Letter # 19

France Sept 1-1918

 

Dear Anna,

 

            Letters are very slow in arriving at this place [Culey, near Bar le Duc] as we have not had much mail since we arrived here.  I received a letter from a fellow in Detroit.  That was a little overdue.

 

            The town crier was around just now telling the people the latest news.  He has a drum to call their attention.  Otherwise the town is very quiet.  This morning I went down to the creek and washed my clothes and I think I did a pretty good job of it.  I stopped writing just now to go out and get my wash as it has started to rain a little bit.

 

            A nephew of the people at this house is here today on a visit.  He has lost one arm and one leg.  He got caught out in no mans land somehow and pretended he was dead but the Germans evidently try [tried] to make sure of it, because they cut him up so bad he lost his limbs.  He gets around pretty good as he has an artificial arm and leg.

 

            Today was the first time we had white bread since we arrived in France and it certainly did taste like cake compared to the rye bread we have been getting right along.  We also had fresh tomatoes something I have not had since we were a[t] Camp Logan.  We are all getting fat again as we are not working so hard right now.  I thought we had some big hills where we were before but the hills around here are like mountains compared to them.  There is one drawback to these small places as we cannot get any books or magazines to read.

 

            I wrote a letter to Enoch yesterday but I do not know if he will get it as I did not know what company he is in.  I suppose he [is] somewhere in France by this time. 

 

            It is pretty hard to write as they are playing a phonograph in the house and they have a laughing song on it.  There is a piano in the town also, but I think it is about as old as the church that was built in 1220.

 

            I have managed to get hold of the NY Herald for the last couple of days so I know a little of what is going on in the world.

 

            Well it is time to go to supper and news is pretty scarce so I will close with

 

                                                            Love to all

                                                                        Theo

 

Pvt TF Thourson 1390312

Co A 132^nd Inf

American EF

           

(Received 10/9/18)

 

Note:  The 33rd Division was transferred from the British front to the new American front near Verdun.  Here they joined General Pershing's 1st Army.  This letter was probably written from the small town of Culey near Bar le Duc.  TLT