NEWS: Calvin LEWIS Writes Home, 1918, Altoona, Blair County, PA

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CALVIN LEWIS WRITES FRIEND FROM FRANCE  
Interesting Letter from Overseas Was Recently Received By Friend

  Mr. R. A. Isenberg, of 1209 Sixth avenue, was much pleased to receive the 
following letter from his friend Calvin Lewis.
    July 7, 1918
Dear Friend:
  I guess my father has told you I am now in France, and I know you will look 
for a letter.  I have been trying to write to all of my friends, so I have a 
pretty big job on my hands.  Would like to tell you just what part of France 
I am in now, but we are not allowed.  The firing line in France is long, and 
we are somewhere back of it doing our work we were trained for before leaving 
Camp Lee.  I have been working nine hours a day, and I don't mean on duty 
nine hours, but it is all work.  I don't care how hard I have to work for it 
is all for it is all for one purpose, and I hope our 305 M. O. R. S. can all 
come home and say they did something to help win this war.  I am among a good 
bunch of fellows and I know we will do our bit.
  Life in camp in the states is a picnic alongside of life over here.  We are 
treated good here, but we didn't know how nice our camps were till we left 
them.  We had a safe trip across the ocean, and landed at Bordeaux, France.  
For a couple weeks we were just like a circus jumping from one village to 
another till we reached our present camp.  Some nights we slept out in our 
pup tents.  One night we spent right in the homes of the French in a small 
village while another we slept in what used to be French cavalry stables.  We 
are now in one story barracks, that look a lot like a chicken coop.  We keep 
them clean and I sleep just as good here as I did in Camp Lee.
  France sure must have had some railroads, before U. S. took a hand.  Her 
cars and engines are all small and funny looking, but the U. S. has a good 
many engines and cars here now, so they look more like home.  I have seen a 
good many engines about the same as our H 8s.  When we traveled on their 
trains we were lucky enough to travel in third class cars, but the most of 
the boys travel in box cars big enough for eight horsed or forty men, and it 
is all the same to the French, if they haul horses or men.  I believe the U. 
S. has done more for their railroads already than they would ever have done.  
They have a very pretty country and swell farms but they are away behind in 
their ways of working.  The most of the men here are in the war, so wherever 
we go we see mostly women.  They are hard to understand though they have been 
kind to us.  They have it in their head the American boys have a lot of 
money, so they sure do charge us about double price for anything we buy.  I 
think they have two prices, one for us, and one for the French.  The first 
day I was in this camp I met several Altoona boys, all in different 
organizations.  I met Red Gallager, who worked in the Boiler Shop, and 
enlisted with the 19th Engineers.  Their regiment is pretty well scattered 
over France.  I met Gerald McDonald, now in the Signal Corp and John Burns in 
the Ordnance.  They both learned their trade with me.  Brownie Mower and I 
are still kicking together, and I hope we can stay together till the end.  We 
had a very quiet fourth of July here, but I bet there was some times in the 
U. S.  We have been spending some of our spare time playing baseball.  We 
have some good players and have put up a couple good games.  I have been 
catching for them.  I guess I wouldn't know the shops anymore for I have an 
idea you have a good many girls working there now.  Remember me to Mr. 
Beattie and Mr. Evans and all my friends in the shop and the K. of P.  Tell 
them I feel fine and am enjoying army life.  I hope some day to be back with 
them all again.  This is the longest letter I have written yet so guess I 
will close now.  Hoping this finds you well.
              Your friend,
                CALVIN
My address is -
  Corporal R. C. Lewis,
   A. P. O. 712
  305 Mob. Ord. Rep. Shop
  A. E. F.
P. S. Please don't wait as long as I do to answer.     CAL.

Altoona Tribune, Saturday morning, August 10, 1918, page 8