| Notes |
- Letter to his parents:
Jamestown NY Evening Journal 1919 - 0254.pdf
Private Frank R. Hoard, 163d Brigade,
307 Field Artillery has written
the following letter to his parents,
Mr. and Mrs. W. M. Hoard. 7 Forest
Park, from France where he la confined
at the Provisional base hospi
?Wat His fetter contains interesting
dssoriptlons of French towns after
the Invasion of the Germans.
Dear Mother aad Father:'97 -
today the weather Is like that of
a fall day IB the states, cold and
gloomy but ao snow, guess Its going
to he a green Christmas and a blue
one too. Sunday was a nice day tho.
And feeling fairly good, visited La
Oharite, a small city not far from the
hospital, it Is a very pretty place,
but like all French cities Is far behind
our cities. Almost la the center
of the buslnass section stands a
huge church, its exterior plainly
chows its age which must be at least
several hundored years. The interior
of these place* of worship Is
beautiful beyond comparison. Lumber
here la very scarce, aad expeaslve.
I don't remember of ever seeing
a French residence or building
mad* entirely of wood everything is
stone or brick. It has been a great
kelp to France in many ways too
during the war for If her buildings
had been made of wood, half of
Fraace would be In ashes by now.
It has certanly had eaougir as it Is.
About two months ago our reglmeat
ebaagad from one section of
the front to smother, this trip was
by alght traveling we marched
tartfng at t ve p. m. aad
the aeat moralng at ivs.
el the time 1 was se tired aad
1 dldn t pay
the to Iks tat.*, we
bat the towns and villages were al
pitiful sight. Town after town wt
pasted thru of which nothing wai
left but a few walls. One plao
where we stopped to rest a few mln
utes I shall never forget. It hat
been a village of perhaps fifu*
thousand population but every bull
ding hi ths place had been struck hi
great shells, leaving nothing bu
piles of stone. Near the center ?C
the ruins were what had once beei
a magnificent cathedral, its grea
walls were now laying In pile*, bin
by aome miracle the tall steeple wat
still standing, on Its peak was a hug?C
gold colored rross which seemed ti
shine In the moonlight. Perhaps ii
was imagination but it impressed m?C
very mach.
Well I suppose you are wonderlaj
when I am coming home, fact Is I'm
wondering the same thing myself
It seems that I am rather unlucky foi
my regiment was getting ready U
leave for the states when I was takes
sick, at that time 1 thought I wool*
only be sick a week or two but I WM
mistaken and I guess the regimenl
has left France for home. But 1 fee)
sure that I'll be with you again within
two months.
Hoping this finds you well.1 remain
Your io\\iug SOB,
Frank
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