NEWS: Blair County Soldiers, August 21, 1918, Blair County, PA

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NEWS OF SERVICE MEN AT HOME AND ABROAD

Fighting Tenth Is Holding Up Reputation in France, According to Col. Kemp

  Colonel George E. Kemp, commander of the 110th regiment, has sent home a 
German  helmet to Colonel Sylvester Bonnaffon, whom he succeeded as colonel of 
the Third regiment before it was merged with the Fighting Tenth and made the 
110th at Camp Hancock.  The presentation was made by Rev. F. A. La Violette, a 
Y.M.C.A. secretary, who brought the trophy back home.  He praised the 110th for 
its great fighting and the gallantry of the boys that compose it and told of the 
part the boys played in driving back the Huns.
  Lawrence J. Hatch, of 906 Howard avenue, has been commissioned a lieutenant in 
the quartermaster's corps and is now connected with the finance department at 
Camp Hancock, Ga.
  Lieutenant Leo P. Tiernan, of 2213 Eighth avenue, the well known draftsman 
formerly employed in the office of the mechanical engineer of the P.R.R. and son 
of the late T. J. Tiernan and Mrs. Annie Tiernan, of 1328 Second avenue, has 
been ordered to report to his regiment, now stationed at Fort Benjamin Harrison, 
Indiana.  Lieutenant already has a brother in the service, James V., who 
enlisted several months ago in the medical corps and is now stationed at Fort 
Oglethorpe, Ga.
  Lieutenant Ralph Love, of 1714 Second avenue, departed yesterday morning for 
Cleveland, O., after spending a brief furlough with his parents in this city.  
He has been located at Cleveland for some time but now has been assigned to the 
school of musketry.  He was commissioned a lieutenant while attending State 
college.
  Vincent Ryan, who made his home with his brother, Arnold F. Ryan, of 19 
Washington avenue, has arrived safely overseas, according to news that reached 
his brother on Monday.  He was sent from this city and was trained at Camp Lee.
  Robert E. Fleck, of the Nineteenth company, Second motor mechanics' regiment, 
signal, now in France, in a letter to his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Samuel A. Fleck, 
of 1622 Fourth avenue, says everything over there is about like it is over here.  
He says he is enjoying good health but that he has been bothered by mosquitoes.
  Corporal Harry E. Loomis, of the Fifteenth ambulance company, has sent his 
mother, Mrs. M. M. Loomis, of 726 Eleventh avenue, a helmet that he secured from 
a Hun in France.  It is of steel but nothing in the form of a letter accompanied 
it.  The mother expects a letter soon telling how it was captured.
  Mr. and Mrs. Charles Snyder, of 2329 Beale avenue, have received a letter from 
their son, Sergeant W. J. Snyder, of company B, Forty-ninth Engineers.  The 
soldier gives a description of the shops that have been built by the Americans 
and says that work is being done on U.S. cars and engines.  He wants news from 
home and asks that he be sent papers.
  Mr. and Mrs. F. B. Snyder, of Roaring Spring, have received letters from their 
sons, Paul and Raymond, who volunteered on the same day for service in the field 
artillery, saying that they had arrived safely in France.  They were trained at 
Camp Jackson, S. C., and previous to entering the army were employed in the 
Pennsy shops in this city.
  Mr. and Mrs. D. W. Boyle, of 1505 Eighth avenue, have received several letters 
from their son Joseph, of Company I, 52nd infantry, over seas.  He trained at 
Camp Upton, leaving for France the fifth of July and reaching over there on the 
17th.  He has been through many towns in France and says that all the people a 
fellow can see over there are women, who do all sorts of work from farming to 
running electric cars.
  On the ship going over, young Boyle was with several other Altoonans in the 
service and didn't want for companions.  He says while they did not sight any 
"subs," they passed several schools of sharks, which so well resembled U-boats 
as to cause not a little unquietude on board ship.
  When they disembarked on the other side, it was pouring down rain so they got 
soaked through.  The French people were so overjoyed to see the boys that they 
offered them their best.  Eight of them were taken into the upper room of the 
house in which lived an old couple, who had given several boys to the Allied 
cause and who were very kind and considerate of their soldier guests.
  They were after that moved from one town to another and had ample time to look 
about them.  In one large city they were taken through a big cathedral which 
took them two and a half hours to see through.  He could not, however, give the 
name of the cathedral or those of the various cities they went through, but the 
presence of the cathedral intact argues that they are some distance from the 
firing line.  At the date of the last letter (July 28) his company had not been 
placed as yet, but they are anticipating getting into action at an early date.

Altoona Tribune, Wednesday morning, August 21, 1918, page 2

JUNIATA

LEAVES FOR SERVICE

  Miss Olive, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. H. E. Wert, of 1700 Ninth avenue, left 
yesterday for Camp Wheeler, Macon, Georgia, where she will enter the United 
States army school to train as a war nurse.  Miss Wert is a graduate of the 1913 
class of Juniata High school.

Altoona Tribune, Wednesday morning, August 21, 1918, page 8

NEWS OF SERVICE MEN

  Horace and Robert Bracken, grandsons of the late John W. Bracken, of 
Hollidaysburg, are in the thick of the fight in France.  While in a cavalry 
charge across No Man's Land Horace saw a large shell coming in his direction.  
He immediately sprang from his horse into a shell hole and escaped, while his 
horse was blown into pieces.  Robert was gassed at Chateau Thierry and is in a 
hospital.
  Darwin F. Bardell, of 308 Mulberry street, a limited service man of the local 
draft board, will be sent next week to Sackett's Harbor, New York, where he will 
be trained as a photographer and draftsman in the military aeronautics corps.  
Mr. Bardell is an artist who has accumulated quite a store of army and camp 
views and scenes.
  Rev. George A. Ehrgood, pastor of St. John's Reformed church at Northfield, 
who is a chaplain in the United States army, and is now on a short furlough, 
said yesterday that he is just recovering from a severe attack of ptomaine 
poisoning, with which eighty of the soldiers in his camp were seized.

Altoona Tribune, Wednesday morning, August 21, 1918, page 8