Show 1 1344 4 4 M F 44 1 FF I 1 iL Interesting Letter from Robert Dunbar OJ fit iti iti 1 1 iti 1 1 iti I sau V T V V f 9 r The following descriptive letter was received from our well known former public school Instructor Robert Dunbar by his mother this week eek France August 1918 Dear Mother and Dad and all aU Itis It Itis Itis is almost a month since I wrote last but it has been a very fery busy month for us From where I 1 wrote we moved again to the front It took us two days to catch up with Fritz but but we had enough to do when we did stop From the to the we were under shell fire every everyday everyday everyday day and night When we camped behind the lines bombing planes dropped souvenirs in our woods At our first stop I had a good goodview goodview goodview view of a city shelled by Jerry Jerry Jerry Jer ry He lie was sending them over thick and fast tast and sometimes filled the little valley with smoke and dust Fritz didn't send all his shells Into the town though lieI lie He sent Us is a few tew every day It was I some satisfaction though to see our shells breaking along his lines The r Germans evidently left In haste for forI I II I saw big shells stacked up like cord wood in several places Hand Band grenades or potato mashers' were left lett by the tho thousands and every sort of ot ammunition was left scattered scatter scatter- ed through the woods From there on they had blown up all the bridges felled trees and telegraph telegraph telegraph tele tele- graph poles across the roads and done all they could to tie up traffic Between keeping up with their retreat retreat retreat re re- re- re treat and repairing roads and bridges we wo put in a pretty strenuous week of ot it Between snipers and bangs by day and big shells and gas alarms by night we had bad very little real rest To add to It our our own guns were sending over shells most of ot th the time The only time I 1 ever found the gas gag ga Irritating was while at work in the woods where wo we stirred up gas sent over during the night or day before We slept in outs dug-outs or small trenches in order to protect ourselves ourselves ourselves our our- selves from shell splinters Tho The the they scattered shells all thru our camp every night pat one man was injured in camp W We were exceptionally exceptionally fortunate all the way way thru this ibis time On the mor morning of ot the the we we were rel relieVed ved and started for tOr our pre present pie pie- sent camp For couple a-couple of days our route was back across the s same me meco co country we had bad advanced over Tho the big guns were still booming to the north the civilians were crowdIng crowding crowding crowd crowd- ing back to their villages Not a pleasant place to come back to but they were apparently very verr glad tobe tobe to tobe be back It looks to me like Germany had doubted her own ability to hold her Ground for tor they had bad t d all the tle grain grata tho the much of ot it was not early learl reedy for tor I have hue wanted to see Bee Tb Therry err for some lome time Ume Wo We had been near there BO so long and heard burlS so much about it that my curiosity was aroused I 1 saw it finally but It was Just to march thru It about midnight of ot a fine clear night The country south of the Marne Is very attractive It is apparently quite prosperous and the homes are cleaner and better kept Occasionally Occasionally Occasionally Occasion Occasion- ally one would see a place where the stable and house were in separate separate separate separ separ- ate buildings We took the train from there andare andare and andare are a hundred miles away from our former camps now Our rest camp campis is in a very suitable spot A quiet village up in wooded hills There are several fine here with I very beautiful gardens some somo natural al ai some artificial D Dont Don't nt know J how howl long we will be here but It will probably probably pro pro- probably bably be a couple of ot weeks at least I 1 have been very well all th the time and feel fine as ever now I 1 Imet Imet met Monroe Lee while at the front frontI I was on road work wet and muddy from head to foot to toot and tired dog-tired an and he sure looked good to me He lie had been going as hard as we had He HeIs Heis Heis is a mounted orderly for the major of his battalion Had quite a chat with him since we had lunch to to- gether What regiment was Ed McLaughlin lin Hn In I 1 was near Frank Peterson's Petersons Petersons Peterson's Peter Peter- sons son's outfit for tor a while but didn't know he was with It I received mammas mamma's letter of ot July one from Esther a dandy from from Babe Dabe and a whole armful of ot Records and enjoyed all of them Will answer answer the the letters soon Saw a Y yesterday Had begun to think they were were a I. I myth We may hav one 1 in 1 our village ge is Is' Is the they rep report r J 1 I read that they are working on the ft tt tunnel at atthe the the Is that right I 1 h y were goIng going going go go- ing to work up on on the hilt hill a above oye The pictures you sent were great especially those of the h hills and lakes Thanks Hope all ll of you are well and send my my love to all Your affectionate son R R. R B. B Dunbar BOB D. D Co A U. U S. S A. A E E. E F. F France |