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Dear Mother and Bob,
The ferry pulled up close to the pier where the liner we were to board was and we marched right onto the pier and then onto the liner.
We have not left it since.
On Saturday night we sailed out past the Statue and left broadway and the U.S. of America behind.
It was one wonderful night. Words cannot describe the proud feeling we had. Everyone agreed we would not trade places with any fellow at home for anything.
We certainly felt fine that night.
But, the next morning I woke up at about 6 o’clock and was in a terrible sweat and when I raised my head up I found I was onboard a large liner and made one mad rush for the toilet. Where I had lots of company. Such groans and sights I never will forget. All day long it kept up and in the night for nothing would stay down. I never felt so darn bad in all my life.
We had "Abandon the Ship Drill" that evening at 6:30 and laid around the deck instead of standing, some hanging over the rail and some staggering at it.
That night was another memorable one for we were in the " danger zone" and had to sleep with our clothes on and a life belt beside us.
We have to wear our life belts all the time and our canteens.
At 5:30 a.m. we were called by the abandon ship gong, put on our belts and canteens and went to our life rafts only to hear we were safe and "secure" sounded over the bugle.
This was the beginning of the third day at sea and I felt well enough to eat an orange for breakfast and a fair dinner and resume my duties in the afternoon.
I am feeling better this morning and sitting out on a life boat. The sea is getting rough as the devil and the
old boat is rolling and the wind is blowing.
We are quartered on the lower decks E,D,C,B & A, the officers on A and the hospital on B and the troops on C, D, E.
Each deck is fitted out with small bunks in long rows, one man to a bunk.
At dusk all the lights, all over the ship are turned out, except those on E deck and it is below the water line, so we all congregate down there and write or sing. Tonight in one aisle there is a pile of life belts being used for a barber chair in another they are singing and playing a violin, in the other corner. We are writing on life belts sitting on boxes and the floor.
We have not had our clothes off but once since we left the Port, and then we took a salt water shower bath. I can’t say I liked it either for you can’t get a later and you don’t feel clean.
Our voyage is almost over now and I am glad, it is a very tiresome trip , so many men in small quarters. I hope I can buy my way back first class like a man and see if I can find the joy in ocean trips, for I have not found any joy in it yet.
We feel pretty safe from "subs" for we are convoyed by destroyers. I can’t say very much for I might tell something the censor would not like and then you would never get my letter. I will close for the time by saying I am well and doing my best. You can show this to my fiends and save the censor a lot of reading.
I will write to you again as soon as I can and to Cora. You can tell her.
It will be a long time between letters now, so don’t worry..I will be home soon alright, and then how I will eat.
Dear Mother and Bob,
Will take up in this where I left off on it.
We landed at Brest on the 15 th of Oct. after 10 days at sea. The harbor at Brest shows the wonderful labor of our boys all the big warehouses & piers, some complete and some under construction.
You can tell American construction as far as you can see it. It is so different.
There are more U.S. men at that port than French.
The first thing we saw really Frency were the railroads. high wheeled, blunt looking engines, and high wheeled short single trucked boxcars, marked "8 chevaux or 32 hommes" meaning 8 horses or 32 men. We saw right away that that meant us.
The boxcars or side door pullmans as we call them are standard width, but only about 18 to 20 feet long. Each having a little coop on top for the brakeman to ride in.
Then along comes a great big hog like Bob runs and a string of real U.S. cars hanging to it. Engine and all with a big U.S. painted on them.
Then we marched up a hill 7 miles, the road winding around under several old arches, and up narrow old streets.
The kids following us begging for pennies or anything.
We pitched camp in a field surrounded by a high mud hedge, which I believe I described in a previous letter. We pitched camp that night in "pup tents" as you know each man carries half a tent or "shelter half."
I pitched with Chas. Brousseau, just as we stared to pitch it started to rain and it was 7:30 p.m. you know the rest.
I have said too much now, but it was one wonderful night.
We worked down on the docks that week unloading our boat and some others and loading it in box cars. cleaned streets, oh, we did all kinds of things.
Left Brest on Oct. 22 at 4 a.m. in our side door pullman bound for somewhere and say it was some trip.
Arrived at Camp Bouvoir near Mehune at noon on Oct. 24 - 2 days & a half in a boxcar and fully loaded.
and Bob , say there are no air brakes on these darn little things and when those yankee engine men start they forget they have a lot of toys instead of a big freight. Also stopping they also have chair couplings.
We passed theough a lot of pretty country and villages.
Since that time this camp has been my headquarters although I have not ben here all the time.
I am quartered in barracks now and pretty comfortable so don"t worry.
I will have to stop now. Will write more soon.
It would be better to send me a travelers check for Christmas than a package for money speaks over here and I am afraid I would not get a package anyhow.
I am not busted or bent, but like to be prepared.
Hope this finds you well and happy.
Your son
Pvt. Weldon Barr
Dear Mother and Bob,
Oct.30,1918 The houses are most interesting . they have no inside stairs in the poorer class,
and just a ladder up against the house and a half sized door to go in at the top. It reminds me
of a fire or a lot of unfinished houses.
Everyother house is a wine shop and you can get grapes, nuts, and fig candy at these places. Almost any place you
stop in and conduct yourself like a gentelman you can get a good meal, for 5 francs or 6 francs. 5 francs and 30 centimes = $1.00 now.
5 centimes=1cent.
The main feed here is French fried potatoes and beefstake, and it sure is good, such a change from rations.
Wine flows freely here after 5 o'clock in the afternoon, 5pm to 9 pm, but it is a cheap , brand, tates like hard cider& sugar, if you mine it you can get a pretty good drink out of it, but I would rather have American Virginia Dare or Scuffemong or a glass
of American Beer than all the noted French wine. The boys fast get wise too.
It doesn't get very cold here in the winter. stops at 20 degrees above 0. But it is damp and rains a lot. The mud is deep and a sort of white sticky stuff drys as hard as cement.
It is awfulto get off of your clothes. Something like the white muck sand that comes out of the bailer on an oil well.
This country is flat, hills like those in Ohio. I was up in an old castle tower, where Joan of Arc was once a prosioner, a winding stairway of 157 steps
inside of a round tower about 10 feet ---the inside.a real climb and on top you ccan see as far as the eyes would let you.
It presented a very pretty picture with the houses all around. One kind of roofing on all,a red tile like material, and all about the same height. Here and there one large on set off from the rest by an extra story and higher and better kept hedge or wall, all stone or cement.
A little way aff were green fields all enclosed with hedges and a few cattle grazing, then down by the streams were women and children washing clothes, by laying them out on a flat rock and beating them with their hands, and laying or hanging them on the hedges to dry.. Few clothes lines are used- just lay them on the hedge.When I speak of fields over here I mean something as large as our garden
and a big field like our berry patch.
There is an awful lot of land wasted by hedges and you never see a real large farm. I have traveled 300 miles at a stretch in a side door pullman and never seen a place that could even compare with Hank Readings.
The Yanks sure do like to shot the Bull about the U.S. to these French people as soon as theycan make themsleves understood. There are some mighty funny ones take place when a Yank forgets the Frenchy can't understand.
The French kids
pick up English very fast and can peg for gum and pennies and candy as well as an American kid can.
A big bar of chocolate the limited size would be as good a Christmas present as I could want, for we get very little candy. Tell me in your letter how the pictures turned out. I wish I had one of you and Bob.
I suppose you have the berries all covered with Buckwheat straw and did you get the buckwheat ground sowed in rye after the crop was off.
You will need more crates now for the berries, don't forget to order them. Hope the Bees and Mr. Hovis are both doing well.
I can hardly wait till I get back to help take care of both bees and berries, why that is Paradise but we never realized it before.
Well, I must close for this time. Give my love and reguards to all my friends.
Your loving son
Weldon M. Barr
Censored by O.M.Fuller 2nd. Lt. Ord. U.S.A.
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