TRANSCRIBED FROM THE TEXARKANIAN SEPTEMBER 6, 1917 P 3
Dear Folk:
I guess you will be thinking it is time to get a letter from me but, as we went in a convoy over to England it was a longer trip than I expected. We were nineteen days at sea from Baltimore to Liverpool. Eighteen days we were out of sight of land but we will make the trip back in twelve or fourteen days as we are by ourselves. We are now six days out of Baltimore; so I will not get to mail this until I get back to the U.S.
I sure enjoyed my trip to England. We had a real exciting trip, there were twenty-four merchant ships and a British cruiser with us. When we had been in the war zone one day, seven English destroyers met us. We were attacked the second day in the company of the torpedo boats by a submarine, but the submarine was driven off by one of the torpedo boats.
The fighting occurred about 2000 yards from us. I could not see the submarine but could plainly see the torpedo boat firing and see the shells splash in the water. The flash of the gun and the sound also was plain. The English fired about six broad sides and the U-boat submerged.
That night we ran into a heavy fog between the coast of Scotland and Ireland. We had to keep the steamer whistle blowing all the time so as to locate the other ships. Two or three times we like to have fanned another ship. Also we came very near running aground. We could hear the men talking on the other ships before we could see them, so you can imagine how thick the fog was.
All through the war zone we stood six men on watch, four hours on and four off. About three o’clock we were attacked in the fob by a submarine. I was in my bunk asleep when the general alarm went off. I had all my clothes on except my shoes. I made a grab for my shoes, got one of mine and one of another boy’s, and it was about two sizes too small and I went a flying up to my gun.
The fog was as thick as ever and the other ship was blowing a whistle and every few minutes you could hear a broad side fired by the torpedo boat. It certainly was cold and you could scarcely see your hand before your eyes. We could hear a noise like a submarine makes when running on the surface. We kept our gun trained on the noise as we could not see anything.
At different times we could hear explosions. The captain of our ship put on full speed and went ahead. When we run out of the fog there was not a ship in sight but we passed two before we got into Liverpool that night.
We docked in Liverpool two o’clock that night and the next day we heard about the rest of the ships. One of the ships was rammed and sunk by another, one was sunk by a submarine. The one that was torpedoed was one of the two ships that we passed. We were barely out of sight when she was sunk. The crew was picked up by a patrol boat. So that was our experience going over.
Liverpool has about one and a half million people in it but it certainly is a dead town. You see lots of soldier and sailors. All the work is done by old men and girls. All of the street car conductors are girls. You ____ with any girl you see nearly. The American sailor is very popular in Liverpool.
We stayed in Liverpool six days and I saw lots of sights including warfare galleries, and they have a fine museum there and everything is sure high in England and there is not much _____. I saw a good prize fight though. I also have a few trinkets which I will send home. We left Liverpool August 6th one month from the time we left Baltimore. We did not have any trouble coming back through the war zone. Was escorted part of the way by an American torpedo boat. As we are now over a thousand miles from the war zone. I guess we are safe.
I hope you all will have a good crop and be sure to write me as soon as you get this, for we might make another trip. Tell of the news, send me all of the letters received and I will answer soon.
NOTES: Ross Benjamin Sowell was writing to his parents Mr. and Mrs. Will Sowell. He was born on December 18, 1896 at Texarkana, Arkansas and died on October 2, 1950 at San Diego, California. He is buried in the Hillcrest Cemetery at Texarkana, Texas. His military headstone identifies him as serving in the U S Navy during World War I. He was described as being 5’ 11’ with fair complexion and light brown eyes and brown hair. He continued to serve in the Navy after the war.
TRANSCRIBED BY CAROLYN YANCEY KENT
Dear Folk:
I guess you will be thinking it is time to get a letter from me but, as we went in a convoy over to England it was a longer trip than I expected. We were nineteen days at sea from Baltimore to Liverpool. Eighteen days we were out of sight of land but we will make the trip back in twelve or fourteen days as we are by ourselves. We are now six days out of Baltimore; so I will not get to mail this until I get back to the U.S.
I sure enjoyed my trip to England. We had a real exciting trip, there were twenty-four merchant ships and a British cruiser with us. When we had been in the war zone one day, seven English destroyers met us. We were attacked the second day in the company of the torpedo boats by a submarine, but the submarine was driven off by one of the torpedo boats.
The fighting occurred about 2000 yards from us. I could not see the submarine but could plainly see the torpedo boat firing and see the shells splash in the water. The flash of the gun and the sound also was plain. The English fired about six broad sides and the U-boat submerged.
That night we ran into a heavy fog between the coast of Scotland and Ireland. We had to keep the steamer whistle blowing all the time so as to locate the other ships. Two or three times we like to have fanned another ship. Also we came very near running aground. We could hear the men talking on the other ships before we could see them, so you can imagine how thick the fog was.
All through the war zone we stood six men on watch, four hours on and four off. About three o’clock we were attacked in the fob by a submarine. I was in my bunk asleep when the general alarm went off. I had all my clothes on except my shoes. I made a grab for my shoes, got one of mine and one of another boy’s, and it was about two sizes too small and I went a flying up to my gun.
The fog was as thick as ever and the other ship was blowing a whistle and every few minutes you could hear a broad side fired by the torpedo boat. It certainly was cold and you could scarcely see your hand before your eyes. We could hear a noise like a submarine makes when running on the surface. We kept our gun trained on the noise as we could not see anything.
At different times we could hear explosions. The captain of our ship put on full speed and went ahead. When we run out of the fog there was not a ship in sight but we passed two before we got into Liverpool that night.
We docked in Liverpool two o’clock that night and the next day we heard about the rest of the ships. One of the ships was rammed and sunk by another, one was sunk by a submarine. The one that was torpedoed was one of the two ships that we passed. We were barely out of sight when she was sunk. The crew was picked up by a patrol boat. So that was our experience going over.
Liverpool has about one and a half million people in it but it certainly is a dead town. You see lots of soldier and sailors. All the work is done by old men and girls. All of the street car conductors are girls. You ____ with any girl you see nearly. The American sailor is very popular in Liverpool.
We stayed in Liverpool six days and I saw lots of sights including warfare galleries, and they have a fine museum there and everything is sure high in England and there is not much _____. I saw a good prize fight though. I also have a few trinkets which I will send home. We left Liverpool August 6th one month from the time we left Baltimore. We did not have any trouble coming back through the war zone. Was escorted part of the way by an American torpedo boat. As we are now over a thousand miles from the war zone. I guess we are safe.
I hope you all will have a good crop and be sure to write me as soon as you get this, for we might make another trip. Tell of the news, send me all of the letters received and I will answer soon.
NOTES: Ross Benjamin Sowell was writing to his parents Mr. and Mrs. Will Sowell. He was born on December 18, 1896 at Texarkana, Arkansas and died on October 2, 1950 at San Diego, California. He is buried in the Hillcrest Cemetery at Texarkana, Texas. His military headstone identifies him as serving in the U S Navy during World War I. He was described as being 5’ 11’ with fair complexion and light brown eyes and brown hair. He continued to serve in the Navy after the war.
TRANSCRIBED BY CAROLYN YANCEY KENT