Sidney D. Light's WWI Diary, Postcards & Letters, 329th Battery Book Accounts

Well, this is the greatest day of all days. The end has come and while I can still hear all kinds of shelling, it will all be over in a few moments. Presume some fo the boys are sending a few extra ones over to Fritz for luck.

At 11 o’clock the 55th Inf. Band played the national anthem and everybody in town nearly went wild. Then they marched down through the street playing the "Stars and Stripes Forever" and nearly every "shine" in town fell in behind and followed, hollering & yelling & showing his white teeth. Seems funny not to hear the big guns near here roaring.

Later – was up to the guns this p.m. and visited Thiaucourt. It is a total wreck. Not a whole roof left anywhere. Some of the boys went over to the German lines and talked with the Huns. They are glad it is all over. They saw lots of German dead, victims of the new gas. This gas turns a man black as coal. Deadliest gas used in the war. 55th Inf. went over the top at 7 a.m. and lost about 200 men. Ambulances are bringing in their wounded now. Saw a captain at the [D.S.] with both legs shot off & gassed. Don’t think he’ll live. Said it all happened at about 9 a.m.

The heaviest bombardment I have ever heard was laid down this a.m. It was deafening and very deadly to the Huns.