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Somewhere in France

Aug. 6-18.

My Dear Friend,

While home on furlough I promised to write you, but it seems as though I have not kept it very well up until the last two weeks I have written to no one except mother.

As you heard I was in the hospital at Mineola N.Y. for 23 day [sic], so I never came over with the company after being disharged from the hospital I was assigned to a casual company for rations, quarters and transportations. Was in New York 8 days before packing. During that time I saw a lot of the most interesting things such as Cony Island, theaters, cabarets, some of the historicl places, which every tourist has seen and a roof garden. Now I was accompanied by a step-sister to see these places, so was kept out of mischief. Shes [sic] a good spirit and every




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place I wanted to go suited her. So you can imagine that I thoroughly enjoyed every hour I spent in the city. I had another trip planned for the following Sunday, but would have decided that I had been there long enough, so I boarded the ship on Saturday night and sailed at noon next day. I have found out since there that Harry was married at the same hour I pulled out of New York. Its [sic] a beautiful sight to sail down the river and out into the harbor then through the [illegible text] marked off for sea [illegible text] vessels Then looking back see the land gradually disappear. Every one was ordered under deck at time of sailing but, I, being detailed in charge of ships military police hid in a place where I could see. The sight was worth the risk that I ran in being caught.

We were longer on the way over than we should have been but fortune learned us and only gave us three days of rough weather. I was favored again by escaping sea sickness. That was the only thing that I had dreaded, so I had a very pleasant trip over.

Well one fine day we sighted land and disembarked the following evening. From that port we were loaded on a fast train and taken about two hundred miles to a rest camp, where we had a chance to wash clothes, get exercise and do a little exploring. I managed to see several places of historical importance. As you know almost any spot in England is historical but this was an exceptionally important one. After a few days in the camp we were sent to another important sea port and landed in France next day.

England is a very beautiful place. Everything was at its best when we were there because summer had just begun and the flowers, trees and everything looked their prettiest. You have gone to shows and have seen the unnaturally beautiful scenes painted




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on canvas. Well thats [sic] as near as I can describe the scenery. The Railroads are the best I have ever seen. They are smooth, fast and safe. The most peculiar thing is the cars. They are divided into 8 or 10 compartments, which will accomodate 8 people, quite confortably. Each compartment opens to the station platform. Some have a passag [sic] way on one side but thoes [sic] all came in did not. Another thing I noticed was the Engines. They are painted and kept so clean that one would think they had been freshly painted.

After landing in France we were sent to another rest camp, where we picked up a lot more casuals, were issued important equipment, and rested before we began our journey in search of our respective regiments. No one knows where they were not even the officers. Things are so secret concerning troop movement that even the train men only know that we pass over their divisions, from there another



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crew takes the train etc all the way. We took the train to the nearest town and then had a big bike to a small french village. There I was [illegible text] or rather appointed acting 1st Sergt., of the casual outfit. When we got there we were still ignorant as to where our new outfits were so we stayed there for a few more days then biked over to a small village loaded on a narrow [illegible text] and [illegible text] let up with the outfit the following morning. Believe me it was some home coming. every one had given me up for lost. [illegible text] the [illegible text] I were casual the company lost lots of the old fellows thru' sickness etc., some have been lucky even if to get back with the company I have been awfully lucky. Have been to a corps school, have been in the trenches twice and traveled over a lot more of France than I





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ever expected to do.

at the present time I am at the front. I have charge of an obsenation post. This happens to be a quiet sector away up here in the mountains. It is raining hard and awfully foggy this morning, so I have a little time to write to a few people that I promised letters. It's a hard job to write because theres [sic] so much that we can't tell and so much that we can, that its [sic] hard to discriminate [illegible text]. I have a fine post and a commanding view of the whole sector. On good days we do lots of good work, but days like this we can't see very much.

I have run out of anything to say except that I'm quite well and glad to be of some service to the U.S.A., so will close. I'd like very much to hear from you whenever you have any time.

Yours

Ray Fiscus

HQ. Co. 139th Inf.
A.E.F. (via N.Y. City)





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Ray Fiscus
U.S. INF
A.E.F.

Soldier Mail

U.S. ARMY POSTAL SERVICE
AUG 14
4 PM
1918

[illegible postmark]

Mr. L. F. Yibbs
Kirskville
Missouri
U.S.A.

To Kirksville Trust Co.




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WWI-78-47