TRANSCRIBED FROM THE ARKANSAS GAZETTE DECEMBER 15, 1918 P. 3
November 13.
We came off the line yesterday. Time was called at 11 o’clock Monday. The finish was different than I expected. At 10:58 bullets were coming as thick as hail. The artillery was going some. Everything stopped at once. A cheer went up from the Dutch line. And in 10 minutes after firing had stopped we were shaking hands with the Huns. Our chow was brought up. We gave them part of our mess kits and we all ate dinner together in what had been No Man’s Land. The rest of the day was spent in swapping collar ornaments or anything that was suitable for souvenirs.
I am anxious to hear from home since the argument over here has stopped. I don’t suppose any one expected it to finish as soon as it did. I expected another year of it and expected that we would attack the morning of the finish. I went in the trenches the first time on May 14. And once in there was but little rest for the First Army. But we are sure having an easy time now; just enough drill for exercise, two hours a day, good room with stove and good bunk and four of us together in the same room.
I guess we will have guard duty for a while, but there will be no sleeping in muddy ditches or holes in the ground. This was a ‘great’ life during the war. We could have no fires, no matter how cold, for we would get shelled or bombed by airplanes. We had to stay hid all the time from them. Sometimes we went three days without anything to eat. I have gone 25 days without pulling off my shoes. No matter how tired or sick we would not fall out, for a guy was supposed to stay to the last. But guess we are none the worst for it.
NOTES: This partial letter was written by Pvt. Roy W. Oliver, Co. A, 110th Infantry to his sister, Mrs. G. B. Bateman. Oliver was born on December 16, 1892 and died on December 8, 1931. He is buried in the Gum Springs Cemetery at Searcy, Arkansas. His military headstone identifies him as a Pvt. in the 110th Infantry, 28th Division.
TRANSCRIBED BY CAROLYN YANCEY KENT
November 13.
We came off the line yesterday. Time was called at 11 o’clock Monday. The finish was different than I expected. At 10:58 bullets were coming as thick as hail. The artillery was going some. Everything stopped at once. A cheer went up from the Dutch line. And in 10 minutes after firing had stopped we were shaking hands with the Huns. Our chow was brought up. We gave them part of our mess kits and we all ate dinner together in what had been No Man’s Land. The rest of the day was spent in swapping collar ornaments or anything that was suitable for souvenirs.
I am anxious to hear from home since the argument over here has stopped. I don’t suppose any one expected it to finish as soon as it did. I expected another year of it and expected that we would attack the morning of the finish. I went in the trenches the first time on May 14. And once in there was but little rest for the First Army. But we are sure having an easy time now; just enough drill for exercise, two hours a day, good room with stove and good bunk and four of us together in the same room.
I guess we will have guard duty for a while, but there will be no sleeping in muddy ditches or holes in the ground. This was a ‘great’ life during the war. We could have no fires, no matter how cold, for we would get shelled or bombed by airplanes. We had to stay hid all the time from them. Sometimes we went three days without anything to eat. I have gone 25 days without pulling off my shoes. No matter how tired or sick we would not fall out, for a guy was supposed to stay to the last. But guess we are none the worst for it.
NOTES: This partial letter was written by Pvt. Roy W. Oliver, Co. A, 110th Infantry to his sister, Mrs. G. B. Bateman. Oliver was born on December 16, 1892 and died on December 8, 1931. He is buried in the Gum Springs Cemetery at Searcy, Arkansas. His military headstone identifies him as a Pvt. in the 110th Infantry, 28th Division.
TRANSCRIBED BY CAROLYN YANCEY KENT