see the Tank Center we have here, it certainly is some place.
Will start some nice pictures, post cards and etc. of this country home in a few days.
Love to dearest mother and sister,
Lovingly yours,
Alvon
NOTES: Alvon Knotts is writing from France to his father.
TRANSCRIBED BYISAAC WOLTER