Letter 104
January
1, 1919
Bayonville,
France
To My
Dear Sweetheart,
New
Year’s night and I’m going to have a few moments with my little dear back home,
for I want oh so much to be near you. Does
it seem like New Year’s to you dear? It
doesn’t to me. I kind of miss my all night party. I kind of miss that soothing
touch of your hand. I kind of miss that
gentle breathing of your lips against mine. No one but you and I can tell the real
true meaning of it. You said once that one
kiss is all I could have for New Years, but now I’ll bet you would say, “You
are welcome to them.”
Today
has been a long old day, but I received news of home and from those loved ones
there. It seems like Sunday to me with nothing to do, just the same kind of
eats, and visiting among the boys. In
fact I can hardly make myself believe it is the first of the year. For really, the weather here is so warm and nice,
one can go about in his shirt sleeves and feel comfortable. I’ve been in my room most of the day. I feel
so tired after my trips. I got back
yesterday noon.
We
left Aix Les Bain Saturday night at 9:15.
We rode all Saturday night and in the morning we were in Dijon, a large
city in central France. After staying
there for one hour we were switched to the army rest camp out of Dijon. There we spent the last Sunday of the
eventful year of 1918 on a side track with plenty of mud and rain. We were there all day in the overcrowded train
car, but we went through it alright at night.
Then we started on our trip again.
I made a hammock in the top of
the car with a blanket. There were ten
men to a car. The other eight located themselves at the bottom of four seats, with
most on the floor and the extra men mading a bed like mine.
Well about midnight I got to dreaming and when
I awoke found I had fallen out of the hammock onto the fellows below me. I seemed to be so much higher than they
were. After completely awakening myself
I soon found that I had fallen out. Well, our trip over here has been filled
with such experience so that one.
Monday morning we were well on our way to St.
Michael and we reached there about 2:30.
We were a long way from home. The
reason we went to St. Michael was that it is the headquarters of the Ninth Army
Corps. Our next move was to try and find our way back to Bayonville. An hour later we caught a freight bound for Commercy,
but it only went halfway, so there we stayed till until midnight, then we
caught another train bound for Toul and Metz.
Well we got to Toul at 4:00 and played until 8. Then we left for Mertz. We reached Aranville at 11. At last we got
back, after being gone two weeks, but I surely had a good time and enjoyed myself
even if we did have trouble in getting back.
If one had told me a year ago
that France was a very dry country and I would have believed him but he can’t
tell me now, for all the rivers are overflowing their banks and flooding the
whole country. I’ve never seen so much water on land before. I suppose it must
be the rainy season over here. That is
the reason why all European countries have so many canals, for the roads get so
muddy. If they didn’t have the rock beds on the roads, they would be impassable.
I’ll bet you are waiting for me
to tell the good news aren’t you? Well
I’ll tell you now. When I got back home,
I found my long looked for Christmas package and several letters. I did not get one from Mother, but I did
receive one from David, stating he was near Bordlaux and expected to be home by
the 1st of the year. If his hopes
come true, he is there now. Well all I hope is that he is there. I have often said that I wished I were home
and Dad was here, but I don’t want to wish such a thing as war on anyone. For I
can sympathize with anyone
who has been over here and has passed through what most of these men have. But of course there are some who have been
living like kings.
After
reaching home, I went to my mailbox. I cut the string which had tied up my
package… with binding love by the one I love so much. I gently unwrapped the paper and slowly and
carefully took off the lid. There before my dancing eyes stood the greatest presents my heart could
ever wish for. Those two books which I
have longed for so much, and now to be
able to read them in the evenings!
The first book that grabbed my eyes was at the
bottom, and there stood my name on it, Henry D. Call. Ah, dear had you and mother been near me I’m
afraid I would have squeezed you so tightly!
But the only thing I could do was to hold them in my hand and think of
you. The candy I did not open until today.
I gave the boys some. It surely
did taste fine, but I would rather have stood near you when you were making
it. The box was surely accepted with the
greatest of love and may you be repaid with that love which burns in my heart
always.
I took my Book of Mormon and lay down to read
it, but I was too sleepy. I had not had any sleep for three nights, so do not
blame me. Last night the band gave a concert here at our reception room. After hearing them for nearly two hours, we
turned in and I did not hear any more until this morning when they began to
celebrate the coming of the New Year.
The Hollman boy was here today to see me. It surely makes one feel so much better to be
able to talk with one of your own faith, and who believes the same as you, and
has the same standards and morals which most Utah boys have. The moral
standards of most of the boys here seem to be very low. The first question asked
when I got back from our two week trip was how
many women did you have while away? and not in that kind of language
either. I looked at them and said I did
not go for that purpose and what’s more, I’m that kind of a man. I kind a gets
me to have them talk the way they do. I’ve almost come to the conclusion that
about half of the young women and girls over here. All they do is try serve the passion of men
and they seem to be everywhere. They don’t need ask the soldiers, for they are
more than willing.
Well
dear, thank God I’ve had courage to say no, and live a clean life so far. And
by the help of God I will stand firm to the end. It’s getting late, and I must go to bed, for
I’m on guard tonight. No walking corporal
guard inside to relieve the men.
Well
dear girl, I want to thank you for my Christmas box. It surely was a beauty and I could see love
in every corner and every morsel of candy.
Thanks very much dear, may you ever be guided by the Great Spirit, is
the wish of your love, and may you be successful and blessed with the blessings
of God through the coming year. Your longing sweetheart Henry.
XXXXXX
Corp.
Henry D. Call
Co.
A 313th Engrs.
American
EF France,
A.P.O
932
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