France Oct 27 – 1918

 

Dear Anna:

 

            I am enclosing a Xmas Package coupon although you may not receive in time to send a package to me.  I do not know of a thing I need that you could send except Gillette Safety razor blades.  If you do not get the coupon in time you could send a blade in each letter you send.

 

            I received a package of candy from London yesterday and there [was] quite a scramble for some among the fellows as we have not been able to buy any for some time.

 

            My face is pretty near well by this time but I can not open my mouth much more than I did before the operation.

 

            I think Ed will like his new job as he will do a lot of travelling and be able to see quite a bit of the country.  The only drawback will be that the cold weather is coming on. 

 

            The weather has been rotten here for the last week as it has rained every day.   About all I do is read and play solitaire all day long.  We have a lot of magazines to read thanks to the Red Cross.  I do more reading in a day here than I did in a month when we were in and out of the trenches.

 

            One of the fellows from our company came here a few days ago and said we would not know anybody when we got back as there was nothing but new men in it now.  I suppose all of the rest are in the hospital either sick or wounded.  We did not have half of our company when we went over the top as it was.

 

            Well news is pretty scarce here so I will close with

                                                           

Love to all

             Theo

Pvt T.F. Thourson

Co A 132^nd Inf

American EF

1390312

 

O.K.

J.C. Johns

2^nd Lt. Inf.

Letter #26

France, Oct. 15 – 1918

 

Dear Mother:

 

            I am still in the hospital but am feeling good.  The only thing that bothers me is my jaw.  I had an Xray taken of it yesterday and will find out what is the matter with it today.  I have a hard time eating as I can only open my mouth about a quarter of an inch.  It was that way ever since I was wounded but I thought it would get alright in time.  There are two more fellows here who were in the same condition but they are alright now.

 

            It begins to look like Germany is ready to quit.  In a short time they will be fighting on their own territory if they keep on retreating.

 

            I have not received any mail since I have been here.  I am living in the hope that I get some before I leave here as it will be some time before I get any after I leave here.  I have not heard how the rest of the company made out in the drive.  There is six of us from the company at this place.  None of us were badly wounded.  It is a lucky thing we were paid before went into the trenches as I would have been short of money.

 

            I have become acquainted with fellows from all over the states since I have been here.  Pretty near every state is represented here.  There are some leaving every day and new ones arriving.

 

            The weather was fine until a couple of days ago when it started to rained and it has rained of[f] and on ever since.  I wish I had more to write about but there is nothing going on here.  I hope everybody is feeling well at home.

 

                                                            Love to all

                                                                        Theo

 

Pvt T.F. Thourson

Co. A. 132^nd Inf   1390312

American E.F.

           

 

(Received 11/5/18)

Letter #25

France Oct 9 – 1918

 

Dear Anna:

 

            I am still in the hospital but I am feeling fine.  They have taken the bandage off the wound and it is pretty near healed.  The only thing that bothers [me] is that I can not open my mouth very much and my jaw is still pretty sore.  I have not received any mail since I have been here.  I expect that I will be out of here in a few days.  I do not know where I will go from here but I suppose I will be back in the company inside of two weeks.

 

            There is not very much to write about as there is not much of anything going on here.  I play cards with Winge and some of the fellows every day. We generally play sixty-six.  Winge has a pretty bad eye.  He has a cataract and has to be operated on.  There is quite a number of fellows here with eye trouble.

 

            The German army will soon be in Germany if they keep on retreating and if they [are] back there the war will soon be over.  There are a lot of rumors of peace talk over here.  We all hope it is true because we do not like the idea of spending the winter in the trenches.  Well this is all I can write as it is all the paper I have.

 

                                                            Love to all

                                                                        Theo

 

Pvt TF Thourson 1390312

Co A.  132^nd Inf

American EF           

(Censors signature)

RE Davis

France Oct 2 – 1918

 

Dear Mother:

 

            Well I am up and around again.  I received new clothes yesterday and I got up today feeling fine.  My wound is getting along fine.  My jaw is still a little bit sore and I can not open my mouth all the way yet but it does not stop me from eating all I can get

 

            It certainly looks like Germany’s finish[ed] pretty soon.  They are getting beat all along the line.  I do not know how many men in my company were hit.  I did not see anybody hit.  There are about six more here in the hospital with me.

 

            We are treated fine.  I have been on what is called light diet and this morning we had boiled eggs.  It was the first time I have had boiled eggs since we left the States.

 

            The people around this part of the country raise mostly grapes and the vines are certainly filled.  I just had some a few minutes ago and they were fine.

 

            I was certainly a tough looking piece of humanity the last couple of [days] as I had a weeks growth of beard.  I got shaved today so I look a good deal better.  There is still quite [a bit] left on the right side of my face as that side is bandaged yet.

 

            I think I will be out of here by next week so you might as well address my letters the same as usual.  If everything goes the way it has the last couple of weeks of the war may end sooner than we expect.  It may end as suddenly as it started.  I hope you are all as well [as] you can be and as well as I am outside of this wound of mine.  Well this is all the news I have to write about this time.

 

                                                            Love to all

                                                                        Theo

 

Pvt TF Thourson 1390312

Co A 132^nd Inf

American EF

 

(Received 11/25/18)