TRANSCRIBED FROM THE STAR PROGRESS JUNE 7, 1918 P. 1
I don’t know exactly how things are over here, but think I am going to like it all right. We are always seeing people do queer things that you wouldn’t dream they would do. Of course I didn’t expect it to be like the states, but it sure is queer at that. Imagine yourself wearing a black hat with ribbons hanging down behind and a pair of wooden shoes with straw stuffed in the side to keep them on.
We hardly have any night here at all. It gets dark about 10 p.m. and daylight about 4 a.m. We have to sleep in the day nearly as much as in the night, but understand we don’t sleep all day.
We are quartered in big stone barracks with a high stone wall around the whole works and only two gates. We are out of luck for getting out unless we have a passport.
Halley, you ought to see some of their money. It has different colored pictures on it, that is the paper money has, and you might have a whole pocket full of their silver and copper money and then have only a few dollars. They even have money that it takes five pieces to make one of our pennies.
There are all kinds of soldiers over here, but of course the Americans are the best looking. Most of the French I have seen wear whiskers or a mustache, and that never did look good to me, but they seem to think it is the proper thing, so I suppose it must be.
We are in a very quaint part of France. Some of their customs are very old. The way they wash clothes is funny enough to tickle you to death. They all congregate in a building with a stone floor, and a pool of water in the middle. They wet the clothes and then stand there and slap them with a stick.
Had a nice trip over. Never got ocean ill but was a trifle dizzy the first few days. I think Searl Dodson’s outfit came just before mine did, but am not sure.
NOTES: This partial letter was written by Robert Hazen Perkins to Carroll Halley. Perkins was born on February 10, 1899 in Berryville, Arkansas and died on November 18, 1958 in Houston, Texas. He is buried in the Berryville Memorial Cemetery in Berryville. His gravestone application lists him as Arkansas Inf. Pvt serving in World War 1. His military headstone identifies him as a Texas soldier. He was awarded the Purple Heart and the Silver Cross. Letter/letters of his brother Troye Perkins are also posted on this site.
TRANSCRIBED BY CAROLYN YANCEY KENT
I don’t know exactly how things are over here, but think I am going to like it all right. We are always seeing people do queer things that you wouldn’t dream they would do. Of course I didn’t expect it to be like the states, but it sure is queer at that. Imagine yourself wearing a black hat with ribbons hanging down behind and a pair of wooden shoes with straw stuffed in the side to keep them on.
We hardly have any night here at all. It gets dark about 10 p.m. and daylight about 4 a.m. We have to sleep in the day nearly as much as in the night, but understand we don’t sleep all day.
We are quartered in big stone barracks with a high stone wall around the whole works and only two gates. We are out of luck for getting out unless we have a passport.
Halley, you ought to see some of their money. It has different colored pictures on it, that is the paper money has, and you might have a whole pocket full of their silver and copper money and then have only a few dollars. They even have money that it takes five pieces to make one of our pennies.
There are all kinds of soldiers over here, but of course the Americans are the best looking. Most of the French I have seen wear whiskers or a mustache, and that never did look good to me, but they seem to think it is the proper thing, so I suppose it must be.
We are in a very quaint part of France. Some of their customs are very old. The way they wash clothes is funny enough to tickle you to death. They all congregate in a building with a stone floor, and a pool of water in the middle. They wet the clothes and then stand there and slap them with a stick.
Had a nice trip over. Never got ocean ill but was a trifle dizzy the first few days. I think Searl Dodson’s outfit came just before mine did, but am not sure.
NOTES: This partial letter was written by Robert Hazen Perkins to Carroll Halley. Perkins was born on February 10, 1899 in Berryville, Arkansas and died on November 18, 1958 in Houston, Texas. He is buried in the Berryville Memorial Cemetery in Berryville. His gravestone application lists him as Arkansas Inf. Pvt serving in World War 1. His military headstone identifies him as a Texas soldier. He was awarded the Purple Heart and the Silver Cross. Letter/letters of his brother Troye Perkins are also posted on this site.
TRANSCRIBED BY CAROLYN YANCEY KENT