TRANSCRIBED FROM THE COURIER-INDEX MAY 3, 1918 P. 1
We arrived in a very beautiful city this morning and we were heartily welcomed by the French sailors. They are a very gay bunch. The city is of white stone or rock and is built on the high rocks.
Before we were in good sight of land we were joined by a large number of aeroplanes and dirigibles, three of them. And all of them were our own machines and looked good to all of us. There is nothing like Stars and Stripes, especially since we are in foreign service. No doubt you saw a piece in the papers the other day where a cruiser of ours had a fight with a submarine… I saw it, as I was watching the cruiser at the time. Some day I will tell you about my trip over. Only thing coming over, our food has been rotten, worse than ever.
We will go ashore some time tomorrow morning. They can’t take me away any too soon either. Mother please thank the Red Cross for me. When we arrived at the docks in New Jersey we were met by the workers and given hot rolls and coffee after our pretty hard trip without food. Before we left Washington, they came and looked after our sweaters, to see that all of us had them. They never seem to tire of doing things for us, and we all wish to thank them. We won’t ever forget what those ladies did for us when we were hungry and cold.
NOTES: This partial letter was written from France by Corp.Thomas L. McSwine to his stepfather Charles Mckee of Marianna, Arkansas. He was born on April 13, 1898 and died on August 4, 1959. He is buried in the Bay Pines National Cemetery in Bay Pines, Florida. His military headstone identifies him as being a Cpl. Cas. Depot Demob GP from TRANSCRIBED FROM THE COURIER-INDEX MAY 3, 1918 P. 1
We arrived in a very beautiful city this morning and we were heartily welcomed by the French sailors. They are a very gay bunch. The city is of white stone or rock and is built on the high rocks.
Before we were in good sight of land we were joined by a large number of aeroplanes and dirigibles, three of them. And all of them were our own machines and looked good to all of us. There is nothing like Stars and Stripes, especially since we are in foreign service. No doubt you saw a piece in the papers the other day where a cruiser of ours had a fight with a submarine… I saw it, as I was watching the cruiser at the time. Some day I will tell you about my trip over. Only thing coming over, our food has been rotten, worse than ever.
We will go ashore some time tomorrow morning. They can’t take me away any too soon either. Mother please thank the Red Cross for me. When we arrived at the docks in New Jersey we were met by the workers and given hot rolls and coffee after our pretty hard trip without food. Before we left Washington, they came and looked after our sweaters, to see that all of us had them. They never seem to tire of doing things for us, and we all wish to thank them. We won’t ever forget what those ladies did for us when we were hungry and cold.
NOTES: This partial letter was written from France by Corp.Thomas L. McSwine to his stepfather Charles Mckee of Marianna, Arkansas. McSwine was born April 14, 1898 and died on August 4, 1959. He is buried in the Bay Pines National Cemetery in Bay Pines, Florida. His military headstone identifies him as a Cpl. Cas. Dep. Demob. GP.
TRANSCRIBED LARAE SHURLEY
We arrived in a very beautiful city this morning and we were heartily welcomed by the French sailors. They are a very gay bunch. The city is of white stone or rock and is built on the high rocks.
Before we were in good sight of land we were joined by a large number of aeroplanes and dirigibles, three of them. And all of them were our own machines and looked good to all of us. There is nothing like Stars and Stripes, especially since we are in foreign service. No doubt you saw a piece in the papers the other day where a cruiser of ours had a fight with a submarine… I saw it, as I was watching the cruiser at the time. Some day I will tell you about my trip over. Only thing coming over, our food has been rotten, worse than ever.
We will go ashore some time tomorrow morning. They can’t take me away any too soon either. Mother please thank the Red Cross for me. When we arrived at the docks in New Jersey we were met by the workers and given hot rolls and coffee after our pretty hard trip without food. Before we left Washington, they came and looked after our sweaters, to see that all of us had them. They never seem to tire of doing things for us, and we all wish to thank them. We won’t ever forget what those ladies did for us when we were hungry and cold.
NOTES: This partial letter was written from France by Corp.Thomas L. McSwine to his stepfather Charles Mckee of Marianna, Arkansas. He was born on April 13, 1898 and died on August 4, 1959. He is buried in the Bay Pines National Cemetery in Bay Pines, Florida. His military headstone identifies him as being a Cpl. Cas. Depot Demob GP from TRANSCRIBED FROM THE COURIER-INDEX MAY 3, 1918 P. 1
We arrived in a very beautiful city this morning and we were heartily welcomed by the French sailors. They are a very gay bunch. The city is of white stone or rock and is built on the high rocks.
Before we were in good sight of land we were joined by a large number of aeroplanes and dirigibles, three of them. And all of them were our own machines and looked good to all of us. There is nothing like Stars and Stripes, especially since we are in foreign service. No doubt you saw a piece in the papers the other day where a cruiser of ours had a fight with a submarine… I saw it, as I was watching the cruiser at the time. Some day I will tell you about my trip over. Only thing coming over, our food has been rotten, worse than ever.
We will go ashore some time tomorrow morning. They can’t take me away any too soon either. Mother please thank the Red Cross for me. When we arrived at the docks in New Jersey we were met by the workers and given hot rolls and coffee after our pretty hard trip without food. Before we left Washington, they came and looked after our sweaters, to see that all of us had them. They never seem to tire of doing things for us, and we all wish to thank them. We won’t ever forget what those ladies did for us when we were hungry and cold.
NOTES: This partial letter was written from France by Corp.Thomas L. McSwine to his stepfather Charles Mckee of Marianna, Arkansas. McSwine was born April 14, 1898 and died on August 4, 1959. He is buried in the Bay Pines National Cemetery in Bay Pines, Florida. His military headstone identifies him as a Cpl. Cas. Dep. Demob. GP.
TRANSCRIBED LARAE SHURLEY