September 12, 1918
Dear Mother,I’ve been here in Aix-les-Bains now six days, although this is the first time I’ve written you. I caught some sort of a rotten cold or la grippe or something on the way down – we were three days getting here – and up till yesterday I felt pretty rotten. I wasn’t seriously ill at any time but I certainly did feel all dragged out. Naturally my leave hasn’t been a very exciting affair. I’ve lounged around mostly and taken things easy so as to get better and today I feel quite myself again. Of course I went to the Doctor and he gave me some pills which seemed to help me. I also took several of the natural hot sulfur baths they have here and I think they helped to drive it out of me.
We didn’t have the good luck to get a good hotel, but drew a sort of second rate boarding house instead. Honestly the meals we regularly get at the front are much better. However, it’s been a relief to be in a really quiet place for one thing and the Y.M.C.A. has quite a few stunts and concerts to amuse the boys so it isn’t a bad place altogether. There are quite a few civilian visitors here – mostly women, but of course it’s nothing like it was before the war, when it offered summer attractions like those of Monte Carlo in the winter. My cold and general languid feeling kept me from going up the mountain here to look over at Mt. Blanc but I’m not losing any sleep over that.
I ran over Maxwell MacDowell here three or four days ago and have seen him several times since. We had a fine time talking over the good old days in the High School and swapping gossip about everyone we used to know. Kenneth Lavin from the ‘Burgh is also here and I had a nice long talk with him last night. He’s in the same Section with Herb Blake. There are quite a few Ambulance Service men here and I’ve seen a lot of the boys I knew in Allentown. We’ve had a fine time relating experiences.
Tomorrow we start back and will probably be back with the Section in a couple of days providing they’re still in rest billets. If they’ve moved we will of course have to follow them. I hope there’s lots of mail when I get there.
With love to all,
Your affectionate son,
Herb
We can see that Herb Blake and Kenneth served together in Section 630. Maxwell, however, is a different matter... He seems to have joined the Ambulance Corps while he was in Paris. Could that be right? Of course it could be.... I wonder why.
I have found Maxwell in the 1920 Census and he has no profession... which is unnerving. I hope he did not suffer from the war. WAIT! I have found another document - Maxwell was awarded the French Croix de Guerre and a silver star.
I took this description from wikipedia:
The 3/16 inch Silver Citation Star to the World War I Victory Medal was authorized by the United States Congress on 4 February 1919. A silver star was authorized to be worn on the ribbon of the Victory Medal for any member of the U.S. Army who had been cited for gallantry in action between 1917 and 1920. In 1932, the Silver Citation Star was redesigned and renamed the Silver Star and, upon application to the United States War Department, any holder of the Silver Citation Star could have it converted to a Silver Star decoration.
And now look what I have found... a passport photo of Maxwell.
What a handsome young man. It appears, if my research is correct, that he went on to be a lawyer, got married and had children. I'm pleased.
OK, And I just keep going... to answer my own question about this chap Maxwell... Look what I found with his passport application:
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