TRANSCRIBED FROM THE COLUMBIA BANNER OCTOBER 16, 1918, P. 3
Newport, R. I.
Oct. 3, 1918.
Dearest Father:
I will try to answer your letter which I received yesterday. I was indeed glad to hear from you.
How are you getting on with the mill these days? Hope you are getting on fine and hope all are well. Mother tells me V. B. is afraid he has got to go to the army and he would prefer the navy to the army. I sure would like to see him grind squad right and left. I bet he would look like an elephant among this bunch as they are all small, dried up looking boys, except a few that came from the South or West. I am the largest in our company, but am as heavy and I guess as strong as the next one.
What do you think of the war? My idea about it is a pretty fair one as we receive the telegrams direct from the front to our war college so the most you see in the papers is true. In three weeks at least and in not more than two months you all shall see the Turks fall to their knees and beg for peace just as the Bulgarians did, and then the Austrians will have to follow. The Russians in the New England States are enrolling in our army as fast as they will be accepted and they are fighting the Germans again. Our officers expect an early peace, sometime in 1919 as this is zero year for the Huns when they shall lay aside their arms, and then 6 months after that you will find your son back home.
We Navy boys are doing some fine work on the Bond sales as we have sold about $3,000,000 worth sence the drive began, we were on a great parade in Newport wednesday morning and in the evening were in Providence to parade the city with great success. We returned back to the Island to hear Billie Sunday and T. R. speak and to congratulate us on our success. Our camp now has the best bunch of sailors in the whole world, is what Sec. Daniels said in his speech at Providence to 10,000 of us, and Dad we were a proud bunch too, believe me.
Sure wish I could see you all for a few hours but I am about 2000 miles from home I am contented to say that I am very well pleased until we leave for some southern station.
Well father as news is rather short and that I have to go on guard at 2:00 o’clock this afternoon I will close so hoping to hear from you real soon. So by, by, Dad and be sure to take care of yourself, sure hope you are well now from the fall you received a few days ago.
From your loving son.
Walter M. Wood.
P. S. There was a squad of 20 air planes that landed on the fields day before yesterday and I took a good look inside them went up for a while with one of the men, liked it fine.
W. M. W.
NOTES: Walter M. Wood was born on October 23, 1898 in Camden, Arkansas and died October 22, 1974 in Cabool, Missouri. He was buried in the Cabool Cemetery and his military headstone identifies him as Cox US Navy. When he enlisted he was living in Columbia County with his parents and working in his father’s lumber mill.
TRANSCRIBED BY CAROLYN YANCEY KENT.
Newport, R. I.
Oct. 3, 1918.
Dearest Father:
I will try to answer your letter which I received yesterday. I was indeed glad to hear from you.
How are you getting on with the mill these days? Hope you are getting on fine and hope all are well. Mother tells me V. B. is afraid he has got to go to the army and he would prefer the navy to the army. I sure would like to see him grind squad right and left. I bet he would look like an elephant among this bunch as they are all small, dried up looking boys, except a few that came from the South or West. I am the largest in our company, but am as heavy and I guess as strong as the next one.
What do you think of the war? My idea about it is a pretty fair one as we receive the telegrams direct from the front to our war college so the most you see in the papers is true. In three weeks at least and in not more than two months you all shall see the Turks fall to their knees and beg for peace just as the Bulgarians did, and then the Austrians will have to follow. The Russians in the New England States are enrolling in our army as fast as they will be accepted and they are fighting the Germans again. Our officers expect an early peace, sometime in 1919 as this is zero year for the Huns when they shall lay aside their arms, and then 6 months after that you will find your son back home.
We Navy boys are doing some fine work on the Bond sales as we have sold about $3,000,000 worth sence the drive began, we were on a great parade in Newport wednesday morning and in the evening were in Providence to parade the city with great success. We returned back to the Island to hear Billie Sunday and T. R. speak and to congratulate us on our success. Our camp now has the best bunch of sailors in the whole world, is what Sec. Daniels said in his speech at Providence to 10,000 of us, and Dad we were a proud bunch too, believe me.
Sure wish I could see you all for a few hours but I am about 2000 miles from home I am contented to say that I am very well pleased until we leave for some southern station.
Well father as news is rather short and that I have to go on guard at 2:00 o’clock this afternoon I will close so hoping to hear from you real soon. So by, by, Dad and be sure to take care of yourself, sure hope you are well now from the fall you received a few days ago.
From your loving son.
Walter M. Wood.
P. S. There was a squad of 20 air planes that landed on the fields day before yesterday and I took a good look inside them went up for a while with one of the men, liked it fine.
W. M. W.
NOTES: Walter M. Wood was born on October 23, 1898 in Camden, Arkansas and died October 22, 1974 in Cabool, Missouri. He was buried in the Cabool Cemetery and his military headstone identifies him as Cox US Navy. When he enlisted he was living in Columbia County with his parents and working in his father’s lumber mill.
TRANSCRIBED BY CAROLYN YANCEY KENT.