Chapter 7

June 28, 1918
 
We say goodbye to Herbinghen at 7 a.m. and start for an unknown destination. It is rumored that we are only taking a practice hike, but the general opinion is that we are bidding Herbinghen goodbye for a long time. The company hikes to another small village, the name I do not remember, and waits for the rest of the regiment to come up so we can join it. The entire division is on the move. After a regiment of infantry has passed by, our regiment joins in the march. We are halted at 1 p. m. on the top of a hill for dinner. Along with a hard-tack and slice of "willie" (an imitation of beef made by the Swift & Co., of Chicago, Ill., and sent to the American soldiers in Europe as souvenirs) we have in our mess kit, we get a slice of bread and pork and beans. We then continue our hike, reaching the village in Ingingham at 4 p. m. Here the regiment pitches "pup" tents on the side of a small hill. While supper is being prepared the company signs the payroll. Sunday finds us all in bed, resting while we can.
 
June 29, 1918
 
Eight-thirty a. m. find us moving again, hiking with full pack. Our regimental commander, Colonel Pratt, cuts our hiking distance down a few kilometers, and 3 p. m. finds the regiment in Arcques. We pitch tents in a horse lot, under trees and near the fence of hedges (the Frenchman makes a fence around a lot or pasture by putting out hedges, and after they have obtained a certain height, running a string of barbed wire through them) in order to be camouflaged from hostile German 'planes that frequently raid the village. For supper we get bread, coffee and "slums," a mixture of meat, rice, tomatoes, Irish potatoes, water, macaroni, cheese and anything else that is left over from a meal. When a fellow is real hungry this "slum" is just what he wants to fill up on, for he can soon do it. After supper a bag of mail comes in for the company and the mail orderly immediately calls it out to us fellows. I receive five letters and a card, hearing from friends and the home folks. About 11 p. m. the German aviators attempt to bomb the village, dropping a few small bombs on the suburbs. They soon leave though as anti-aircraft guns give them a war reception. The motor of a German 'plane can be heard easily and is not hard to be distinguished from the motor of the allied 'planes. We get an opportunity to see the searchlights in action at close range. They scour the skies while the "Jerries" are near, and try to locate them for the gunners. It was the first firing at a close distance that we had heard.
 
June 30, 1918
 
We continue our hike at 8 a. m. hiking as usual with full packs. About 10 a. m. we get on a main road that leads directly to the front and we watch scores of British, French and Belgian lorries (British names for trucks), and ambulances going and coming from the front; the ambulances bringing back the wounded and the lorries carrying up ammunition for the artillery and machine guns, with which to kill and wound more men. We cannot see the seriously wounded as the back of the ambulances are closed. Those not wounded very badly keep the backs opened in order to get more air and watch the troops passing. At 1 p. m. the regiment is stopped a kilometer from a village for dinner, after which we continue our hiking, reaching our destination at 5 p. m. -- a large pasture filled with large tall trees. In this pasture we pitch "pup" tents and then find out where we are. It turns out that we are two kilometers from Cassel, a town of several thousand inhabitants. About 11 p. m. German 'planes attempt to bomb this town, but are unsuccessful. They make another attempt three-quarters of an hour later and the anti-aircraft and machine guns put up a lively barrage on the "Jerries" while a dozen or more searchlights scour the sky trying to locate the raiders for the gunners. They succeed in spotting one, but before it could be shot down it escapes. While these raids are going on the Germans drop several bombs on Cassel and roads leading into town, but they do not bother us.
 
July 1, 1918

I am on Guard from 2:30 a. m. to 4:30 a. m. Two other fellows from the fourth platoon walk guard four hours each during the night. We are excused from all formations for the day and we go to Cassel in the morning and stay until late in the afternoon. On my way back to camp I meet an Australian soldier and we stop and have a long talk. He tells me of his war experience and a few other things that he says will be of great benefit to me when I get in a battle. He seems to be an amiable fellow; large built, broad shoulders, and would easily pass as a western American. They have a fighting reputation and are hated by the Germans. This Australian (they are better known as "Aussie" and "Aussies") expresses a great desire to visit the United States after the war is over.
 
July 2, 1918
 
The company drills and takes physical exercise in the morning and after dinner it takes a short hike, going by an aviation field where several British 'planes are sitting. We are halted here a while and we watch several of them go up and then land. Though this is a British camp there are several Americans belonging to the squadron, who left the States, before we declared war to join the British aviators. After we return to camp I receive a letter from home.
 
July 3, 1918
 
The company again drills and takes exercise in the morning and in the afternoon takes a long hike. I do not go on this hike as I have been excused from all duties on account of a swollen throat. After the hike several of the fellows go to a little branch in the pasture and wash their dirty clothes. German 'planes pass overhead at night, headed toward Calais, dropping a few bombs near Cassel as they pass over.
 
July 4, 1918
 
Am still suffering with a swollen throat and I get excused from all formations again. The company drills in the morning, but in the afternoon is excused from all duties, as it is a national holiday for all Americans. I borrow ten francs from my platoon lieutenant and go to Cassel in the afternoon and stay until nearly sun down. A short while after supper British artillery opens a heavy barrage on Fritz (nick-named for German soldier), who immediately begins to send up flare lights. The barrage lasts for an hour and then ceases. It was only a July the Fourth celebration at the front and it beat all records for using fire-works on this annual celebration. The Germans try to retaliate at night by sending over a strong squadron of 'planes to bomb the towns in the rear, but the anti-aircraft and machine guns are on the job and give them a warm welcome.
 
July 5, 1918
 
The company takes a long hike in the morning, taking the road that leads by the aviation field. In the afternoon we are issued oversea caps, but we still keep our hats. The caps we are issued are also known as "go-to-hell caps," as they do not keep the rain and sun out of our faces. It is made so it can easily be carried in a blouse or breeches pocket when it is necessary for us to wear the steel helmets. After the caps have been issued we are told by the captain to wash our dirty clothes.
 
July 6, 1918
 
We leave our camp in the pasture late in the morning and hike to Terdinghen, four and one-half kilometers distance from "Cassel," where we pitch our tents in a large lot, under trees. A reserve trench cuts through the tree we are camping under, and to see it reminds us we are nearing the front. There is a small French grave-yard across the road from us. A few American soldiers are buried in this graveyard and their graves, as those of the French, are beautifully decorated. Every day there has been a funeral, according to an English soldier who is stationed near the village. Terdinghen is only a small village, with formerly a population of a few hundred, but now it is nearly deserted, except for a few soldiers that occasionally camp in or near the village.
 
July 7, 1918
 
We do not have anything to do all day but get settled down, walking about the village. In the afternoon a bag of mail comes in for the company and the mail orderly immediately calls it out. I fail to receive any letters in this family, but some of the boys receive packages of Charlotte papers and by reading them get lots of news from the States. Late in the afternoon I stroll into the village, but there is nothing of interest there. The town is almost deserted, only a few civilians remaining.
 
July 8, 1918
 
I go on the sick report in the morning as I feel unable to eat. There are several fellows from the company also sick, some of them being unable to answer sick call. The food and water is bad, and the medicine that is put in it makes several of us fellows sick. The medicine is put in the water as a precaution against germs and poison. The beef that is issued to us is several days old and almost uneatable. The doctors give us pills and salts to clean ourselves out with, but they do no good. At night I feel as sick as I did in the morning. The company puts up barbed wire entanglements all day a kilometer from the village.
 
July 9, 1918
 
While we are eating breakfast a German 'plane makes a bold attempt to make observations of our camp, but is driven away by English 'planes who chase it out of sight. As we go by in line with our mess kits to get our breakfast, we are issued three packs of cigarettes and a box of matches by the supply sergeant. The company works all day putting up more barbed wire entanglements. I am able to get up in the morning, but as I do not feel any better by getting up I go back to bed in the afternoon. At night the Germans send over a few long distance shells, but they fail to hit our camp.