This an interesting letter.  Here Theo outlines his travels in France.  Something he was not able to do when his mail was censored.                

TLt

Olingen Luxemburg

Jan 15 – 1919

 

Dear Mabel;

 

            Received your letter of Dec 20^th yesterday and was sorry to hear Anna was feeling so badly.  I hope she is well again and able to work.  It was raining this morning so we did not go out and drill so I have been writing letters.  This is the fifth one.  I received a program of the Xmas doings at the Chapel from Mr. Searles and a New Years card from the Chapel sent by Alfred Erickson.

 

            The fellow in Co. ‘G’ was right when he said that we went over on the Mount Vernon because that is the boat.  It used to belong to German company but the Gov’t took it and made a transport out of it.  It was so crowded we had to sleep in two shifts.  One bunch during the night and another during the day.  I was lucky enough to be in the night shift.  We had five sittings for meals, 1000 men at a sitting.  I happened to be in the first sitting.  We only had two meals a day and at noon we got two sandwiches.  We did not get much to eat at that.

 

            We arrived in the harbor at Brest on May 23 and had to stay on board the ship for three days before we could get off.  There was about 60,000 troops in the harbor waiting to get off.  We could not get off at the docks so they had to take us off in lighters and that was slow work.  We camped near Brest for three days and left on Decoration Day.  We rode on boxcars for a couple of days and got off at a town called Oisemont.  We stayed there all night and marched to a place called Eaucourt the next day.  It was a real warm day and we had to wear our overcoats and carry a full pack on our back so you can imagine how we sweat.  We stayed in this town for a couple of weeks and then we had to walk for two days to place called Gamaches and the camp was on a high hill.  After we stayed there for a while we took auto trucks and rode to a place called Molliens aux Bois and there we camped on another hill.  The camp was in the woods and it was always muddy because it rained so much and the sun could not get at the mud enough to make it dry.  We stayed here for several weeks making several trips to the trenches while there.  When we left here we went to Guerre Woods and stayed there for one night and then we went to the trenches for about five days and from there we went to town called Camon.  We stayed  for a few days when we left the British front for the American front.  We took boxcars again an we passed through the outskirts of Paris and we stopped at a small place called Culey not very far from Bar le Duc.  We stayed for two weeks when we went to the trenches near Verdun where we stayed until we went over the top on the 26^th of Sept.  The company has traveled some while I was in the hospital.  When they came to this place they had to walk 150 kilometers and a good many of them have had bum feet ever since.  We have been here for two weeks so I suppose it is about time for us to move pretty soon.

 

            Well it is soon time to fall in for our afternoon stint.  I suppose they will take us on a hike if it is not raining too hard.  I hope you are all well when this letter reaches you.  I am feeling fine and my mouth is getting better every day.

 

                                                                        Love to all

                                                                                    Theo

 

 

 

(Received 2/19/1919)

Dec 29, 1918

Eitelbruck Luxemburg

 

Dear Mother:

 

            I am in Luxemburg at present.  We arrived here this morning.  We left the hospital early Thursday morning.  We left Beaune about 7:30 AM and went as far as Dijon where we had to change to different line.  We had to wait at least eight hours as the train was late.  We rode all night until about ten oclock and the[n] we had to get off at a place called St. Dizier.  We stayed there until about 6:30 pm.  We took another train which took us through Toul and Nancy.  We arrived at Metz about one oclock in the afternoon.  The depot at Metz is one of the largest I have seen since I have been over here.  We had to take another train a 6.00 oclock which took us as far as a town called Bettemburg where we had to sleep on the waiting room floor all night.  It was the warmest place I have slept in since I left home.  It was almost too warm.  We took an early morning train and arrived in the city of Luxemburg about an hour later.  We had to wait there about two hours for another train which took us to this town.  We took another train which took [us] about three miles to a small town where we reported to division h’d’q’t’s.  We returned here and are waiting for a train to take us back to the place where our company is.  Luxemburg is about the nicest country I have seen.  I had some ice cream today which was the first I have had since I left the states.  It certainly does cost some money.  I had a small dish of it and it cost 30 cents about the same as you pay for a quart.

 

            You had better address all my letters the same as always again.  That is, direct to the company.  

 

            I suppose I will receive some mail when I get with the company again as I have not received any for over two weeks.  Well this will be all this time and I will write again in a few days.  I hope you [are] all as well as I am,

 

                                                            Love to all

                                                                        Theo

Pvt. TF Thourson

Co A 132^nd Inf

AM E.F. 1390312

Beaune Fr. 12-22 1918

 

Dear Mother:

 

            I was going to write yesterday but I thought I would wait and see if there was any mail for me but no such luck.

 

            I think the division I am in is on the move as I have not received any mail for almost two weeks.  I use[d to] receive mail about twice a week anyway.  I am working at the Red Cross building now and I find that the time does not seem so long.  We hand out stationery, magazines, cigarets and playing cards, checkers and other games.

 

I do not think we will have any snow for Xmas.  It will most likely be rain as it rains pretty near every day.  We have had miserable weather for the last two weeks.  It is a good deal worse than the weather is in Chicago at this time of the year.

 

            I am in the best of health and feeling fine.  I think I will be leaving here pretty soon as they are sending a bunch away pretty near every day.  I do not know where they go from here but I think some of them go back to the states for further treatment.  They are considered the lucky ones.  Well I hope I receive some mail from home pretty soon.  Be sure and let me know how Santa Claus treated you on Xmas.

 

                                                            Love to all

                                                                        Theo

 

Beaune France Dec 2 – 18

 

Dear Mabel

 

            I have received your letters of Oct 21^st & 28^th and Nov 6^th and Anna’s letter of Oct 22^nd.  Your Thanksgiving card I received on Thanksgiving Day.  I am still at the convalescence camp and I am feeling fine although I am not able to open my mouth very much.  I also received a letter from Aunt Anna and she says that Ray is a good deal better. 

 

I was in the trenches at Verdun when the St. Mihiel drive was going on.

 

 We did not get any turkey this year but I understand that the meat we had was veal but you cannot prove it by me because it did not taste [like] veal to me.  We had all we wanted to eat.  We even had cake which was the first I have had in France.

 

I have received all of the clippings you have sent me but have not received any more papers or packages.  I am beginning to think the fellows in the company are getting the candy.  Well they need it more than I do.

 

I received a Thanksgiving card from the Cooks yesterday and I also received a letter from Ed from New York.

 

Winge’s name is Frank and I think he is on his way home by this time.

 

We are having nice weather again but it is still muddy under foot.  We were out for a hike this morning.  It was the first time we had been out for several days.  I hope I get away from here soon and get back to the company.  I have not heard how the rest of the fellows came out but I have been told that there is an entire new bunch of fellows in the company.  They were at Camp Custer during their training period.

 

About all I do here besides going out on hikes is reading and playing checkers.  There are some good players here and we have some good games.

 

Well this is all the news I have to tell.  Hoping you [are] all well I will close with

 

                                                            Love to all

                                                                        Theo

 

Pvt TF Thourson

Co. A. 132^nd Inf 1390312

American EF

Beaaune, France, 11/23/18

Dear Anna:

 

            I received yur letter of Oct, 10th., 15^th   and 17^th and Mabel’s of the 6^th and 15^th. I also received two from Eva.  I have not received any more packages, the two I received were from London.  I certainly thought I would get the packages from Paris before this.

 

            I am still at the convalescence camp and I am feeling just the same as ever. I am glad to hear that you have all escaped the “Flu” so far.

 

            I wonder what Alfred Johnson will do without Mrs. Johnson.  I bet he will be lonesome. You remember how he was when she took the trip to Sweden.

 

            I have not received any candy rations as yet and I have not heard of anybody that has.  Suppose it takes time to get the stuff over here in large enough quantities to give it to all of us at once.

 

            The tomatoes that you have at home will not last two years after I get home as I think I will be able to eat a jar every day myself.

 

            Am glad to hear you did so well on Tag Day. Guess people are used to donating money so it has become a habit.

 

            We have the finest kind of weather since the firing stopped, we are all wondering if that has anything to do with it.

 

            I read an article in the paper yesterday that we are allowed to mention a lot of things we were not allowed to before.  This hospital is right near the town of Beaune.  If you have a map you will find it right near the city of Dijohn.  I was wounded near Forges, which is a short way from Verdun. Have heard that our regiment did some hared fighting but do not know how it made out in the way of killed and wounded.

 

            A hospital unit arrived here yesterday and I understand they landed in France the day the armistice was signed. Suppose they were quite disappointed because they did not get here before the fighting stopped, but I think they were lucky.

 

            Suppose the Xmas package coupon was late in reaching you, if the mail was late.

 

            I do not expect to get as good a dinner this Thanksgiving as I did last year but I have no kick coming as I am still alive and kicking while there are so many fellows who have been killed and crippled.

            I understand a bunch of patients left here this morning for the states. There are fellows who cannot be used over here and are called Class “D”.  I am I Class “A” and fs the fighting was still going on would be sent to the front by this time. Strange things happen sometimes and maybe I will be on my way home when you get this letter. Nobody knows when they will be sent home or who is going first.

France Nov 18 – 1918

 

Dear Mabel

 

            I am still in the convalescence camp and I do not know when I am going to leave here.  I was examined on Sunday and expected to leave here this morning and join my company.  For some reason or other they are not going to send anybody out of here for a few days.

 

My mouth bothers just as much as ever but the doctor says it will be alright in time.

 

I just returned from a long hike.  We go out on a hike every day and the weather is just right for walking.  I also got my overcoat today so now I am ready for the cold and winter weather.  I have not received any mail in over a week now.  After I leave here it will take some time for it to catch up with me.  I would like to get back to the company again but I am afraid I would not see many of the old fellows as I understand it has nearly all new fellows in it now.  I met a fellow yesterday who said our brigade had been in some tough fight after I left it.

 

I have not heard from Enoch yet although it is quite a while since I wrote him a letter.  I am pretty sure his company was in the big drive because I know his division was.

 

Well Mabel this is all the news I have to write about so I will close with

                                                                       

                                                                        Love to all

                                                                                    Theo

 

Pvt TF Thourson

Co A 132^nd Inf 1390312

American EF

 

(Received 12/11/18)

France Nov 14 – 1918

 

Dear Mother,

            I have not received any mail in the last few days but I thought I might as well write and let you know that I am still alive and well.  I am at the convalescence camp now.  I was sent here on Tuesday.  I do not know how long I will be kept here but I hope it will not be very long.  According to all of the latest news I think the war is over.  I do not think the Germans will want to start it again.

 

You had better tell the girls not to send me any more papers, magazines, or packages as I am liable to be change around a good deal in the next couple of months and I may never get back to my company.  I cannot open my mouth yet but I think it will be alright in a short while.

 

I suppose there was a lot of noise in Chicago when the news, that there was an armistice was signed, reached there.  The French people around here certainly did celebrate. 

 

I guess some of the fellows will get home by Christmas but I think they will be those who are wounded.

 

I have not heard from my company since I have been here and I have no idea as to where they are. 

 

There is nothing new to write about so I will close with

 

                                                            Love to all

                                                                        Theo

 

Pvt TF Thourson 1390312

Co A. 132^nd Inf American E.F.

 

(Received 12/11/18)