TRANSCRIBED FROM THE SPRINGDALE NEWS JULY 12, 1918 P. 8
Still in France, May 29th
Dear Mother:
Your letter of May 1st received yesterday and was glad to hear from you. The weather is very nice here now. Fairly cool at night but quite warm during the day.
Kaiser Bill has started another drive now, but there is no doubt but what he is driving his ducks to a dry pond as all indications go to show he is on his last hope of conquering the allies.
It is no wonder the war has lasted as long as it has for these French people seem too slow to catch a cold. They say we Americans are entirely too fast. Well anything that is honest and honorable is no disgrace and we are now allowed to tell what we are doing so will try to explain my occupation to you.
We came over here to do narrow gauge railroad work but when we got to this camp the road was not built and of course we got busy and built one. Part of the company went to grading and laying steel and part of us started to make a cut through rock and most all we boys had been away from that kind of work so long we were pretty “soft” but we soon got hardened to it again and we did a lot of hard work cheerfully as we wanted to get the road in operation as soon as possible. So now we have the road about completed and quite a lot of the yard in too, so we are ready to start railroading any day. I don’t think there is a class of work in existence but what some on in the 22st Engineers could successfully do.
I am quite an “artist” with a pick shovel, tamping bar, wheelbarrow and spike maul. Even there we are not following our regular trade we are doing our “bit” over here. The engineers are the second highest class of service men in the U.S. Army. The aviation is first and we rank second.
The German war department tells their men that the U.S. have no airplanes of their own over here and that there is but very few men that can handle them but believe me if they could see some of the stunts the U.S. boys do in the air they sure would be ashamed of themselves for there are hundreds of boys that can take an aeroplane and make a bird ashamed of itself when it comes to doing stunts in the air.
We have beat Germany on the water and in the air, and will soon have their “goat” on land as I believe the last battle of the “world’s war” is now on and “Bill” is sure to lose this, too.
Hoping to hear from you soon and often.
Your son,
Bert Phillips
NOTES: Phillips was from Clifty, Arkansas.
TRANSCRIBED BY DAVID COLLINS
Still in France, May 29th
Dear Mother:
Your letter of May 1st received yesterday and was glad to hear from you. The weather is very nice here now. Fairly cool at night but quite warm during the day.
Kaiser Bill has started another drive now, but there is no doubt but what he is driving his ducks to a dry pond as all indications go to show he is on his last hope of conquering the allies.
It is no wonder the war has lasted as long as it has for these French people seem too slow to catch a cold. They say we Americans are entirely too fast. Well anything that is honest and honorable is no disgrace and we are now allowed to tell what we are doing so will try to explain my occupation to you.
We came over here to do narrow gauge railroad work but when we got to this camp the road was not built and of course we got busy and built one. Part of the company went to grading and laying steel and part of us started to make a cut through rock and most all we boys had been away from that kind of work so long we were pretty “soft” but we soon got hardened to it again and we did a lot of hard work cheerfully as we wanted to get the road in operation as soon as possible. So now we have the road about completed and quite a lot of the yard in too, so we are ready to start railroading any day. I don’t think there is a class of work in existence but what some on in the 22st Engineers could successfully do.
I am quite an “artist” with a pick shovel, tamping bar, wheelbarrow and spike maul. Even there we are not following our regular trade we are doing our “bit” over here. The engineers are the second highest class of service men in the U.S. Army. The aviation is first and we rank second.
The German war department tells their men that the U.S. have no airplanes of their own over here and that there is but very few men that can handle them but believe me if they could see some of the stunts the U.S. boys do in the air they sure would be ashamed of themselves for there are hundreds of boys that can take an aeroplane and make a bird ashamed of itself when it comes to doing stunts in the air.
We have beat Germany on the water and in the air, and will soon have their “goat” on land as I believe the last battle of the “world’s war” is now on and “Bill” is sure to lose this, too.
Hoping to hear from you soon and often.
Your son,
Bert Phillips
NOTES: Phillips was from Clifty, Arkansas.
TRANSCRIBED BY DAVID COLLINS