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mmm-HOWARD DURLEY OVER THE TOPThe following is an interesting letter from Howard Hurley, printed in today’s Ventura, Post, under date of October U, Howard was deputy county clerk and was one of the first IT; and has been made first sergeant ofHe is a brother of VV.GOT HITBY BOMBr\iritnwrt i3 1 t 1 fcompany.Mark Durley of this city,“Well, I got back to the company just in time to go over with them. It was a great experience, something I would not have missed and I came thru it without a scratch. We are lying back in the woods now awaiting for word which we hope will be to return to billets for a rest. They had me worst worried when we were coming out; after I had lasted so long I didn’t want them to get me then. We went over back of quite a high hill just at daybreak, there was a heavy fog and together with the smoke of the artillery and the spitting of themachine guns and the waste of ’No Man's Land’, burns one of the pictures into my mind which a shall never forget.“When we were lying back of the hill waiting for the zero hour, conditions were greatly different than I have always heard. Some tried to get a little sleep, others walked backand forth warming up while a great majority smoked and told funny stories. There was an underlying intensified excitement but only a very few showed open signs of it. Prom then on for over a week, we caught regular hell and it seemed surprising how many were untouched, for we had very light casualties.“The old boy re-action hit a good many of us hard, but with a few more warm meals, we will all be coming strong again.“Our first sergeant was killed during the first live minutes of the battle and I am the first sergeant for theMrs. M. H. hasten received a letter from her brother. Paul Woodside, dated October 5, He is with the A. E. P.. 310 Engineers, Co. B.:“I got hit by a piece of aeroplane bomb in an air raid day before yesterday. It was only a small piece and went thru my left elbow. My left arm is numb, but it is not a very bad w-ound tho, ! guess I will be back with my company by the time you get an answer to me. I was acting as battalion liasson runner while on the line, so did not get a chance to use my rifle. It’s quite exciting chasing out over no man's land, just keeping bid from the Germans trying to find your company. The infantry were saying that the engineers were taking it easy back there building roads and so on, but when we went up and showed them how to go over the top they respected us. The German snipers are not what they are cracked up to be. in my opinion. The ones they are most after are th« officers in the command posts and the men going out with them with orders for company commanders and as runners, but never got any of us Once ( stood talking with my company commander while he was getting ready to rout a sniper out of some brush, and I know' that the sniper heard us talking and as ! started back to the major with the information he started to shoot at me but his first two shots missed and I was hid before he could shoot again. Tell all the folks hello, and I know I’ll be good as new again *oon.’,8®i$;::.3^ocompany now.»PARIS, Nov. 7. American troops north of Verdun have entered Sedan, capturing the western part of the city and cutting the radway. it was officially announced by the war office this afternoon.
Newspaper Details
Oxnard Courier
Oxnard, California, US
Fri, Nov 08, 1918
Page 5
Full Page
Clipped by
Anonymous
WA, USA 06 Dec 2018
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