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Show ROD R. AIMED PRAISESRED CROSS The following is a letter from Reid H. Allred, swn of Bishop Samuel , Allred of Spring City, to the Spring City Red Cross workers. Mr. Allred has been in some of the most fierce fighting of the war. Since this letter was received, word comes that Mr. Allred has landed safely in New York, and will soon be discharged to return home: March 11, 1919. Dear friends: In letters received from home I have been Informed of the constant work of your organization. I Wish to send a note to-day to you to let yea know how much your work has been appreciated, although probably' your direct labor has reached none of the boys of my company, I know it has reached the boys of some other company and men who are over here for the same cause that we are. I can personally say that I have been very fortunate inynot having to ?o to a hospital where the greater part of the Red Cross work is done. I have many friends who were not so lucky as I. They had to spend a few months at "Hospitals. They all came away with tha. best of wishes for the Red Cross. On New Year's morning at about 2:30 o'clock, I with the rest of my regiment landed at La Ferte, Bernard, Ber-nard, France after 2 days and nights in box cars. Upon landing, in the dark a cheerful voice was heard calling out '"Hot chocolate this way." , No one who hasn't spent a few nights on crowded box cars can tell just how handy this chocolate came in. I have seen many results of the Red Cross work. About the first thing I saw upon arriving in France was a long train of wounded men from the front. The cars had large red crosses upon them, so I knew somebody was doing somebody else a great deal of, good at that moment. fOCaeluckma so-5. cwor kch I remained In he wreched country of Belgium for more than a .month. At one place I talked with a lady who had been under German control for four years. She said that the food ration from the U. S. was the only thing that kgpt them from starving starv-ing to death. ' It was one of the greatest joys of my life to see the Belgian people come home. Practically before we got the Germans out of a town you , .could see the Belgians coming In. I have seen them coming along the road for miles. Some with a wheelbarrows, wheel-barrows, some a cart with a cow, donkey don-key or horse hitched to It, some joist walking and carrying all their belongings. be-longings. I have seen them come to homes they hadn't seen' for four, years. Some were still standing, but I am sorry to say that many of. them arrived at-homes that were nothing but masses of brick and adobe. Upon approaching large owns I have many times noticed large red crosses on the lawn or on the roof of large houses. These were to tell the aviators that those places were for wounded and sick. Generally speaking I am sure the aviators re-pected re-pected these and did not drop their bombs, although many times some one of a more degraded nature would let his bombs drop on those hospitals purposely. I think I have gjven you enough ideas to let you know you have and are doing a work th"t the soldier boy is proud of. I hope to be home soon and see the people of my own little town again. I have seen lots of this world in one year's time, but there is no place that compares with that little home in the mountains. My best wishes fo you all, I remain Your friend, REID H. ALLRED. |
