My stuff was so moth eaten that I had to give all my clothes away, keeping only souvenirs.

By March 1919 Grant Willard had been away from home for nearly two years. It was the longest stretch of time that he had ever been, indeed would ever be, separated from loved ones in his life. As you will notice from this series of letters and diary entries, he was excited and anxious to return home and get on with life.


Bretzenhem, Germany,
March 15, 1919.

Dear Dad:-

[General Order] 40 has just arrived.  It’s an order regarding demobilization on foreign soil of officers and men who enlisted in the American Army on foreign soil.  We will be demobilized over here unless we file an application to be transported to America and demobilized through regular military channels there.  By filing such an application we waive all claims on transportation or transportation money to the place of enlistment.  Demobilization through regular military channels means that we will be shipped to the military camp nearest our home.  I would go to Ft. Snelling for my discharge papers, as I read the order.

Now then, should I decide to receive my discharge on this side: After reaching Base Camp with the section this month or the first of next I would be sent to a small place near Tours called St. Agnant, there to remain probably a week before the papers were ready.  Then with $60 which is paid to every soldier as he is discharged I would be turned loose—a free man once again.  Where would I go and what would I do?  Probably the first thing I would do is wire for money.  That’s where you come in and, as you will see before I finish this letter, yours would be no small part.  Next would come the battle of Paris—packing and repacking my trunk, looking over my civilian clothes and trying to get into them.  I have no idea they’ll fit and even if they do they are pretty badly moth eaten.  My old Norton-Harjes uniform is so badly eaten that it is impossible.  I wouldn’t wear an army uniform so 9 to 1 I would have to buy a suit of civilians.  Prices in Paris are worse now than they have ever been.  70 francs a day is as fair an estimate as I can make under present conditions.  Then would come the tussle for passage home.  Everything leaving French ports is now reserved until the middle of May.  Everything leaving England is even worse.  By the time we get in it would be impossible to make a booking before the latter part of June.  In the meantime I would hike for England where living conditions are much more reasonable.  If I had the money I should like to spend a month in England but it would take more than I care to ask for unless I ran on to some very kind friends.  Under this plan I should be fortunate to arrive in America by the latter part of July.


The other plan: Stick with the section.  Get 24 hours in Paris when we turn our cars in.  Send my trunk home either by American Express Co. @ 75 francs per 100 lbs. with $1000 insurance or let the Govt. send it home for nothing with no insurance.  Board a transport probably sometime around the middle of April and arrive the latter part of April or the first part of May (I hope.)  Then I understand we go to Camp Dix, New Jersey.  If all right with you I will endeavor to get my discharge at Camp Dix instead of Ft. Snelling and spend awhile with Dot before coming west.  This plan will only require enough money to keep me going in the east and pay my expenses to Minnesota.  To get mustered out over here I figure would cost $500 if I were to see England at all which would be the strongest argument in favor of staying.  To be taken back by the army wouldn’t cost me more than a fifth of $500, I shouldn’t think.

Needless to say I have decided to follow out the latter course.

I would like to see England but it isn’t worth the money now.  Conditions are bad over here now.  There are hundreds of people waiting for transportation.  The American Army has control of the majority of boats between here and America so much so that the Canadians are pretty peeved.  In the meantime Paris and French base ports as well as London and Liverpool are swarming with people of all descriptions waiting to get out.  Prices in France have soared sky-high.  England has managed to regulate prices in such a way that living isn’t so terribly expensive over there.  But transportation being so uncertain makes definite plans and budgets impossible.

Am enclosing a picture of the section taken beside our barracks in Mainz.  In the background can be seen a few of the German cannon turned in to the French according to the Armistice terms.  That is—the terms as the Germans tried to read them—but the majority of the stuff turned in was junked because of its antiquity and modern guns required.

The mark is worth 50 centimes up here now.

Love,
  Grant.

P.S. Don’t try to send me any money.  I’ll wire for some if I need it—when I’m safe in the States.
GRW.

* * * *

Bretzenheim, Germany.
March 24, 1919

Dear Mother:-

Have just come back from Coblenz and am very tired but must write you now because I may not get another chance for some time.  Since Sgt. Snader left for Poland in Relief work I have taken on his job as mess sgt and my trip to Coblenz today was for the purpose of buying supplies for our trip into Paris.  When I left here with Johnny Taylor in his car this morning it was with order to buy enough food for a 10 day trip into Paris on flat cars.  The French objected to a convoy because of the price of gasoline so they planned on making up a freight train for three sections (644, 649 and 647) and sending us in on a freight special.  Needless to say, we were disappointed because we have been looking forward to a convoy along the old battle front for a long time.

When we returned this evening, with not nearly so much food as I should have liked, it was to find that the transportation order had been changed because of a shortage of freight cars and that we are to convoy to Paris, leaving as soon as is convenient after the 25th. Well now!  We aren’t going to waste much time in convenience.  If we can clean up what more there is to do around here in one more day I think that day after tomorrow, Wednesday, March 26, will find us on the road at a très bonne heure.  Our route will take us right down the old line and give us a good chance to see some interesting country.  However, poor roads may necessitate changes in route.  The weather has been quite disagreeable of late so that soft roads are going to be not only slow but dangerous.

Haven’t heard from you all for sometime, accountable is the fact that our mail is probably being held in Paris for us.  Am not worried—very happy at the present prospects of getting out of here and starting our long trip home.

Heaps of love,
Son.

* * * *

Wednesday, March 26:

Left Bretzenheim this A.M. about 7 o’clock en convoy for Paris. A beautiful day but cold. We came by way of Kaierslautern reaching St. Avold about 5 P.M. for the first night. ‘Twas a good jump--about 215 km. Every car present except the Packard & kitchen which pulled in about dusk.

Thursday, March 27:

Made a 7 o’clock start for St. Menehould via Metz & Verdun. We passed through Metz about 10:30 stopping at the Parc for food supplies. By noon we were in Verdun coming in by way of Belfort. The roads were terrible coming across no-man’s-land, but it was well worth the risk of broken springs. The weather was cold and raining. Before entering the city we came right down past our old hospital at Beauveaux over the same roads we traveled a year ago last August when excitement was keen. We laid over in Verdun 3 hours during which time Astlett, Hap, Fratz, Johnnie & myself jumped in Eric’s car and made the Citern, Lasource and Carrière Sud. The most interesting trip I ever took. The devastation is greater than any of us have seen before or since--beyond imagination. Our posts looked very much the same. Many nurses & Am. officers are sight seeing up there now.

647 in Verdun, March 1919

After running through snow, rain and wind all afternoon we reached St. Menehould about 5 P.M. and spent the night there. We are all soaked to the skin, but happy because we are on our way home.

Friday, March 28:

Made a late start (9 A.M.) for Rheims [Reims]. Weather rotten! Passed down through pernay and along the Rheims front. Roads bad and once we had to turn around in no-man’s-land because the road had not yet been repaired. We reached Rheims about 4:30 P.M. every car present and running fine. Went to bed early.

Near Reims, France

Saturday, March 29:

Spent the day in Rheims seeing the city and working on my car. Weather still rotten! Rheims is a wreak and I don’t see how in the world it is ever going to be repaired though some civilians who have returned are very hopeful, others are very pessimistic. The Cathedral is already being repaired. Of the 20,000 houses in Rheims 13,000 are total wrecks and 2,000 more are called "irreparable." I didn’t see a single building which had not been hit at least once. The most of this had not been done since 1917. The amount of destruction around the Cathedral shows very clearly that the Boche intended that this edifice should be totally wrecked. Not one shell of the many which hit the Cathedral exploded within its walls. Only one entered the building without passing through it and this one was a “dud.”

Reims Cathedral (2010)

Sunday, March 30:

Made a 7 o’clock start this A.M. for Meaux via Chateau-Thierry. A rather interesting day, but not to be compared with the others. Reached Meaux about 3:30 and Woodie & I arranged a section feed for the boys downtown. We had a good feed and good time. 

Monday, March 31:

Pulled into Paris this A.M. about 11 o’clock and parked our cars at St. Cloud. We are given until 11:30 tomorrow A.M. in Paris to arrange personal matters. Hap, Fratz and I went in reserved a room at the [Hotel] États Unis and got busy on baggage. My stuff at the [Hotel] Mt. Thabor was so moth eaten that I had to give all my clothes away, keeping only souvenirs. We ate this evening at Viares. In the evening we went to the casino.