TRANSCRIBED FROM THE ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT OCTOBER 24, 1918 P. 5
At last I have completed my trip across the continent and am settled for a while, a couple of weeks at last. We surely had quite a trip; I never took such a long trip before—from the Pacific to the Atlantic, and then across the Atlantic, and here I am now in France where we originated. The voyage across the Atlantic was very uneventful. We had no trouble with subs. One day near the end of the voyage a ship fired a few shots but whether at a sub or not I do not know,--hope they got him if it was one. We had fine weather and no storms. I was a little sick one day, but as I have been to sea before, it was nothing new to me. I was certainly glad I took that trip to South America, as it was a life-saver.
I have taken every opportunity offered to see as much of France as possible. I have visited two of the largest towns, but have not yet reached Paris. France sure is a pretty country and they thing Americans all right. Everywhere the kids wave at us as we go by, and the soldiers wave back. The little kids are great beggars. I never saw so many begging. They all say “Un pennie” meaning a penny. We all gave at first, but our pocket-book simply won’t stand it. Everything here is very high except the things we can buy from the Q.M., and you cannot get exactly what we want there.
I am getting to be fair at speaking French. It should come naturally to me. I have no vocabulary at all, and do not know the grammar, but have a little phrase book handy and manage to do fairly well. I can order a meal and inquire as to the direction, and find out about the price. I have already seen some of the old churches and cathedrals and they are all fine—all Catholic, with gold candle-sticks and such.
NOTES: This partial letter was written by Southall Rozelle Pfund to his father, John S. Rozelle. He was born on March 5, 1895 in Little Rock, Arkansas and died on June 19, 1983 in San Francisco, California. He was a carrier for the Arkansas Democrat before he moved with his step-parents to California. He assumed the Pfund name from his step-father. He served as a First Lieutenant in the 361st Infantry. He was described as being of medium height and slender with blue eyes and blond hair. He is buried in the Olivet Memorial Park in Colma, California.
TRANSCRIBED BY CAROLYN YANCEY KENT
At last I have completed my trip across the continent and am settled for a while, a couple of weeks at last. We surely had quite a trip; I never took such a long trip before—from the Pacific to the Atlantic, and then across the Atlantic, and here I am now in France where we originated. The voyage across the Atlantic was very uneventful. We had no trouble with subs. One day near the end of the voyage a ship fired a few shots but whether at a sub or not I do not know,--hope they got him if it was one. We had fine weather and no storms. I was a little sick one day, but as I have been to sea before, it was nothing new to me. I was certainly glad I took that trip to South America, as it was a life-saver.
I have taken every opportunity offered to see as much of France as possible. I have visited two of the largest towns, but have not yet reached Paris. France sure is a pretty country and they thing Americans all right. Everywhere the kids wave at us as we go by, and the soldiers wave back. The little kids are great beggars. I never saw so many begging. They all say “Un pennie” meaning a penny. We all gave at first, but our pocket-book simply won’t stand it. Everything here is very high except the things we can buy from the Q.M., and you cannot get exactly what we want there.
I am getting to be fair at speaking French. It should come naturally to me. I have no vocabulary at all, and do not know the grammar, but have a little phrase book handy and manage to do fairly well. I can order a meal and inquire as to the direction, and find out about the price. I have already seen some of the old churches and cathedrals and they are all fine—all Catholic, with gold candle-sticks and such.
NOTES: This partial letter was written by Southall Rozelle Pfund to his father, John S. Rozelle. He was born on March 5, 1895 in Little Rock, Arkansas and died on June 19, 1983 in San Francisco, California. He was a carrier for the Arkansas Democrat before he moved with his step-parents to California. He assumed the Pfund name from his step-father. He served as a First Lieutenant in the 361st Infantry. He was described as being of medium height and slender with blue eyes and blond hair. He is buried in the Olivet Memorial Park in Colma, California.
TRANSCRIBED BY CAROLYN YANCEY KENT