Bert C. Ball Letter to Dr. Hans Peter Andersen - June 25, 1917
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Rouen, France June 25th 1917. Dear Hans, I have been intending to write to you for several days but for very important reasons I have neglected to do so. I shall not worry you with unnecessary details only give you in brief statements a little information about our trip and our work. We had a very nice trip from Blackpool to Southampton and across the channel to Havre, France, where we spent a short time in a rest camp and later landed at Rouen the end of a very eventful journey. You would be surprised at the magnitude of the operations that are going on. Something awe-inspiring to us Americans, "Yanks" they call us. My stay in England was enjoyed as much as a privates life in the U.S.A. would permit. Saw something new every day and had a splendid time taking in the sights. Our landing in Havre was our first glimpse at Dear Old France, like England much to be admired for its rural sections. This intensified agriculture has given them one of the prettiest countries from a rural stand point that I can ever hope to witness, England more so than France. Our little journey from Havre to Rouen was spent very pleasantly in a "side-door-sleeper"
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[page 2] I enjoyed it more than any other little trip that we made. The incidents of it are too numerous to mention. The cities are so different from ours that at first we were some what amused at their [ms illegible: 1 wd]. I have visited many parts of Rouen in company with a Frenchman who can speak the Engl. lang. Yesterday I saw the historical remains that relate to Joan of Arc or "Jeanne D'Arc." The place where she was tried, where she last stood before the [ms illegible: 1 wd] the tower she was in prison, the place where she was burned, her Monument and the spot where her ashes were buried. And just lots of other places, the most conspicuous of which are the ancient Cathedrals, which are glorious works of Ancient and Mediaivel art. Nothing definite can be told about the size of our little home here, lest we are becoming very well established, even with a small shortage of men. A word about the medics (students) work might interest you. All except those who got sergeantships, Lucking and Mitchell are doing orderly work in the wards. With this is a great deal of real med-
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[page 3] ical work, not as much however as we hope for later We are a stupendous amount of new material from a medical standpoint. But the exact out come of our little experience I dare not conjecture here because of the lack of knowledge of the plans laid by men higher up for our work. All think & hope it will be good. Health, [ms illegible: 2 wds] isn't any too good. The moist atmosphere with almost daily rains has not agreed with me. Also I have not become accustomed to the army "bill-of-fare," lent hope to in the near future. Say I am still your debtor for a small amount which I shall attempt to revisit with in a month as I want to send some more money along at the same time to have you send me a medical magazine. We are very short on such reading material, having none at all. Also would you kindly have my medical pickwick address changed to the one I shall give you in this letter. Military standing of Medics other than that mentioned is private, except for Fay and myself who are Lance Corporals.
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[page 4] Privileges are ample for the time we have to use them. We have one afternoon off every week which we use to see Rouen & vicinity as long as we remain in bounds. Our little places of abode at present are Bell tents, quite small but sheltering 3 or 4 men each. Hence our opportunities at present are very meager for studying; But most of our medicine & surgery will be learned from actual observation. I might mention a little incident that shows somewhat the sporting side of the war. I talked to a British air-man who happened to be an American & a Princeton graduate and among the many things he told me was the following. When there is an officer of any note captured either in the flying corps or the land troops the air kind flies over the enemy's grounds and drops a note to that affect. If he, the officer, has been killed they drop a wreath with a note attached. The enemy likewise returns such courtesy. That
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appeared to me as taking a rather long chance to show sporting instinct. We have a good base ball team in the unit and fortunately are finding competitors among the Canadians and the Cleveland units which is not so very far away. Hans I must quit as my candle is burning low and they cost two-pence 'a' penny apiece or 5 [cents] or 25 centimes. We have very [ms illegible: 1wd] with [England] & [France] moneys. Give the House Mother, Mrs. Heurn my regards. Also pay my respects to Miss Miller. Joe is not too well pleased with the situation. Best Regards. Bert. C. Ball ad- c/o Base Hospital Unit #21 Army Station London England.
Details
| Title | Bert C. Ball Letter to Dr. Hans Peter Andersen - June 25, 1917 |
| Creator | Ball, Bert C. |
| Source | Ball, Bert C. Bert C. Ball letter to Dr. Hans Peter Andersen. 25 June 1917. Andersen, Hans Peter, Papers, 1909-1920. R0832. The State Historical Society of Missouri, Columbia, MO. |
| Description | In this June 4, 1917, letter to his Washington University colleague Dr. Hans Andersen, Bert C. Ball discussed his perceptions of France and beginning his medical work. Ball, a Missouri native, served as a ward orderly at Base Hospital No. 21 in France during World War I. |
| Subject LCSH | World War, 1914-1918; United States. Army. Base Hospital 21; World War, 1914-1918--Medical care; United States. Army. Medical Corps.; Joan, of Arc, Saint, 1412-1431 |
| Subject Local | WWI; World War I |
| Site Accession Number | R0832 |
| Contributing Institution | The State Historical Society of Missouri |
| Copy Request | Transmission or reproduction of items on these pages beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the State Historical Society of Missouri: 1020 Lowry Street, Columbia, Missouri, 65201-7298. (573) 882-7083. |
| Rights | The text and images contained in this collection are intended for research and educational use only. Duplication of any of these images for commercial use without express written consent is expressly prohibited. |
| Date Original | June 25, 1917 |
| Language | English |