TRANSCRIBED FROM THE SHARP COUNTY RECORD APRIL 4, 1919 P. 3
Editor Record:
Enclosed find a Y. M. C. A. money order for a dollar, for which please send me your paper for the duration of my hitch over here. If I only get two or three copies of the paper they will be worth the money.
My stay in Dutchland is certainly getting monotonous. I have already seen most of the places of interest, including Paris and Cologne. They are some towns alright enough, but they are not to be compared with Evening Shade and Sidney, according to my way of thinking right now. I was born at Evening Shade and reared at Sidney. My father, John Wilkerson, was a blacksmith in Evening Shade many years ago. I have a couple of brothers at Sidney, T. O. and S. S. Wilkerson, and I sometimes get a Record through them. But they often forget the matter, and as your business is mailing out papers, I do not figure that you will do likewise.
I will tell you a little about our outfit, the 90th division, and if you think it worth while you may publish it. The 90th division, as you probably know, is made up of Oklahoma and Texas boys, who were trained at Camp Travis, Texas. We left there the 9th of June, 1918, and landed in Liverpool, England, July 2nd, where we went on a parade on the 4th. The next day the division left for France, where we did another month’s training and were headed for the front.
Just a year to the day from the time I was inducted into the service I found myself in the trenches. The division was under shell fire for 75 days, captured 32 German officers, 1812 enlisted men, 42 pieces of artillery and 230 machine guns. We advanced 28 1-2 kilometers on the front line, and helped take the city of Stenay, France, on the morning of the 11th of November, the day the armistice was signed. On the night of the 10th I slept in a hay mound with a dead Dutchman I didn't know that, however, until next morning. On the night of the 11th I slept in a line bed in the quarters of a German officer in barracks at Stenay. That was some difference.
I am sending you a citation our brigadier-general of the 179th Oklahoma Brigade gave us, so that you may see I am not throwing too many bouquets at my outfit. Hope to get the paper in due time.
Jim Wilkerson
Gerolstine, Germany.
NOTES:
TRANSCRIBED BY TAYLOR AHART
Editor Record:
Enclosed find a Y. M. C. A. money order for a dollar, for which please send me your paper for the duration of my hitch over here. If I only get two or three copies of the paper they will be worth the money.
My stay in Dutchland is certainly getting monotonous. I have already seen most of the places of interest, including Paris and Cologne. They are some towns alright enough, but they are not to be compared with Evening Shade and Sidney, according to my way of thinking right now. I was born at Evening Shade and reared at Sidney. My father, John Wilkerson, was a blacksmith in Evening Shade many years ago. I have a couple of brothers at Sidney, T. O. and S. S. Wilkerson, and I sometimes get a Record through them. But they often forget the matter, and as your business is mailing out papers, I do not figure that you will do likewise.
I will tell you a little about our outfit, the 90th division, and if you think it worth while you may publish it. The 90th division, as you probably know, is made up of Oklahoma and Texas boys, who were trained at Camp Travis, Texas. We left there the 9th of June, 1918, and landed in Liverpool, England, July 2nd, where we went on a parade on the 4th. The next day the division left for France, where we did another month’s training and were headed for the front.
Just a year to the day from the time I was inducted into the service I found myself in the trenches. The division was under shell fire for 75 days, captured 32 German officers, 1812 enlisted men, 42 pieces of artillery and 230 machine guns. We advanced 28 1-2 kilometers on the front line, and helped take the city of Stenay, France, on the morning of the 11th of November, the day the armistice was signed. On the night of the 10th I slept in a hay mound with a dead Dutchman I didn't know that, however, until next morning. On the night of the 11th I slept in a line bed in the quarters of a German officer in barracks at Stenay. That was some difference.
I am sending you a citation our brigadier-general of the 179th Oklahoma Brigade gave us, so that you may see I am not throwing too many bouquets at my outfit. Hope to get the paper in due time.
Jim Wilkerson
Gerolstine, Germany.
NOTES:
TRANSCRIBED BY TAYLOR AHART