Sidney Towner Phelan letter to mother - August 29, 1918
Transcript
August 29, 1918 [censor’s stamp]Dearest Mother Our repos has ended now and we have been given an alert that is a notice to prepare for work on an instant's notice. I suppose that by tomorrow or next day we will be either in action or very busy on rear work with the latter the most probable.The communiques certainly bring us wonderful news.
Transcript
I don't expect the end this year but it isn't entirely impossible. To show the way this section feels about it numerous bets have been placed that a certain most important city will be taken by [January] 1st. and military duties tell us that when that city falls the Germans must clear out of France entirely or risk a large scale disaster. I know that now I look on the end of the war with the certainty that it can't outlast 1919 whereas before
Transcript
it was to me most indefinite and distant, about all I was sure of was that eventually the end would come and we would win. One of our greatest occupations now is reading old numbers of the Literary Digest and seeing how far from the mark are newspaper predictions. Most of them are rotten but Frank Simonds manages to hit the mark pretty well. I would like to know what that gentleman thinks the Bosche will be able to do in their efforts to exploit Russia, particularly in regard to the manpower question. A miracle in that direction before next spring might conceivably save them but not for long. The public at home can certainly swallow a lot of loud boasting and believe it. Some of the published letters from the front are awful read those published in the Literary Digest and shudder. Lots of love, Towner
Details
| Title | Sidney Towner Phelan letter to mother - August 29, 1918 |
| Creator | Phelan, Sidney Towner |
| Source | Phelan, Sidney Towner. Letter to mother. 29 August 1918. Sidney Towner Phelan Papers, 1899-1960. A1209. Missouri History Museum, Saint Louis, Missouri. |
| Description | Sidney Towner Phelan, a St. Louis, Missouri native, wrote this letter to his Mother while serving as a volunteer ambulance driver in France during World War I. In this letter, Phelan wrote that his unit had been given an alert notice. The notice told them to be prepared for work at a moments notice. Phelan also mentioned reading innacurate newspaper reporting on the war. |
| Subject LCSH | World War, 1914-1918--France; World War, 1914-1918--Newspapers; World War, 1914-1918--Public opinion |
| Subject Local | WWI; World War I |
| Site Accession Number | A1209 |
| Contributing Institution | Missouri History Museum |
| Copy Request | Transmission or reproduction of items on these pages beyond those allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the Missouri History Museum: 314-746-4510 |
| 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. Contact the Missouri History Museum's Permissions Office at 314-746-4511 to obtain written consent. |
| Date Original | August 29, 1918 |
| Language | English |