Jasper County Democrat, Volume 20, Number 53, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 3 October 1917 — VERN DAVISSON WRITES OF WAR [ARTICLE]

VERN DAVISSON WRITES OF WAR

Tells His Parents of Interesting Experiences in France BIG GUNS BOOM CONSTANTLY After Losing Way Were Almost Inside the German Lines Before Biscovering Their Mistake. Vern Davisson, who left here some time ago and is now at the battle front in France, has written to his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Harvey Daviseon, of his experiences as an ambulance driver. Vern and Sam Duvall are together much of the time and have made trips to the hospitals at the front together. Some idea of life and activities at the front may be obtained from the letter, which we print below in full: Front in France, Sept, t, 1917. Dear Father and Mother —I hope everyone at home is O. K., as we are. The weather has been fine; had a nice warm rain last night. The American officers came Ln camp last Sunday and examined all of us, signed us up. and now we are “Sammies” (U. S. soldiers). Our pay is $33 or $36 per month, we are not certain which. Although we have been taken over by the U. S. government we remain with the French section, and will be issued uniforms, shoes, socks, overcoats, blankets, steel helmets, gas masks and underwear, as I understand we are entitled to the same protection as any U. S. soldier which makes us feel better. There were five rejected. They could not pass the physical examination and will have to go back to the States. Sam and I just got back from twenty-four hours work at the “Poste de Secours.” We hauled eight “blessa” to the hospital under fire. Our “Poste de Secours’’ is the post farthest out to the trenches. Qn our way to it we are obliged to drive in plain sight of the German trenches for one kilometer (5-8 mile). The big shells come in about everyTthree minutes, so we wait under cover on the road until a shell explodes ahead of us, then we drive like “L” across the open place where the Germ ansi bombard the. road all the time day and night. On our first trip to the “Poste de Secours’’ we left at 5 o’clock in the morning. Sam had been over the road once but I had not, so I

left it to him. He had forgotten just where the right turn was and drove straight ahead for threefourths of a mile, directly towards the German trenches and in plain sight of them. When within than one mile of the first' line of German trenches I 'looked off to the left and saw three flashes from rifles. I began to think something was wrong and called Sam’s attention to the fact. He turned as white as this paper, and we tore ourselves out of there. It -was a little misty so early in the morning and we saw that we had' passed by even the French barb-wire entanglements. We certainly were scared When we got back to the post and thought it over, We can go over to the left of the “Poste de Secours” and peek around the corner of an old building which is shot to pieces and look right down into the French and German trenches. The whole works lay right there before you. It is some sight to see. Owing to the fact that this sector of the front is not as lively at present as some of the rest, we can get close to the front. There is very little rifle fire here now, but the big guns are howling continually day and night. There is a battery just to the right of the post and when the guri is fired it shakes the. earth like an earthquake. We stay in the cave abri (dug out) while bombarding. is going on. After it ceases awhile we come out and see what it ruined. It is interesting and we like it.

While not on duty we drive back of the lines about ten kilometres where our headquarters is; Sam And I are sleeping in an old house which was shelled by the Germans some time ago. It has a tar-paper roof with the shell holes stuffed up with rags .and bricks, and it is some place. No citizens live anywhere near here. Every town or city is shot to dust. Whenever one of those big shells hits the ground they tear a crater large enough to hide two big cars in. Any time we care to look around We can see airplanes fighting in the air; I have nbt seen one brought down yet. When the batteries on the ground turn loose on them -we -can see little white puffs of smoke bursting all around them. When wo see White puffs we know it is a German plane the French are trying to bring down, and when the puffs are black it is a French plane the Germans are after. The German powder is black. Yesterday we were out to the post and five or six of ns with some Frenchmen were beside our cars when something came Whistling, down. I did not pay any attention to it; but the Frenchmen began to crawl under the car, and then I knew what was up, so I immediately put on my steel helmet and got close to the car. It lit about 100 feet from us. Then we looked up in the air and directly over us the air was full of little white puffs. The French were trying to slhoot down a German plane straight up over us. We are putting up a large American flag on a very high pole at the entrance today. I expect the Germans will try to put a few bombs on it. The French think it will attract the airplanes of the Germans and cause them to turn their heavy guns on us. Our camp can be easily reached by the. long range guns of the Boches, as we are only ten kilometres back of the lines. Yesterday while at the relief-post we heard some real music by a twenty-five-piece military band. It certainly sounded great: first I have heard since I left the States. I was surprised to hear music out there. They were playing for the wounded in a small hospital just, bark of the post. In about two months we get a leave of six days, nbt .including traveling time, and the French government pays our. traveling fare. I am thinking of going south along the coast of Spain, or to Marseilles. I will write later. With love to all, I remain, Your loving son,

VERN C. DAVISSON.