_____When you think your life sucks!_____
Doing genealogy has helped me appreciate more of what I have today. Here are two letters (newspaper clippings) from back in WW1, written after the Armistice, from an ancestor and his various experiences. Earle (Earl) A. Mudge (1889 - 1926) is my third cousin, once removed, from Michigan. Whenever I think my life sucks, I'm reminded of these letters (among other things), and the words he wrote. More importantly I think about those unwritten words, which weren't in these letters, when he said: "I could write you a book on this war."
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(newspaper clipping)From Germany
Earle Mudge Writes a Fine Letter to His Old Friend, Dr. B. L. Cleveland
Earle R. Mudge one of the very finest and best Birmingham boys has written a fine letter to his old friend, Dr. B. L. Cleveland, all the way from Germany, and it sure is full of very interesting matter. Earle has done his bit and is a boy to be proud of, and we wish him the best of everything, a safe return and continued prosperity.
Diekirch, Luxemburg,
January 14, 1919.
Dear Friend Dr. Cleveland —
Received your letter today and was sure glad to hear from you. The picture is good of you and you have a find dear. Your rheumatism does not sound good but you can't keep a good man down. We are all troubled with colds and bowels a lot, but our doctor watches us closely.
I am with the 2nd army 33 Division occupation troops in Luxemburg about ten Kilometers from Boche border doing military police duty. The inhabitants about 4000 in Diekirch are German speaking and very pleasant, but we keep an eye open always. The American soldiers are living in the schools and colleges here. Have been in this city a month and no trouble, things are very quiet except in Berlin and I'll bet we go there yet and occupy the city. We won't come home until peace is signed and that won't be before June. The 123 Artillery Band is playing beside the billets at present, it sounds nice. My delivery man Chas. Edwards was killed in action, too bad. Do you know Wilkinson that was mail clerk, I got a letter from him in France, he is O. K.
The experience is a great one, but during the war excuse me again from such experience. I don't want to see or hear any more fire works. I have been thru cities that were shot down flat as a paper and even woods shot down and the earth turned inside out just think of men living thru such hell of fire. A soldier near me now was over the top four times and right in No Man's Land for over a month, bullets, shrapnel and whiz bangs etc. were hit all around him, but he is with us today and not a scratch on the boy, believe me God gave that soldier confidence and luck. Doctor, I could write you a book on this war and you realize that, we are allowed to write anything now except to criticize the government.
I want to write a few lines on high cost of living here, you remember franc and marks money. A franc about 20c. A mark 23c. The Luxemburg people have adopted the franc as their money. I am going to mess now, will finish later. Well am back again after eating potatoes, beef, bean soup, bread, syrup and coffee. Clothes are out of question, although the people dress well. A suit of clothes and poor quality at that costs from 500 to 800 franc, shoes 200 franc, undershirt 40 francs socks 5 to 10 franc a pair. I have never seen any shoes here in stores except wooden ones. A grocery store is out of question, they can't get the goods, all I have seen in can goods is peas and they are 5 franc. Soap is very scarce. Laundry soap 7 franc a bar. Uncle Sam keeps us supplied with soap very good. Sugar 5 franc a pound. Bread is black and sold by ticket or weight. Our bread is pure wheat and lots of it. Bar of chocolate like 1-2 pound bakers, 10 franc. Meat is out of sight. A small pie hardly any filling, no laid is 7 franc. Ice cream 2 1-2 franc a very small dish and mostly made of water, cookies 3 for 1 1-4 franc. No fruit except Lemons 1 1-4 franc each. What do you think of these prices, ain't they a fright. The government issues smoking tobacco and chewing. Oh yes choc. candy $400 a pound. The Y. M. C. A. has tobacco and choc. and newspapers for us but goods have been hard for them to get, on account of congested traffic in France.
The weather is very rainy, no snow yet. Dear and wife did not go south this year. I would like to went but no danger of that this winter. I will be glad when they start us back, so can get busy again. Well Doctor we have good clothes for winter and plenty to eat and a fair place to sleep. They furnish us three heavy blankets for bed. Over coat, jerkin, raincoat, mittens, sweater, two pair shoes, socks, heavy underwear, blouse, trousers, leggings, shirt makes a good outfit for winter. Well Doctor will close and hope you have a good winter at home and believe me we will go fishing when I return. Fishing no good here. I have never seen a fish here, some rabbits. The water is nothing extra either it seems to be bitter and I believe acts on the bowels. I hope mother gets my mail regular for I know how she is when she don't. Since the armistice I know the people back home feel better, to go to bed and think that the big guns have ceased firing, and that some poor fellow isn't getting knocked off just on account of the Kaiser. Believe me the barrage the Yanks put over on November 11 at Saint Michael sector, shook the shingles right off my billet why long range guns from Verdun were singing over my head, shooting 15 miles. When they explode, everything goes around it and the hole in the ground you could bury an elephant without any trouble. You don't see any glass in windows, all been shook out by shell fire. I have seen some very bad aeroplane accidents, aeroplane battles.
To sum the whole thing up France is 100 years behind times and Luxemburg about the same. England is a little better, Liverpool where I landed after being on Atlantic 13 days is a large city and modern. The English are very neat about their property but the French are just the opposite. I must not forget to tell you about a few pests that rank next to Boche and that is fleas, "cooties" or old grey back lice. I have slept in straw, stacks where the fleas would absolutely get on my neck and face by the thousands, take a bite out of you then hop off. After a fellow has hiked 10 to 15 miles with heavy pack and then run into those fleas at night it is no joke. We made a hike of two weeks from Troyon France to Diekirch with heavy pack a distance of 150 miles and rain every day and slept in some old barn, school house, etc. at night with bully beef and hard bread for dinner we call this iron rations.
"Cooties" are the pest of our lives, it is impossible to dispose of them at any length of time, they get on our underwear and at night they sock it to you and a mosquito bite is not in it at all. They lay eggs on your shirt and hatch very fast, a cootie becomes a grandfather in short time. They are hard to kill. Rats in France by the millions, they run over you at night.
Well space is short now and will close, hoping you are well again and that the winter be mild.
Very truly yours,
PVT. EARLE A. MUDGE,
33 Military Police Co.
A. P. O. 750
American Exp. Forces, France
Via New York
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(newspaper clipping)From Luxemburg
Private Earle A. Mudge Writes Another Readable Letter to His Friend, Dr. Cleveland
Diekirch, Luxemburg, Feb. 25.
Dear Friend Dr. B. L. Cleveland — Your pleasing letter of Feb. 8 came through a distance of 4,000 miles of congested transportation "toot sweet."
A civilian would judge by the guard duty we do in rain, snow or slush that rheumatism would conquer the Yank before "boche." Nay, nay. The hours of the soldier, regular meals and mostly the physical exercises are a terror to disease.
In the evening soldiers will be lined up around their bunks, made by 'filling a bed sack with shavings and covered with shelter half or 0. D. blanket and off comes the O. D. shirt — then the undershirt, where with your searching eye you crush the daylights out of an insect with pleasure. This process of holding the shirt and searching by candle light is called by soldiers as a question, "Reading the evening paper?" Blame poor news, believe me.
Beside our billet is an enormous hill upon the top of which you can see with strong field glasses Belgium, France and Germany proper. Therefore they say the reason for Luxemburg army not having any heavy artillery is: A shot fired will not land on their own soil, get me? (Small colony.)
On Feb. 27 the 33rd division holds a house show at Diekirch to which are expected 10,000 visitors and 600 horses. Now believe me Doctor, the military police will have their hands full to keep management or orders in unison. In the army lots of dough¬boys will holler or say, "Who won the war? M. P.'s?" or "Mother take down your service flag, your son's in the M. P.'s." Nevertheless a military policeman has no easy task enforcing the laws of Uncle Sam's army.
There is a Catholic church in this village, built the year 1100. No services held in it — age has condemned it.
In your tour of Europe you probably noticed the old castles, built on high hilltops, the old homes of the duchess, very interesting to tourists.
A. W. O. L. (absent without leave) laws are very strict here, a soldier going A. W. O. L. and caught is forwarded to a labor unit, to do hard labor until the government sees fit to release them.
It is a stated fact that they are the last to leave France.
We are listed at the present time to sail in May. Hope it is true, and to embark at Rotterdam.
The Ford brothers, Bert and Austin, correspond with me regularly. They are in France. Bert sails a month before me as to orders.
The Ives brothers, Ben and Edwin, are near me, but it seems impossible to see them. Just imagine, I was in Bettemburg, where Ben was stationed, and I'll be blamed if I knew he was there at the time.
Our company of 200 men from all states in the union are to be mounted, either a horse, bicycle or motorcycle. I want a bicycle — no engine trouble.
It will interest you to know what a soldier has in the army of occupation: Two O. D. shirts, one oversea hat, one winter cap, two trousers (long pants), two blouses, three pair socks (heavy), two pair hobnail shoes, two pair leggings, two pair underwear (heavy), one overcoat, one raincoat, one leather jerkin, one shelter-half, one Red Cross sweater, three O. D. blankets, no pillow (but I have one with real feathers in, too), one towel, toothbrush, shaving brush, Gillette razor, steel mirror, mess cover, knife, fork and spoon, one pair overshoes, steel helmet, gas mask, canteen and cover, first-aid packet, 45-caliber automatic holster, two clips and pockets, one pair heavy mitters, one pair wool gloves, one pack carrier, field belt, waist belt.
Doctor, I will close with the soldier's prayer:
Now I lay me down to sleep,
I pray the Lord my soul to keep.
Grant no other soldier take
My socks or shoes before I wake.
Take me back into the land,
Where people walk without a band,
Where no thrilling bugle blows,
And where the laundries wash the clothes.
God, Thou knowest all my woes,
Give me back my civilian clothes.
Take me back — I'll promise then,
Never to enlist again — Amen.
Yours sincerely,
PVT. EARLE A. MUDGE.
33 Military Police Co., A. P. O. 750,
A. E. F., France
Photo of WWI Military Policemen non copyrighted.
Neither men are E.A. Mudge.
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