NEWS: Blair County Soldiers, August 21, 1918, Blair County, PA Contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by Judy Banja Copyright 2005. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/blair/ _______________________________________________ NEWS OF SERVICE MEN AT HOME AND ABROAD Fighting Tenth Is Holding Up Reputation in France, According to Col. Kemp Colonel George E. Kemp, commander of the 110th regiment, has sent home a German helmet to Colonel Sylvester Bonnaffon, whom he succeeded as colonel of the Third regiment before it was merged with the Fighting Tenth and made the 110th at Camp Hancock. The presentation was made by Rev. F. A. La Violette, a Y.M.C.A. secretary, who brought the trophy back home. He praised the 110th for its great fighting and the gallantry of the boys that compose it and told of the part the boys played in driving back the Huns. Lawrence J. Hatch, of 906 Howard avenue, has been commissioned a lieutenant in the quartermaster's corps and is now connected with the finance department at Camp Hancock, Ga. Lieutenant Leo P. Tiernan, of 2213 Eighth avenue, the well known draftsman formerly employed in the office of the mechanical engineer of the P.R.R. and son of the late T. J. Tiernan and Mrs. Annie Tiernan, of 1328 Second avenue, has been ordered to report to his regiment, now stationed at Fort Benjamin Harrison, Indiana. Lieutenant already has a brother in the service, James V., who enlisted several months ago in the medical corps and is now stationed at Fort Oglethorpe, Ga. Lieutenant Ralph Love, of 1714 Second avenue, departed yesterday morning for Cleveland, O., after spending a brief furlough with his parents in this city. He has been located at Cleveland for some time but now has been assigned to the school of musketry. He was commissioned a lieutenant while attending State college. Vincent Ryan, who made his home with his brother, Arnold F. Ryan, of 19 Washington avenue, has arrived safely overseas, according to news that reached his brother on Monday. He was sent from this city and was trained at Camp Lee. Robert E. Fleck, of the Nineteenth company, Second motor mechanics' regiment, signal, now in France, in a letter to his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Samuel A. Fleck, of 1622 Fourth avenue, says everything over there is about like it is over here. He says he is enjoying good health but that he has been bothered by mosquitoes. Corporal Harry E. Loomis, of the Fifteenth ambulance company, has sent his mother, Mrs. M. M. Loomis, of 726 Eleventh avenue, a helmet that he secured from a Hun in France. It is of steel but nothing in the form of a letter accompanied it. The mother expects a letter soon telling how it was captured. Mr. and Mrs. Charles Snyder, of 2329 Beale avenue, have received a letter from their son, Sergeant W. J. Snyder, of company B, Forty-ninth Engineers. The soldier gives a description of the shops that have been built by the Americans and says that work is being done on U.S. cars and engines. He wants news from home and asks that he be sent papers. Mr. and Mrs. F. B. Snyder, of Roaring Spring, have received letters from their sons, Paul and Raymond, who volunteered on the same day for service in the field artillery, saying that they had arrived safely in France. They were trained at Camp Jackson, S. C., and previous to entering the army were employed in the Pennsy shops in this city. Mr. and Mrs. D. W. Boyle, of 1505 Eighth avenue, have received several letters from their son Joseph, of Company I, 52nd infantry, over seas. He trained at Camp Upton, leaving for France the fifth of July and reaching over there on the 17th. He has been through many towns in France and says that all the people a fellow can see over there are women, who do all sorts of work from farming to running electric cars. On the ship going over, young Boyle was with several other Altoonans in the service and didn't want for companions. He says while they did not sight any "subs," they passed several schools of sharks, which so well resembled U-boats as to cause not a little unquietude on board ship. When they disembarked on the other side, it was pouring down rain so they got soaked through. The French people were so overjoyed to see the boys that they offered them their best. Eight of them were taken into the upper room of the house in which lived an old couple, who had given several boys to the Allied cause and who were very kind and considerate of their soldier guests. They were after that moved from one town to another and had ample time to look about them. In one large city they were taken through a big cathedral which took them two and a half hours to see through. He could not, however, give the name of the cathedral or those of the various cities they went through, but the presence of the cathedral intact argues that they are some distance from the firing line. At the date of the last letter (July 28) his company had not been placed as yet, but they are anticipating getting into action at an early date. Altoona Tribune, Wednesday morning, August 21, 1918, page 2 JUNIATA LEAVES FOR SERVICE Miss Olive, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. H. E. Wert, of 1700 Ninth avenue, left yesterday for Camp Wheeler, Macon, Georgia, where she will enter the United States army school to train as a war nurse. Miss Wert is a graduate of the 1913 class of Juniata High school. Altoona Tribune, Wednesday morning, August 21, 1918, page 8 NEWS OF SERVICE MEN Horace and Robert Bracken, grandsons of the late John W. Bracken, of Hollidaysburg, are in the thick of the fight in France. While in a cavalry charge across No Man's Land Horace saw a large shell coming in his direction. He immediately sprang from his horse into a shell hole and escaped, while his horse was blown into pieces. Robert was gassed at Chateau Thierry and is in a hospital. Darwin F. Bardell, of 308 Mulberry street, a limited service man of the local draft board, will be sent next week to Sackett's Harbor, New York, where he will be trained as a photographer and draftsman in the military aeronautics corps. Mr. Bardell is an artist who has accumulated quite a store of army and camp views and scenes. Rev. George A. Ehrgood, pastor of St. John's Reformed church at Northfield, who is a chaplain in the United States army, and is now on a short furlough, said yesterday that he is just recovering from a severe attack of ptomaine poisoning, with which eighty of the soldiers in his camp were seized. Altoona Tribune, Wednesday morning, August 21, 1918, page 8