Letter from Dr Harley McLaren, Hector Mirror, 12-26-1918
France, Nov.
25, 1918, W. J. Hager and Wife,
Dear Friends:
It’s nearing
Thanksgiving time and I wish I could run in and eat a leg off your Turkey on
Thursday but guess I will eat hard tack and bully beef the small as usual with
the bunch.
We are present
in a temporary camp waiting for further orders, where we pulled in yesterday
after a four days travel with the animal transport, coming from the Argonne
Forest where no doubt you have read in the papers, that the 77th
Div. have been for so long maneuvering under difficulties thru the valleys and
over hills with an enormous list of casualties and you can’t imagine what a
great relief came when hostilities ceased along the line and the amount of celebrating
there was done all over France over the victory. Everyone saw it coming but did
not think it was quite so near until the final collapse came all of a sudden. I
was in a hospital 175 miles south of Paris the day the armistice was signed.
Took sick and of course was shipped where all sick men go over here. Was in the
largest hospital in the world for ten days only and while returning to my
organization I stopped off a day and night in Paris and saw the sights and the
best and quickest way of describing Paris is to say that it is the most
wonderful city that I have ever seen, especially after spending so many months
in the shelled areas. Arrived at my organization just two day before starting
on this move and tomorrow we are to start on a nine day move south no one knows
where.
There were
rumors that this division was going home but the latest rumors rather spoil the
first and now we may wind up at the Rhine, but there is one great consolation
we are not wondering any more how much longer the war will last but instead we
are all wondering what boat we are going to sail on and we certainly know that
our time in France is limited from now on. There are a good many divisions over
here that have not been under shell fire at all and we are wondering why they
are not selected to make up the army of occupation instead of some of us,
however we won’t complain from now on as orders are changing continually and
some day before long we will get orders to sail.
Kindest regards
to you both. Remember me kindly to my friends.
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Posted: February 22, 2019 by Renville County Historical Society
Letter from Dr Harley McLaren, Hector Mirror, 12-26-1918
France, Nov. 25, 1918, W. J. Hager and Wife,
Dear Friends:
It’s nearing Thanksgiving time and I wish I could run in and eat a leg off your Turkey on Thursday but guess I will eat hard tack and bully beef the small as usual with the bunch.
We are present in a temporary camp waiting for further orders, where we pulled in yesterday after a four days travel with the animal transport, coming from the Argonne Forest where no doubt you have read in the papers, that the 77th Div. have been for so long maneuvering under difficulties thru the valleys and over hills with an enormous list of casualties and you can’t imagine what a great relief came when hostilities ceased along the line and the amount of celebrating there was done all over France over the victory. Everyone saw it coming but did not think it was quite so near until the final collapse came all of a sudden. I was in a hospital 175 miles south of Paris the day the armistice was signed. Took sick and of course was shipped where all sick men go over here. Was in the largest hospital in the world for ten days only and while returning to my organization I stopped off a day and night in Paris and saw the sights and the best and quickest way of describing Paris is to say that it is the most wonderful city that I have ever seen, especially after spending so many months in the shelled areas. Arrived at my organization just two day before starting on this move and tomorrow we are to start on a nine day move south no one knows where.
There were rumors that this division was going home but the latest rumors rather spoil the first and now we may wind up at the Rhine, but there is one great consolation we are not wondering any more how much longer the war will last but instead we are all wondering what boat we are going to sail on and we certainly know that our time in France is limited from now on. There are a good many divisions over here that have not been under shell fire at all and we are wondering why they are not selected to make up the army of occupation instead of some of us, however we won’t complain from now on as orders are changing continually and some day before long we will get orders to sail.
Kindest regards to you both. Remember me kindly to my friends.
McLaren
Category: France, Letter Tags: A.E.F., Argonne Forest, Letter, military, minnesota, Renville county, Soldier, world war i