First Impressions of France

For First Lieutenant Walter C. Blalock of the 4^th Division, his first impressions of France were those of appreciating its beauties while lamenting its wartime poverty.

    "France is living with three meatless days and no white bread on any day," wrote Blalock. "Water has to be advertised to have it drunk, but that doesn’t mean the people are all drunkards. They drink a sweet wine at all times and a non-intoxicating beer, so the American soldier is O.K. as far as booze is concerned. It is impossible for him to buy anything except the light wines and light beer and I have yet to see a drunk American."

    "Walks on the Boulevard that runs along the coast were the most popular form of amusement for we Americanos, as we are called. The children are as pretty and cute as we find in our own states and soon discover that the American soldiers are their friends and most every soldier has a little girl or boy for their playmates. Personally, I picked out a little girl about five years old who was as pretty as any I’ve ever seen. She and I became very good chums and now she is a firm believer in the Stars and Stripes."

    Lieutenant Blalock's letter, one of several published in the Hicksville Tribune during the war, first saw publication in its June 20, 1918, edition. 

An unknown French village with American troops

Somewhere in France

May 27, 1918

          Our first sight of France filled us with wonder at the beautiful coast sights. The large windmills, beautiful flowers, and the beautiful stone buildings all made us wonder if this was the wartime France of which we had read so much. Then at our rest camp along the coast we were privileged to enjoy French hospitality and make friends with our Allies, especially the feminine part.

          Walks on the Boulevard that runs along the coast were the most popular form of amusement for we Americanos, as we are called. Luckily, we are able to buy chocolate candy from the Q.M. and a very common sight was to see an American officer with a few French girls, a French officer with probably six or seven children sitting on a bench eating chocolate. The children are as pretty and cute as we find in our own states and soon discover that the American soldiers are their friends and most every soldier has a little girl or boy for their playmates. Personally, I picked out a little girl about five years old who was as pretty as any I’ve ever seen. She and I became very good chums and now she is a firm believer in the Stars and Stripes. Before I left, I gave her a little badge of an American flag and she wears it all times, if she hasn’t lost it.

          We left this camp along the coast for our new station on the other side of France. It was some trip, three days and nights traveling third class upon a French train. The engines look like the 4-spot used by the B.&O. at Garrett and think they are breaking a record if they make over 15 miles per hour. The coaches are divided into compartments with room for ten people to sit. We had seven in our compartment and were supposed to sleep there. We curled up like a litter of pups and then could not sleep on account of the frequent “Wabash jerks” that kept piling us up in a bunch.

          In crossing France, we passed through many large cities and in each we found American girls doing canteen service, which means serving white bread and coffee to the troops passing through. Welcome? Well, I’ve never seen a sight quite as welcome as an American girl serving hot coffee at a French stop. Probably we soldiers deserve credit for what we are doing, but don’t forget the American ladies who are serving here as entertainers, Y.M.C.A. workers, nurses, and canteen workers. They are certainly deserving of much credit and perhaps some day will receive the reward due them.

          We passed many French troop trains, some of them hospital trains, some troops taking advantage of a 10-day leave for their homes, and some going to the front. Whenever we were in the same station with them, we were surrounded with the French soldiers who wished cigarettes and such luxuries that only the American soldier is able to enjoy.

American troops riding to the front on the infamous 40 and 8 boxcars. 

          One very sad or rather good incident occurred at a city where we stopped for 40 minutes. A French soldier came up to our care and said hello in real English. He had learned it at the front from our soldiers. I gave him a package of cigarettes and as I was eating candy at the time, I offered him some. He took a couple of pieces and placed them in his pocket. Then he took a picture of a baby, probably 3 years old, from his pocket and showed me that. He was taking the candy to her. Then he told me that he had not seen her for two years and that he had been on the front all this time with no leave. Of course, I gave him the rest of the candy and if thanks are worth much, I’m a millionaire today. It does seem hard to think of a man being away from home, wife and child, for two years at a place where tomorrow may be the end of everything. But such is war life.

          France is living with three meatless days and no white bread on any day. Water has to be advertised to have it drunk, but that doesn’t mean the people are all drunkards. They drink a sweet wine at all times and a non-intoxicating beer, so the American soldier is O.K. as far as booze is concerned. It is impossible for him to buy anything except the light wines and light beer and I have yet to see a drunk American.

Source:

Letter from First Lieutenant Walter Colin Blalock, 12^th Machine Gun Battalion, 4^th Division, Hicksville Tribune (Ohio), June 20, 1918, pg. 1