Aunt Ada is his mother's sister. I still don't know who Nellie Graham is. Though, with a little research... I see in 1910 she is living within a block of the Lee family on 6th Avenue. But she is much older than Herb. Could she have been a baby sitter? A crush?
Herb is now in Plainevaux, Belgium.
Herb must be referring to Bouillon, Belgium as the town with only a few inhabitants. (And today, here is tripadvisors top 5 things to do in Bouillon!)
November 19, 1918
Dear Mother,So many things have happened in the past few days. Our division has the honor to be the advance guard in one of the armies of occupation. Since the day before yesterday we have been in Belgian territory. So for there have been only two days of marching, to day [sic] we have been resting.
There has been very little damage done to the country hereabouts. Day before yesterday we stopped overnight in a town of perhaps three or four inhabitants that showed practically no traces of the German occupation. There were even electric streetlights not to mention shops well stocked with all sorts of things. Prices however were very high and were quoted in marks. We stayed overnight in what had been a German hospital, an immense building that had been an insane asylum before the war. It was still furnished with non hospital beds on one of which I had a very comfortable sleep.
Though some sort of mix up in orders a very laughable thing happened. The Section got ahead of the column and arrived in this town right after cavalry outposts. The nearest troops of the main column were two villages behind. We were of course the first Americans any of these Belgians had ever seen.
Yesterday we came up through a very beautiful mountainous country to this village where we are now billeted. The two sergeants and myself (by the way I have been made a corporal) have a very nice room with a fire for which the lady of the house supplies wood. She also gives us very nice apples – the first I have tasted in ages, in fact the only good apples I’ve seen since leaving the States.
It is pretty cold up here. Yesterday we even had a flurry of snow. Of course the moving is pretty difficult even with the cars but it won’t be very long before we arrive at our destination and can settle down comfortable for a while. That will be a relief because we’ve been hustled around from pull on to post for about two months. I expect that we shan’t see the mail man again until we do get settled.
In the last mail that came I had a letter from Karolyn telling me that she had been very sick but was getting better every day. However you’ll know all about that. What with the war being over and Spanish influenza raising havoc with the States conditions are reverse and it’s really more worthwhile for me to worry about you at home keeping well than for you to worry about me. I do hope that you can all escape it.
I forgot to say that I also had a letter from Aunt Ada, or did I tell you that before?
I suppose this is about the right time for me to send you all Christmas greetings so that you’ll have them in time. I’m hoping that the whole world will get a Christmas present in the form of a treaty of peace. Nothing could be nicer.
What has happened to Nelly Graham? You haven’t spoken of her in a long time. Remember me to her.
Your affectionate son,
Herb
No comments:
Post a Comment