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

Went out in the morning to take in the sights. Visited the American "Y" and British Canteen. Registered in the book at the Brit. Canteen. Tom Burns & I beat it away from formation and took our canteens to Brit. Canteen for ale. This is rotten stuff & I didn’t like it. Lots of British soldiers here and lots of wounded British, too. Fell in for travel rations at 12:30. Had dinner (rotten) at 12 and marched to the docks to embark for France at 1:30 p.m.

It is very hot today here. Max Carrigan went all in and was taken by ambulance to docks. Hung around docks til about 7:30 p.m. and boarded the good ship "Howard" for France. This was an American boat and was originally used between San Diego & Los Angeles, Cal. Talked with lots of British soldiers on deck until nearly midnight when I got froze out and had to go below. This was a very fast boat and cut the water like a knife.

(for map click here)

Woke this a.m. at Andor in the harbor of Havre. Unloaded about noon and marched through the town to the farthest end of the town and up a great big hill to another "rest" camp. [Say] right here let me say that these rest camps are a joke. We were nearly all in when we pulled into camp. This is another British camp and a starvation camp too. There are lots of German prisoners here too under British guard.

Made up our packs after breakfast and were ready to move. The 301st F.A. mass came in with their band and occupied our tents. We fell in and marched out of town again to the trains. I saw lots of wounded Huns and Tommies on their way back to England. Here we were introduced to "sidedoor" pullmans, little stuffy boxcars that had previously carried horses and were not very thoroughly cleaned. I was given charge of a car and given 35 men to look after. Drew our travel rations and were given orders to stay in the cars the whole trip, which was to take 3 days. Whitey Larkins stole a dozen of Capt. Moore’s oranges at the sheds and got caught. Pulled out at 4 p.m. and started out on our rickety ride for parts unknown.

Still riding. Had no sleep last night as car was so crowded. Passed through Rouen and several other large towns and landed at Messac about 5 pm., unloaded, crossed the river and pitched shelter tents in big field near river. Went in swimming. Ordered to remain within tented area and not to go into town. Beat it through M.P.’s and got a bottle of wine for 6 Francs. Good stuff. Went to bed at taps after singing for about an hour. Buchanon, Westrom & Brown were arrested for fighting in a saloon and put in the guard house.

Got up early, made up our packs and started out. Walked about a mile to another little village where we were divided up and billeted by sections. My section is billeted in a loft over a slaughter house and every night the rats romp over us. I’ll be glad when we move from here. This is a very old little town and has a nice Catholic church. People are very dirty and poor. People don’t drink any water. Nothing but cider. We can buy it for 50 centimes (about 9 cents) a canteen (quart). Everybody wears wooden shoes here.