TRANSCRIBED FROM THE BENTON COURIER FEBRUARY 6, 1919 P. 6
Mr. I. L. Guest, England, Ark
Dear uncle and family:
As I haven't heard from you in some time I will write you a few lines on this beautiful New Year morning. I am well and hope you all are the same. I would like very much to see you all, but can't say when we will start back to the dear old U.S. but I sure hope we will get back soon. I sure do hope I can get home in time to make a crop this year, although the chances look mighty slim.
Are you still living on the same place you were on when I was there and are you going to stay there this year? I haven't seen Orvell since I have been over here: do't even know where he is.
Well, Ike, I have had the very best of health ever since I have been over here and I hope to continue to stay well. I guess you all had a nice Xmas. We had an exceptionally good Xmas considering everything. We had turkey, cake grapes and nuts and cheese for dinner so you see we had a very good dinner even if we were away over here in France.
Ike, I had the pleasure of visiting the noted city of Verdun last Sunday a week ago, it sure has been a beautiful city but was badly torn up during the war, they were fighting at that place when the armistice was signed. I also visited the city of Bar-le-duc last Thursday. It is a beautiful city now, but it is some distance behind the lines. I hope I will get to visit Paris while I am over here, for when I get back across the deep blue sea, I don't think I will ever see this part of the world again.
Well Ike, as I haven't anything to do today, I will tell you a few of the places I have been since leaving New York. We left New York on August 22nd landed in Brest, France Sept 3rd, we had three or four submarine attacks as we came across, there were eleven transports in our convoy and it landed safely. We stayed in Brest three days and believe me, right here is where my army life began. We had to stay in our tents while we were in Brest. We rolled our packs to leave there, they lined us up by some French box cars about half as large as the smallest ones we have over there. They put 42 of us and our packs in each car this was our home for three days and nights. But believe me it was but little sleep we got on this trip so in the morning of the 4th day we awoke to find ourselves in a little French town in southern France by the name of Charost where we had billets to stay in so we stayed here about three weeks loaded on some French box cars again and started toward the front traveled three days and nights and landed on a little town by the name of Clermont, this was the allies rail head. We stretched tents and stayed there two days, so now we had to take it afoot, we rolled our packs and started toward the front again we traveled about four miles, came to a little town called _______we had billets to stay in here so we stayed there three days, late in the afternoon we came to some French dugouts, where we struck camp again. Now we had been in hearing of the big guns for several days, and it was at this place we had our first air raid attack the first night we were in the dugouts. Just after dark a German airplane came over, someone says that's a Jerry plane, put out the lights and believe me everybody got in their dugouts and put out their lights. Well sure enough he began dropping bombs but as luck would have it none of us was hurt but I can't say no one was scared. We had heard lots of talk about the gas, and when the bombs began bursting close by some of the boys ran in their dugouts and put on their gas masks. Well of course it was real laughable after it was all over with. Well we stayed there about two weeks and worked the road. So we left there and moved farther on up the road, and it was on this hike that we began to cross what used to be No Man's Land, well the next place we stopped was in some German dugouts that they had built themselves, but owing to the American boys crowding them so they had to leave them But Ike, believe me, what made the Germans move back would make most anybody move. Well we stayed here about ten days and worked the road. Ike, we were now in the Argonne Forest, so we got orders to move on, we hiked all day and about 7 o'clock that night we came to the noted little town of Grandpre, three days after it had been captured by the Germans. We billeted about one and a half miles from town. It was here I saw my first dead soldier on the battle field. The Germans had retreated so fast they did not have time to bury their dead and there were several around our camp and they may be there yet for all I know. we only stayed here three days. We left there in trucks, for the Germans were retreating so fast that the Americans had to travel in trucks to keep up with them. Well we stopped at a place called Bruelles, we were at this place when the armistice was signed, but that did not stop us. We stayed there two days, moved on in trucks again to a place called Oches; went to working the road again. Well everything was getting quiet by this time. We stayed there about a week and got orders that we would make a four days hike so we rolled packs and started back in the direction we had started from and at the end of the four days _____we found ourselves stationed in a little French camp by the name of Camp Colt, near a little French town by the name of Froidos, near the town of Clermont that I have mentioned before in this letter. We have been here about five weeks and are expecting to leave soon and I hope when we do we will start for the States. Although we haven't done very much since we have been here we only drill about five hours a day.
Ike, there hasn't been much real cold weather over here yet and I hope there won't be but it sure does rain plenty. I have been in France four months the 3rd day of this month and I don't believe there has been more than twenty days pretty weather in all. Well Ike, as luck would have it we never did have to do any fighting or even go in the trenches, but I expect we would have in a very short time if things had not of been settled when they was.
Well Ike this is only a sketch of where I have been and what I have seen since being over here, but I guess I have detained you long enough for this time. I could tell you lots if I could see you. So give my love to all. Tell Cloniger and family hello for me and give them my best regards so please answer soon. I am
as ever,
George.
P. S. Address your letters to Sgt. George M. Younger, Co. C. 114th Engrs. A.E.F. France, A.P.O. 914
NOTES: George Martin Younger was born in Tag, Arkansas in Pope County on November 4, 1886 and died on December 10, 1957. He is buried in the Hasley Cemetery in West Monroe, Louisiana. His military headstone identifies him as a Louisiana Sgt. serving in Co. C 114th Engineers during World War I. The 114th was part of the 39th Division. He enlisted on September 18, 1917 and was discharged on June 7, 1919.
TRANSCRIBED BY LAEL HARROD
Mr. I. L. Guest, England, Ark
Dear uncle and family:
As I haven't heard from you in some time I will write you a few lines on this beautiful New Year morning. I am well and hope you all are the same. I would like very much to see you all, but can't say when we will start back to the dear old U.S. but I sure hope we will get back soon. I sure do hope I can get home in time to make a crop this year, although the chances look mighty slim.
Are you still living on the same place you were on when I was there and are you going to stay there this year? I haven't seen Orvell since I have been over here: do't even know where he is.
Well, Ike, I have had the very best of health ever since I have been over here and I hope to continue to stay well. I guess you all had a nice Xmas. We had an exceptionally good Xmas considering everything. We had turkey, cake grapes and nuts and cheese for dinner so you see we had a very good dinner even if we were away over here in France.
Ike, I had the pleasure of visiting the noted city of Verdun last Sunday a week ago, it sure has been a beautiful city but was badly torn up during the war, they were fighting at that place when the armistice was signed. I also visited the city of Bar-le-duc last Thursday. It is a beautiful city now, but it is some distance behind the lines. I hope I will get to visit Paris while I am over here, for when I get back across the deep blue sea, I don't think I will ever see this part of the world again.
Well Ike, as I haven't anything to do today, I will tell you a few of the places I have been since leaving New York. We left New York on August 22nd landed in Brest, France Sept 3rd, we had three or four submarine attacks as we came across, there were eleven transports in our convoy and it landed safely. We stayed in Brest three days and believe me, right here is where my army life began. We had to stay in our tents while we were in Brest. We rolled our packs to leave there, they lined us up by some French box cars about half as large as the smallest ones we have over there. They put 42 of us and our packs in each car this was our home for three days and nights. But believe me it was but little sleep we got on this trip so in the morning of the 4th day we awoke to find ourselves in a little French town in southern France by the name of Charost where we had billets to stay in so we stayed here about three weeks loaded on some French box cars again and started toward the front traveled three days and nights and landed on a little town by the name of Clermont, this was the allies rail head. We stretched tents and stayed there two days, so now we had to take it afoot, we rolled our packs and started toward the front again we traveled about four miles, came to a little town called _______we had billets to stay in here so we stayed there three days, late in the afternoon we came to some French dugouts, where we struck camp again. Now we had been in hearing of the big guns for several days, and it was at this place we had our first air raid attack the first night we were in the dugouts. Just after dark a German airplane came over, someone says that's a Jerry plane, put out the lights and believe me everybody got in their dugouts and put out their lights. Well sure enough he began dropping bombs but as luck would have it none of us was hurt but I can't say no one was scared. We had heard lots of talk about the gas, and when the bombs began bursting close by some of the boys ran in their dugouts and put on their gas masks. Well of course it was real laughable after it was all over with. Well we stayed there about two weeks and worked the road. So we left there and moved farther on up the road, and it was on this hike that we began to cross what used to be No Man's Land, well the next place we stopped was in some German dugouts that they had built themselves, but owing to the American boys crowding them so they had to leave them But Ike, believe me, what made the Germans move back would make most anybody move. Well we stayed here about ten days and worked the road. Ike, we were now in the Argonne Forest, so we got orders to move on, we hiked all day and about 7 o'clock that night we came to the noted little town of Grandpre, three days after it had been captured by the Germans. We billeted about one and a half miles from town. It was here I saw my first dead soldier on the battle field. The Germans had retreated so fast they did not have time to bury their dead and there were several around our camp and they may be there yet for all I know. we only stayed here three days. We left there in trucks, for the Germans were retreating so fast that the Americans had to travel in trucks to keep up with them. Well we stopped at a place called Bruelles, we were at this place when the armistice was signed, but that did not stop us. We stayed there two days, moved on in trucks again to a place called Oches; went to working the road again. Well everything was getting quiet by this time. We stayed there about a week and got orders that we would make a four days hike so we rolled packs and started back in the direction we had started from and at the end of the four days _____we found ourselves stationed in a little French camp by the name of Camp Colt, near a little French town by the name of Froidos, near the town of Clermont that I have mentioned before in this letter. We have been here about five weeks and are expecting to leave soon and I hope when we do we will start for the States. Although we haven't done very much since we have been here we only drill about five hours a day.
Ike, there hasn't been much real cold weather over here yet and I hope there won't be but it sure does rain plenty. I have been in France four months the 3rd day of this month and I don't believe there has been more than twenty days pretty weather in all. Well Ike, as luck would have it we never did have to do any fighting or even go in the trenches, but I expect we would have in a very short time if things had not of been settled when they was.
Well Ike this is only a sketch of where I have been and what I have seen since being over here, but I guess I have detained you long enough for this time. I could tell you lots if I could see you. So give my love to all. Tell Cloniger and family hello for me and give them my best regards so please answer soon. I am
as ever,
George.
P. S. Address your letters to Sgt. George M. Younger, Co. C. 114th Engrs. A.E.F. France, A.P.O. 914
NOTES: George Martin Younger was born in Tag, Arkansas in Pope County on November 4, 1886 and died on December 10, 1957. He is buried in the Hasley Cemetery in West Monroe, Louisiana. His military headstone identifies him as a Louisiana Sgt. serving in Co. C 114th Engineers during World War I. The 114th was part of the 39th Division. He enlisted on September 18, 1917 and was discharged on June 7, 1919.
TRANSCRIBED BY LAEL HARROD