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

            Authorities differ on the origin of the name “Brest” but the most likely conjecture seems that the name originates from a certain king of Brittany named Bristock.  He was a cruel monarch of the fourth century.  The oldest authentic document in which the city of Brest is chronicled is found in a chronicle of Nantes bearing the date 856, where Solomon, the king of the Britains, is spoken of having died in a city which is called Brest.

          Whatever the origin of its name the city wasn’t as bad as we had heard it was.  Uncle Sam, as the Twentieth Century Alladin, had wrought a magic military city from a dismal swamp in almost the time it takes to tell about it.  “Chow” there was better and more plentiful than any we had previously encountered in the army.  Pontanezen, as the camp was called, wasn’t half bad—save for all night details and double quick inspections.  The old 329th came through with flying colors, however, and the last we saw of the much discussed city of Brest was from a naval lighter, from whose decks we looked back at the band playing, “Good-bye, Boys, I’m Through,” and said “Righto."