Henry H.
Kiecker, who is with the American Expeditionary Forces in Siberia, writes and
interesting letter to his brother, Alfred:
Siberia, Oct.
13, 1918.
Hello, Brother:
Well I just had dinner, so I will write a few lines. How is everybody at home?
I feel pretty good myself, only I have a little cold. The weather is pretty
good out here now.
This is quite a
pretty country; there are many hills, and they are covered with small trees.
I surely was
glad to get off of that ship, after being on for so long a time. There is quite
a big town near here. I think that I shall go down this afternoon. It is Sunday
today, and the weather is nice and warm. We had a little frost last night, and
it gets quite cold sometimes.
We get about 11
rubels for a dollar now. A rubel is one Russian dollar and it used to be worth
about fifty cents, as I have been told, and now a rubel is worth about 10
cents. A good meal uptown costs about one dollar, or, in other words, about 10
Russian dollars. It is fun to go up town and buy something when one can’t talk
the language. We talk with our hands mostly, and we get along some way.
How is
everything at home? Are you boys all at home now? I suppose Freddy and Ruth are
going to school. Who is your school teacher? Did you receive the pictures I
sent from Fremont just before I left?
Well, Alfred, I
will have to close. Say hello to Ma and Pa and all the rest of the family. Tell
Ma not to worry, because I am alright. Tell Leonard that I will write to him
later on.
I suppose that
this letter will reach you in about a month. Answer soon.
Henry H. Kiecker
Editor’s Note: We do not have a photograph of Henry H. Kiecker.
“Let the weak
hearted who are dreaming of a compromise, let the pacifists who are talking a
peace by agreement; let the sideliners who have enough of war; let the secretly
inclined pro-Germans who think this war should end without a decision – let
them one and all know once and for all that for the American Expeditionary
Force there is no such word as ‘Peace’ with the Huns unbeaten. The man who
talks of peace today, except through victory is a traitor.”
The enemy peace
offensive is likened to the action of German machine gun crew in the Vesle
fighting when they fought and killed Americans until they were surrounded, then
shouted “Kamerad.”
The mothers of
the American soldiers in France want the same peace their sons demand. All the
courage of the ancient Spartan mother is in the hearts of the women of America.
Just received a
Tribune today, the second one since I arrived and I guess it reminded me that
it’s some time since I wrote. I read it until I know most of it by heart. There
are two long letters in it from Mat Mahlum and Palmer Lund. They hit pretty
hard at the Pro’s and N.P’s. If they were over here they sure would swear
vengeance on them and the Huns.
We are living
pretty good with plenty of eats so we can’t complain. I sure miss the candy and
sweet stuff, as we don’t get any of it here. I’d give five Franks for a bar of
chocolate right now. The French had a sub for candy and ice cream, but once is
all any of us try it. We have all the grapes we can eat as they are ripe now,
but that’s about the only fruit we can get.
The time seems
to go fast. It’s nearly two months since I arrived here. I guess it’s because
we work Sundays and every day. You know we are busy or we wouldn’t do that. I
can’t tell you what I am doing as it wouldn’t pass the censor.
We have a fine,
big Y.M.C.A. here and have musical entertainments and movies quite often. We
sure enjoy them.
We are camped
close to a city. I haven’t been to it yet, as I have been working all the time.
But the boys that have seen it say it’s the nicest city we have been in.
My, it’s been a
long time since I heard from home. I guess they must have stopped writing. It
seems hard to find anything to write about here. You want to write when you can
find any news to write as any thing is news to us from home.
Greetings to
all, Pvt. Florense T. Grimes, Co. B. 44th Regt. T.C., A.E.F. via N.
Y.
Richard Riedler September 13, 1901 – August 9, 1986
Everywhere in
General, (in England now), Oct. 25th, 1918
Dear Folks:
Well all I can
say is that Columbus had a lot of nerve when he crossed the ocean in his little
row-boat. I’m not coming back until they build a bridge across, or else walk
back. I didn’t get sick at all but there isn’t enough change of scenery to suit
me.
Nothing
exciting happened except one day I was carrying a pan of apple sauce down
stairs and when I got half way down the ship gave a lurch and down I went with
the pan above my head doing my best to save all I could because apple sauce
sure was scarce on that boat. I het every step too and you can imagine how I
felt when I hit the bottom. Murphy was going down ahead of me with another pan
of sauce hugging the rail for dear life. I just hollered “lookout Murphy” and I
got “right of way” without any argument whatever. Since then I was nicknamed
‘apple sauce.” I never spilled a bit though so I think I have “served by
saving.” Hereafter I carry nothing but bread.
England surely
is a beautiful country. All the farms are divided by hedges, so you can imagine
how beautiful it is. We traveled way across England in a thing they call a
train over here. The coaches are divided into apartments with a capacity of
eight persons. There are no aisles running through the cars and how they manage
to collect fares I haven’t figured out yet. At each station there is a platform
the same height as the doors of the apartments so one can step from his
apartment on to the platform. The wheels look like a small wagon wheel or a
wheelbarrow, and the locomotives are about the size of those I used to get for
Christmas. They sure can travel though, even though they are small.
“2 and four,”
and then we get a bunch of great big coins the size of an American dollar but
only worth two cents in U.S. money. By “2 and 4” they mean 2 shillings and six
pence, equal to 58 cents in our money. I have laughed more today than I have
for a long time over the money proposition.
Don’t worry
about me, because I am having the best time ever. Slept on three boards last
night and I never slept better during the time I have been in the army. We
didn’t go to bed until about 3:30 A.M. and slept until 9:00. I feel fine and
feel as though I can call myself a soldier now. I hope we can get right into it
and help. I talked to an English soldier last night who had served three years
in France and he said you, you “bloody” chaps are doing fine especially when it
comes to going forward because they want a position they generally get it.” That’s
the old football “pep” and as long as there is “pep” nothing can stop a yank.
Met some
American Red Cross ladies on the way last night and they gave us coffee and
cookies. Oh boy! That coffee sure was good. The Red Cross surely is a wonderful
organization. Every place a troop train stops they are there with coffee and
other eats.
Dont worry
about me folks because if old “apple sauce” can fall down a flight of stairs
he’s not going to let a little Hun army stop him. Write often and let’s hear
all the news. “Hello to all the gang and tell everybody to write when they get
a chance.
With love, Your
loving son, Richard Riedler, M.G. Co. 135 U.S., Infantry, A.E.F.
Dear Mother: –
Well here I am safely across the ocean. We had a real good trip although the
water was rather rough at times. I thought I would be about the first one to
get sea-sick, but I did not get sick, felt fine all the time. It certainly
seems funny to think that I am here. Things are so different from back in the states.
Things are a lot higher in price too. Can hardly get cigarettes and things like
that.
We came out to
camp in a train and say the trains are the funniest things you ever saw. The
cars are little short things divided into sections. The box cars look like farm
wagons. The wheels all have spokes in them and they go rattling along over the
tract like some little express wagon. You never see any real big buildings
here, are all one and two stories, and they have about two hundred chimneys on
each one. They certainly look queer to us fellows that are used to the states.
It’s the
hardest thing to understand them fellows. They talk so fast and funny but we
can make it out though. It will be a lot worse when we get to France where they
talk a different language altogether. Well, I guess we will have to get along
as best we can and what we can’t understand won’t hurt us.
You can’t write
a whole lot as it is all censored and what they don’t want they cross out. I’ll
close for this time and write a little later from France.
With love from, Donald C. Hogenson, Battery E – 125 F. A.
Editor’s Note: We do not have a photograph of Donald C. Hogenson.
Last Updated: February 21, 2019 by Renville County Historical Society Leave a Comment
Letter From Henry H Kiecker, Fairfax Standard, 11-14-1918
Henry H. Kiecker, who is with the American Expeditionary Forces in Siberia, writes and interesting letter to his brother, Alfred:
Siberia, Oct. 13, 1918.
Hello, Brother: Well I just had dinner, so I will write a few lines. How is everybody at home? I feel pretty good myself, only I have a little cold. The weather is pretty good out here now.
This is quite a pretty country; there are many hills, and they are covered with small trees.
I surely was glad to get off of that ship, after being on for so long a time. There is quite a big town near here. I think that I shall go down this afternoon. It is Sunday today, and the weather is nice and warm. We had a little frost last night, and it gets quite cold sometimes.
We get about 11 rubels for a dollar now. A rubel is one Russian dollar and it used to be worth about fifty cents, as I have been told, and now a rubel is worth about 10 cents. A good meal uptown costs about one dollar, or, in other words, about 10 Russian dollars. It is fun to go up town and buy something when one can’t talk the language. We talk with our hands mostly, and we get along some way.
How is everything at home? Are you boys all at home now? I suppose Freddy and Ruth are going to school. Who is your school teacher? Did you receive the pictures I sent from Fremont just before I left?
Well, Alfred, I will have to close. Say hello to Ma and Pa and all the rest of the family. Tell Ma not to worry, because I am alright. Tell Leonard that I will write to him later on.
I suppose that this letter will reach you in about a month. Answer soon.
Henry H. Kiecker
Editor’s Note: We do not have a photograph of Henry H. Kiecker.
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Last Updated: February 21, 2019 by Renville County Historical Society Leave a Comment
The Peace Our Soldiers Want – The Peace Our War Mothers Want, Bird Island Union, 11-14-1918
The Stars and Stripes, the official newspaper published by the soldiers of the American Expeditionary Forces in France, says editorially about the enemy peace offensive:
“Let the weak hearted who are dreaming of a compromise, let the pacifists who are talking a peace by agreement; let the sideliners who have enough of war; let the secretly inclined pro-Germans who think this war should end without a decision – let them one and all know once and for all that for the American Expeditionary Force there is no such word as ‘Peace’ with the Huns unbeaten. The man who talks of peace today, except through victory is a traitor.”
The enemy peace offensive is likened to the action of German machine gun crew in the Vesle fighting when they fought and killed Americans until they were surrounded, then shouted “Kamerad.”
The mothers of the American soldiers in France want the same peace their sons demand. All the courage of the ancient Spartan mother is in the hearts of the women of America.
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Posted: February 21, 2019 by Renville County Historical Society Leave a Comment
Letter From Florense Grimes, Franklin Tribune, 11-14-1918
February 25, 1892 – July 17, 1968
On Active Service, Oct. 6, 1918
Franklin Tribune,
Just received a Tribune today, the second one since I arrived and I guess it reminded me that it’s some time since I wrote. I read it until I know most of it by heart. There are two long letters in it from Mat Mahlum and Palmer Lund. They hit pretty hard at the Pro’s and N.P’s. If they were over here they sure would swear vengeance on them and the Huns.
We are living pretty good with plenty of eats so we can’t complain. I sure miss the candy and sweet stuff, as we don’t get any of it here. I’d give five Franks for a bar of chocolate right now. The French had a sub for candy and ice cream, but once is all any of us try it. We have all the grapes we can eat as they are ripe now, but that’s about the only fruit we can get.
The time seems to go fast. It’s nearly two months since I arrived here. I guess it’s because we work Sundays and every day. You know we are busy or we wouldn’t do that. I can’t tell you what I am doing as it wouldn’t pass the censor.
We have a fine, big Y.M.C.A. here and have musical entertainments and movies quite often. We sure enjoy them.
We are camped close to a city. I haven’t been to it yet, as I have been working all the time. But the boys that have seen it say it’s the nicest city we have been in.
My, it’s been a long time since I heard from home. I guess they must have stopped writing. It seems hard to find anything to write about here. You want to write when you can find any news to write as any thing is news to us from home.
Greetings to all, Pvt. Florense T. Grimes, Co. B. 44th Regt. T.C., A.E.F. via N. Y.
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Last Updated: February 21, 2019 by Renville County Historical Society Leave a Comment
Letter from Richard Riedler, Renville Star Farmer, 11-14-1918
September 13, 1901 – August 9, 1986
Everywhere in General, (in England now), Oct. 25th, 1918
Dear Folks:
Well all I can say is that Columbus had a lot of nerve when he crossed the ocean in his little row-boat. I’m not coming back until they build a bridge across, or else walk back. I didn’t get sick at all but there isn’t enough change of scenery to suit me.
Nothing exciting happened except one day I was carrying a pan of apple sauce down stairs and when I got half way down the ship gave a lurch and down I went with the pan above my head doing my best to save all I could because apple sauce sure was scarce on that boat. I het every step too and you can imagine how I felt when I hit the bottom. Murphy was going down ahead of me with another pan of sauce hugging the rail for dear life. I just hollered “lookout Murphy” and I got “right of way” without any argument whatever. Since then I was nicknamed ‘apple sauce.” I never spilled a bit though so I think I have “served by saving.” Hereafter I carry nothing but bread.
England surely is a beautiful country. All the farms are divided by hedges, so you can imagine how beautiful it is. We traveled way across England in a thing they call a train over here. The coaches are divided into apartments with a capacity of eight persons. There are no aisles running through the cars and how they manage to collect fares I haven’t figured out yet. At each station there is a platform the same height as the doors of the apartments so one can step from his apartment on to the platform. The wheels look like a small wagon wheel or a wheelbarrow, and the locomotives are about the size of those I used to get for Christmas. They sure can travel though, even though they are small.
“2 and four,” and then we get a bunch of great big coins the size of an American dollar but only worth two cents in U.S. money. By “2 and 4” they mean 2 shillings and six pence, equal to 58 cents in our money. I have laughed more today than I have for a long time over the money proposition.
Don’t worry about me, because I am having the best time ever. Slept on three boards last night and I never slept better during the time I have been in the army. We didn’t go to bed until about 3:30 A.M. and slept until 9:00. I feel fine and feel as though I can call myself a soldier now. I hope we can get right into it and help. I talked to an English soldier last night who had served three years in France and he said you, you “bloody” chaps are doing fine especially when it comes to going forward because they want a position they generally get it.” That’s the old football “pep” and as long as there is “pep” nothing can stop a yank.
Met some American Red Cross ladies on the way last night and they gave us coffee and cookies. Oh boy! That coffee sure was good. The Red Cross surely is a wonderful organization. Every place a troop train stops they are there with coffee and other eats.
Dont worry about me folks because if old “apple sauce” can fall down a flight of stairs he’s not going to let a little Hun army stop him. Write often and let’s hear all the news. “Hello to all the gang and tell everybody to write when they get a chance.
With love, Your loving son, Richard Riedler, M.G. Co. 135 U.S., Infantry, A.E.F.
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Posted: February 21, 2019 by Renville County Historical Society Leave a Comment
Letter From Donald Hogenson, Renville Star Farmer, 11-14-1918
Somewhere in England, Oct. 8th.
Dear Mother: – Well here I am safely across the ocean. We had a real good trip although the water was rather rough at times. I thought I would be about the first one to get sea-sick, but I did not get sick, felt fine all the time. It certainly seems funny to think that I am here. Things are so different from back in the states. Things are a lot higher in price too. Can hardly get cigarettes and things like that.
We came out to camp in a train and say the trains are the funniest things you ever saw. The cars are little short things divided into sections. The box cars look like farm wagons. The wheels all have spokes in them and they go rattling along over the tract like some little express wagon. You never see any real big buildings here, are all one and two stories, and they have about two hundred chimneys on each one. They certainly look queer to us fellows that are used to the states.
It’s the hardest thing to understand them fellows. They talk so fast and funny but we can make it out though. It will be a lot worse when we get to France where they talk a different language altogether. Well, I guess we will have to get along as best we can and what we can’t understand won’t hurt us.
You can’t write a whole lot as it is all censored and what they don’t want they cross out. I’ll close for this time and write a little later from France.
With love from, Donald C. Hogenson, Battery E – 125 F. A.
Editor’s Note: We do not have a photograph of Donald C. Hogenson.
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