Sidney Towner Phelan letter to mother - June 2, 1918
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June 2, 1918 [censor’s stamp] Dearest Mother, At present I am not complaining of quiet inactivity. You will have read in the papers just what is going on now. We aren't and haven't been doing "front work" but the rear work in this action is interesting intensely so and not devoid of what makes action. We have covered lots of ground and seen a great variety of contrasting scenes. The French, as always, are magnificent. Their organiz-
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ation seems perfect and their morale is wonderful. After the first day I saw some chasseurs going up to stop them. In one day the fruits of two years of successful offensives had gone and they knew it but they were as cheerful and confident as after a successful offensive of their own! The French everywhere show complete superiority whenever the odds are at all near even. The other day at _______ three of their divisions attacked positions held by 1
Transcript
week as I had no time and then there was a slight interruption of the mail service. The weather is simply ideal for action. I have slept out on the ground on two occasions and it is quite a fine place to sleep. Today the mail came and I got a nice bunch of letters six of them two from you and one from Janet. Janet's picture gave me an awful shock. I didn't dream she had grown so much. She is a wonderful beauty. I am surely glad that Val is flying now. Hope he gets over soon. There will be plenty for him to do. In my wanderings I have seen some of our troops and they are wonderfully fit. They are almost all big husky young fellows and look like they are ready to take on anyone. It's great to know that in a year or two there will be enough over here to finish the job. Lots of love, Towner
Details
| Title | Sidney Towner Phelan letter to mother - June 2, 1918 |
| Creator | Phelan, Sidney Towner |
| Source | Phelan, Sidney Towner. Letter to mother. 2 June 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 described his work in the rear. He also explained how competent the French army was in their fight with the Germans. |
| Subject LCSH | World War, 1914-1918--France |
| 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 | June 2, 1918 |
| Language | English |