Hampton B. Ball letter to home - March 9, 1919
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Cadillac, France. March, 9, 1919. Dear Home, I told you some time ago that I was going to move and that I hoped to be home by today. I am not at home as you can see but I am only about twenty miles from Bourdeaux I can not tell when I will leave France as we have to await our turn. It may be a week and it may be a month or more. So all I can do is to wait. I suppose you have seen in the papers that the 82nd Division is to leave here in April but do not believe all you see in the papers and stop writing. If I do not get all your letters here I will get them
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in the states and that will do just as well. This is the first real town I have had the luck to live in since I came to France. There is beaucoup of every thing here. A movie every night, band concert in the afternoon and lots of things to eat. I wish I could bring each of you some thing from France but I can not carry much. I am getting a few things I can use in future life too. Do not feel bad because I do not bring a trunk full because there is a limit to what one can carry in a pack. I got Fans letter ([February] 9) a day or two ago. It was the
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first I have had from any one for three weeks and was certainly welcome. I do not know what is the matter with my mail. The other boys are all getting theirs O.K. and I only get a few of mine. I have not had a letter from Hunter's since about Xmas and have been wondering what the matter is. I also hear from Palmers' very seldom and still they tell me that they write each week. I would have given a great deal to have been there when Evan Norton arrived. I bet there was something doing all right. I tried to find the Troy boys on the train the day
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I met them outside of Le Bourboule but only had a few minutes so could not find them. I will never for get the night I met them in the trenches. My school job played out when I came to this town so I have been drilling three hours every morning since I got here. I hope school starts again soon because I had begun to get interested in that bunch we had. The time passes fast here tho so that will help to shorten my stay in France. I suppose you will no be surprised much when you find I can speak very little French. I have taken
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very little interest in it. In fact I have been too busy at other things. As for girls, which by the way is the best way to learn French, I have seen only one since I have been in France who was anything like a real girl. I used to go there every Saturday night and have her cook me a regular supper. She could cook anything she had which wasn't much, but it tasted good to me. She was very intelligent and would make a fine wife for some fellow but not for me. Well they just told me that I must get up early in the morning so I must stop and go to bed.
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I will write again soon. Dont fail to keep up your letters. May be I will get some of them. Love to all Hamp. P.S. I have two little kid friends, a boy and girl, about 4 and 5 years old who live only a short ways up the street. Bright kids both of them. [censor signature]
Details
Title | Hampton B. Ball letter to home - March 9, 1919 |
Creator | Ball, Hampton B. |
Source | Ball, Hampton B. Letter to home. 09 March 1919. Ball, Hampton B., Papers, 1918-1919. C3935. The State Historical Society of Missouri, Columbia, MO. |
Description | In this March 9, 1919 letter to his home in Troy Missouri, Hampton B. Ball speculated when he would return to the United States. Ball served in the 82nd Division, 326th Infantry during World War I. |
Subject LCSH | World War, 1914-1918; United States. Army. Division, 82nd; United States. Army. Infantry Regiment, 326th |
Subject Local | WWI; World War I |
Site Accession Number | C3935 |
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 | March 9, 1919 |
Language | English |