Brodhead's Tribute to her Men of the Service

1914-1918

Compiled by The Civics Club

©1921 Brodhead, Wisconsin (Cantwell Printing Co., Madison, Wis.)

Extracts from Letters of the Boys With the Colors

(Copied from Newspapers)
From Major G. S. Darby (pp. 98-101)

Rest Camp, Southhampton, Eng., Dec. 28, 1917. "This is a very pretty country. I'm sure you would enjoy it. We are having our first experience with English money. It
seems odd to try to think in terms of pence, six-pence, shilling, florin, crowns, guineas and pounds. But we are getting on to it. Soon it will be French money and that will be harder I imagine. We are getting near enough to realize more fully than the people in America that this is a real war - carried on in a fearful manner."

In France, Dec. 31, 1917. "The first person I saw in France whom I new was Archie RANDALL. You can imagine his surprise. It was this morn-
ing I learned that his organization had come in, so inquired for him and soon found him. The Fort Riley boys who went into the Aero Squadron are not far from here, but I have not seen any of them."

France, Jan. 4, 1918. "Since our arrival from the U.S. and 'other points west,' we stopped in England. This is our second camp and my second
letter from France. The part of France we came through is very picturesque and quaint. The place we are now quartered in, is a remarkable place in many respects and very old, so they tell us, and historical. The appearance bears out the statements. "The French people are very cordial and surely are happy to see the Americans. Many hearty cheers we received at
various towns we passed through. We are having a very interesting time with the language, but think we will pick up enough to get along. "I like the French foods and the way they serve them, but say, I would like to have a chance to sit down at your table
again."

France, Jan. 15, 1918. "So hard to write from here because so many things we may not tell about. "The French are very famous for their wines. It seems as if every store sells wines. As to their great charms I am unable
to judge. Liquors are not sold to American soldiers which is one of the best things that ever happened."

France, Jan. 28, 1918. "Everywhere in France we were hailed with joy and the French people are surely happy to have the Americans here.
There is real fellowship between them and our men. For about two weeks we were quartered in a quaint old French town - many of us in an old monastery, which, since Napoleon's time, has been used as an Army Post. The Cathedral is still used for religious purposes and is a beautiful work of architecture, especially the interior, when we were privileged to visit. "At this place I was sorry to be separated from many of the men and officers with whom I had traveled from San
Antonio, Texas, my squadron being sent to a new post. However, we are glad to be where we can do something that looks like real work for the war that is in progress. "The country here is beautiful and far enough from the zone of action not to have been torn asunder, but from here we
will do our work for the present. I have been and am now in charge of the medical corps at this post and it keeps me pretty busy organizing a hospital corps and planning for the future work."

France, Feb. 5, 1918. "One does not realize what it means to give up everything and go away on a new sort of business. I am glad, however,
that I had the moral and physical courage to do what I did. The experience is truly wonderful. You must pardon me if I speak, or rather write, in general terms. However, you know we are in a country infested with spies of all sorts and no information as to the condition or number of troops we are with, must be mentioned. I may say that the Aero squadron I was assigned to in the U.S. has been changed from a Service to a Repair squadron. That will mean they will not directly support the Aviators, but will assemble and repair the machines as need be. We are, of course, all working from the same base, or will from time to time. It really does not matter to me, as my work is to keep up and help maintain the efficiency of the men. It really taxes our ingenuity at times, as we do not always have the most modern or scientific medical and surgical appliances at our disposal. Still it is remarkable how much we can get and how much we can do with a little. "You can have no conception at all of our location or our real conditions of living. Have fortunately found a good loca-
tion, or at least have been lucky enough to be kept in this post since January 18th. I must admit we were sort of disappointed to be shifted off to an apparently out of the way place with nothing in sight, not even the materials to work with. Did not look like we were engaged in active warfare, but the idea of our purpose over here, broadens by leaps and bounds. The thought that coming to France means immediate service in the front line trenches, left us, and we found we were part of a gigantic undertaking to lay and build the foundation of our military operations. One day last week, a Major of the Medical Corps was here from headquarters and we went over our plans for future hospitalization of our organizations. So soon hope to have a hospital of from 100 to 200 bed capacity. Our new Y.M.C.A. here opened for business today, so stopped in and had a cup of chocolate. The place is operated by two women from the States. It is a good place for the boys, and is running in opposition to a wine joint across the road."

France, February 21, 1918. "At present it is not the sunny France of the poet's dream, but the sunless France as we know it. This is the rainy season
and must expect what we have for a month yet, at least. I am sure the summers here must be fine. It is amusing to go down on the market square on market days (Wednesdays and Sundays) and see the business going on. A whole city square is filled with goods of all sorts, meats, groceries, dry goods, notions, and last, but not least, the very necessary liquid staples. A woman had not completed her shopping till she has supplied her home with the necessary wine. Yet you seldom ever see a French man or woman drunk. They just get happy and sing, and otherwise display their good fellowship. It seems odd to see women running the butcher shops and a large majority of the stores, unless it is an old man. The young men are all in the army from the age nineteen. Just recently the new class was called to the colors. Theirs is a real draft and no mistake. The sinking of the Tuscania was of particular interest to me as it was in the same convoy when I came over. For the whole of one trip she lay to our left, and carried many of my friends and then on the next trip she was caught and it seems as if we have lost a friend."

France, May 14, 1918. "Mother's Day, May 12th was observed in an appropriate manner in all our camps, under the auspices of the Y.M.C.A.
Each man was given a flower and a program as a souvenir. The Y.M.C.A., as I have written before, is doing a more wonderful work all the time, and is a very important part of the army. No camp is complete without at least one hut; while we have several. Last Saturday Elsie Janis gave an entertainment at a hut in a nearby camp. The hut was packed and men were lying up on some cross pieces and others on temporary stands out the windows. She said she had sung to a great many audiences, but never before where her audience lay down. Just then a stand outside collapsed, and she continued: "I see you are falling for me already." We have some very good concerts and lectures here and the good being done can not be calculated. The man or woman who goes into the Y.M.C.A. work is just as much a soldier as the rest. Besides, their work takes them wherever the soldiers go, and that is even to the extreme front. So stand by the Y.M.C.A. and the Red Cross and first and last and all the time remember the men over here are bound to do their duty."

France, July 22, 1918. "Several other officers and I took a trip to Bourges. It was a small one man town and we were hard pressed to find a
way to pass the time. However, before we left we had the good luck to see a hospital train on the way from the front to Bordeaux with a load of injured soldiers. their train stopped for about fifteen minutes and we had a chance to see and talk with the boys. Many had been gassed and quite a few wounded. There were not many seriously wounded aboard. It was a strange experience to see passing through that place, the train loads of soldiers going up to the front and this train coming back. Made one think, how soon will some of these other boys be coming back likewise? However, every one was happy, even the wounded fellows, of whom we are so envious and so proud. They were so happy because they had been in the fight and they had, in fact, been in this last grand movement of the Allies and had proved that they were superior to the Germans in every way. "It has been claimed that the U.S. could not be a factor in this war, as we were so poorly prepared. I want to say I was
never more proud to be a citizen of the U.S.A. and in the army than now. It is proved that we have done the unexpected. Our boys have gone to the front, and demonstrated their worth. Of course the Germans will attempt to explain how it happened, but the fact is, nevertheless, the enemy is for once outclassed, and as in every game of sport, it is class that wins. In our case, we have the spirit, and the class, and the Kaiser had better begin to clean out his desk in Berlin. "We finally got away from Bourges and reached this place. This is a very pretty town but does not have the stores I
found in Tours or Orleans. The Cathedral built in 1184, or rather begun then, and finished some 140 years later, is one of the finest monuments of the Middles Ages, in France. Since the partial destruction of the Cathedral at Rheims, this one is the largest and probably the most beautiful in France today. We visited it at a time when services were being conducted and had an opportunity to hear the choir and the organ, which is very fine. Then we climbed the stairs in the tower, some 200 feet high, and from there had a grand view of the city and surrounding country. All the buildings have slate or tile roofs, and of great similarity in construction. Only a few look like our American buildings. Streets have no plan - just thread here and there about the place, as paths might run in a thicket. In former times a great wall surrounded the city, but that is gone now and in its place is a boulevard lined with rows of trees that have been topped and trimmed till they are very symmetrical."

France, Sept. 28, 1918. "After eight months, the air service, as supplied from our plant is coming into its own as an active factor in the war
activities. Our camp grows continually and is assuming more and more the appearance of a great industrial plant, with its outfit to be used for other than peaceful errands. So far good reports have come back of their effectiveness. The Germans thought it quite proper to raid London, Paris, and many other French cities, but now that cities of Germany are being raided by the Allies, the principle is all wrong, but it appears as if what is just for one is just in return. The Devil must be fought with his own weapons and to date, you all know only too well for me to try to tell you, how successful the Allied offensive has been. News has just come of grand drives all along the line, the past twenty-four hours, with the U.S. men doing their full share of the honors. Long before this will have reached you, the complexion of the war situation in Europe will be far different than it is today. Often I wish I could be at the front, for I sure would enjoy a part in the thick of the fight. However, I am still on my job at this camp, and for the kind of work I have to do, could hardly improve on it in the S.O.S. I spent my vacation at Nice. Everyone goes to various places in France, by way of Paris. In fact, the only good railroad connections can be made by starting from Paris as all roads lead there. So we visited the Opera, the most magnificent building of its kind in Europe; The Madeleine and Notre Dame Cathedral; The Camps Elyées; Triumphal Arch; Trocadero; Eiffel Tower; Invalides (Tomb of Napoleon and Museum of War Relics); Gardens of Tuileries; Luxembourg Gardens; Pantheon and Royal Palace. Also the Grant Palace and the Petite Palace, which were copied for the World's Fair Exhibition in 1900, and the great Alexandria bridge near by. Having heard much of gay Paris, I had built great expectations of a grand city, and my expectations were even exceeded. It surely is a beautiful city. My chief regret was that so many of the museums were closed for the duration of the war, and so many places, such as Notre Dame, The Madeleine, Triumphal Arch and in the Tuileries, the statuary and best works of art are covered and protected from bombs and shell fire, by sand-bags. The first night there was an air raid, the first that had taken place in about a month. The Alerté was given about 10:52 p.m. and was the weirdest sound I ever heard. Everyone is supposed to take to the cellars, but we waited and it passed away. No change was done in the city, to speak of. "On our return we spent a day in Marseilles. It is the second largest city in France. A cosmopolitan city and very old.
Being a great seaport one may see people of all nationalities. Has wonderful harbor surrounded by hills which provide natural fortifications from a sea attack. This is one of the greatest silk manufacturing centers in the world. "Lyon was as clean as Marseilles was dirty. Lyon is the third city in France, and is a large, manufacturing center,
especially electrical appliances and machinery. It has many beautiful parks and the town itself seems built on a plan. Many good stores and hotels are there. "From Lyon we went back to Paris and then on to our station here. We had a wonderful trip, enjoyed every minute."

France, Nov. 12, 1918. "Yesterday at noon the guns in the city near by, and the whistle at the ice-plant on our other side gave out the news we
were expecting. Then all afternoon and far into the night there was a great celebration by the French people - ably assisted by American soldiers. There was never a pause in any of the work in our camp till the very last. Now it is different and work is at a standstill. Some unfinished pieces of railroads will be finished and the necessary work and labor of our camp will be all that will need to be done. It will be perhaps a few months before our camps can be abandoned. Great steel buildings that cover many acres of ground in all, have been erected and will have to be disposed of. Our hospitals will have to operate till the last, but am sure we will not be long in evacuating our sick and wounded."
G. S. DARBY.

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