NEWS: Lieutenant H. D. DRAVO Writes Home, 1918, Blair County, pA

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EVENTS OF FRENCH BATTLEFIELDS VIVIDLY PROTRAYED BY WRITER

Lieutenant H. D. Dravo, of Company 2, 21st Engineers, Writes Very Interesting 
Letters to His Wife of the Thrilling Events of the Battlefields of France

  Many interesting and thrilling events of the battlefields of France are 
most vividly and faithfully portrayed in the following extracts from letters 
received by Mrs. Margaret Duncan Dravo, from her husband, Lieutenant H. D. 
Dravo, of Company C, Twenty-first Engineers, of the American Expeditionary 
Forces in France.  Lieutenant Dravo is located at the northwestern section, 
in close proximity to the battle line, and seen many wonderful and exciting 
things that are ever occurring there.
    Thursday, July, 4, 1918.
  "The excitement started about 1 o'clock this morning, when we were awakened 
by the most horrible screams, and there was Noke standing in the middle of 
the floor holding his left ear and at periodic intervals emitting perfectly 
fearful screams.  We didn't know what in the world to do with Mike until he 
said he probably had a bug in his ear, whereupon we poured water in his ear 
and out walked a bug about three-fourths of an inch long, which had evidently 
selected Mike's ear as a fine suite for a new home.
  "The field day started about 9.30, and they had tugs-of-war, potato races, 
sack races, etc.  I stayed until about 11/30 and then H--- and I decided that 
there was too much of a crowd, so we took the motorcycle and went over to C--
- to get lunch.  When we got there we found the French were celebrating the 
Fourth, too, as the whole town was decorated with flags.  We went to the 
hotel for lunch and were sitting at a little table, while about a dozen 
French officers were seated at a big table.  We were almost through lunch 
when the waitress brought wine glasses around and filled every one's glasses, 
and then came to our table and filled a glass for each of us, and then the 
French officers all arose and one of them made a speech in English about the 
Fourth being the birthday of our freedom, and that as France and America were 
now fighting side by side for the freedom of the world it was only fitting 
that they drink a toast to us as their brothers in arms.
  "So they all said, "Vive l'Amerique," and I replied in very poor French.  
H--- and I were terribly embarrassed, but we proposed a toast to France, and 
I made a speech in English and told them how happy we were to be with them, 
how fine they all had been to us and what a privilege it was to be associated 
with such splendid men.  The officer who spoke English translated for me, and 
they cheered wildly.  Then they asked us to come to their table and they 
opened champagne and there were more toasts.  Then they took us to the 
"Circque des Officers", or Officers' club, and there was more champagne and 
more toasts, and I decided that discretion was the better part of valor, so 
we made graceful farewells and left, after promising to meet them on the 14th 
and celebrate the Fall of the Bastile (sic) with them.  So we mounted our 
faithful motorcycle and came home after having helped to cement the 
international friendship.
  "It was really the funniest party I've ever been at, because it started 
from absolutely nothing, and by the time we left had gathered considerable 
momentum.  They had boxing and base ball here this afternoon and C company 
won the base ball game.  Tonight they are having a dance over at H. O., but 
as usual with their dances, I am among those absent.
    Sunday, July 7, 1918.
  "I got up at 7.30 this morning and was standing behind the hut washing when 
I heard some of the men say, "There's a fight," and then, "There he comes."  
We saw an aeroplane fall out of the sky, and turning and tumbling like a 
wounded bird, it crashed to earth about a mile away, and we saw the cloud of 
dust where it lit.  I got on the motorcycle and rushed up to where it had 
fallen.  When we got there there were a number of soldiers around, but we 
pushed through the crowd and appointed non-coms to help push the men back.  
The colonel and the two majors were there looking through the wreckage for 
parts of the camera.  The machine was a Rumpler, two-seater, and was just a 
heap of wreckage.  One man was buried under the wings, while the legs of the 
pilot were sticking out to one side, and on the opposite side of the machine 
was the other man.
  "They found the camera lens intact and salvaged that, and Major Pugh got 
all the pieces of the map they could find.  Then they dragged the men out to 
search them, and they were horrible sights, every bone in their bodies being 
broken, and their heads and faces mangled beyond recognition.  It wasn't a 
bit pretty.  One of them; the pilot, was a lieutenant name Karl Lehman, and 
the other was a private.  The pilot had an iron cross which a gendarme got.  
They were rather roughly dressed, but the lieutenant's finger nails were 
manicured and highly polished.  There was a cap lying about ten feet from the 
wreck, which I picked up, and as you asked for German souvenir, I am sending 
it to you.  You will note how cheaply it is made.
  "Surely we Americans are souvenir fiends, par excellence, for the soldiers 
carried off about half the wreck and I am ashamed to say, they would have 
stripped the two Germans if we hadn't prevented it.  As it was, one man got 
the lieutenant's shoes, and when I went back later, one of his socks was 
gone.  I took the cap because it was fallen apart from the rest, but as to 
taking stuff from their persons, it savored too much of the ghoul.  There's 
really not much difference between taking his cap and snipping buttons from 
him, but I draw the line at the latter, although Major R. took a little ring 
from his finger, although he turned it over to the French later.
  "Noke and I left and came back here for breakfast and, in spite of the fact 
that we had just viewed two mangled human remains, ate a normal breakfast.  
After Breakfast I took Steve up, and on our way back Colonel Peek hailed us 
and told me to take a sergeant of gendarmes back and help the French 
establish a guard.  It seems the French authorities had complained about the 
Americans souvenir snatching, so I took the bird back and we placed a guard, 
and then some French soldiers came up and relieved our men."
  "About 11 three Boche planes came over, circled the place where the other 
lay and then flew back.  The two aviators who brought the Boche down came 
over about noon and lunched at headquarters.  It seems that they are not 
fighters, but were daylight bombers, and just happened to meet the Boche and 
fired three shots at him, shooting him down from a height of 4,000 meters, or 
well over two miles, so you see they had some fall.  I am writing this early, 
because we are going to have five French officers for dinner at 6 o'clock, so 
I wouldn't be through in time to get this letter off on the mail train 
tonight.
  "The entente cordiale between the French officers and the officers of 
Company C is very good, and there's to be a dinner at C--- next Sunday.  
These French officers are delightful fellows, though they are quite a little 
older than we are, on the average."

Altoona Tribune, Saturday morning, August 10, 1918, page 4