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Show REID H. ALLRED IN IGHTDAY BATTLE Somewhere in France. October 6, 1918. My Dear Ones at Home: . Last night I read thirteen letters, seven from Libbie and six from the rest of you. They were so welcome to me at this time because I needed them to help me in my present condition. con-dition. I have just passed safely through a battle which I shall never forget. I was in the battle for eight days and nine nights. The first four days pnd nights I never had over an hours sleep and that wasn't sleep it was just (lay in, the shell fire and shake.) The first morning our company got all busted up by shells from the German Ger-man heavy guns. Our leader was killed with about six or seven nearest men to him when a high explosive busted right in front of our column. I was knocked knock-ed down and my pal, Bolam, right on top of me. We crawled as fast as we could to avoid the next shell. We ran in head of the company a short distance when Bolam went down again. (I have heard later that his leg was broken, but haven't seen him since.) There were four in the Signal Sig-nal Corps, and I am the only one left. Our company got through the shell fire and wire entanglements after much confusion and many disabled men falling by the way. We just had a small hollow to pass through to the German trenches. . We took the German trenches and then I lost my company. All companies were mixed from Engineers to Headquarters. Headquart-ers. We fought all day in a shell and machine gun fire that cannot be described. Days and nights passed as one day of fighting to me. The eighth 'day we were brought back here behind be-hind the lines to rest and rorganize. We have one officer now. I had men killed near ine and as near as can be described just as my blessing states. Get it and read it again. I never got a scratch, although my pack was shot through and pieces struck me many times. I thank God for my protection. I haven't much paper here. Tell the folks that I haven't, paper enough to write to them. REID H. ALLRED. Reid H. Allred is son of Bishop Samuel Allred of Spring City. |