These letters to A.H. BAKER were published in the Jan 8 1919 CALDWELL PRESS: France Nov. 24, 1918 Mr. A.H. BAKER Dear father I will try and write you a few lines. I am getting along good but I am still at the hospital, but will be discharged from it right away. How are you getting along husking corn. I am going where Floyd is, I will surprise him when I get there, he is located at Lemans and I am near Perigueux. Has Allen got home yet? There is plenty of grape wine now but it is too sour for me. Has Raymond started to school or is he not going. How is Van getting along making br____. The weather is not cold here but it is cloudy. How is Aunt Sarah. Tell them I wrote Freda a letter. They ar still making hay here. The frost don't seem to kill anything. are there many rabbits this season? I suppose they are catching quite a few. Does Bonar still keep his grocery open. I don't know where I will spend Thanksgiving at yet it may be on the train. I was on the boat Labor Day, we crossed in less than seven days it was a fast boat. I never was sea sick but when we crossed the English Channel there were lots of sick boys. Well the yanks showed the Germans how it was done. I was sick when my company went up so I could not go along. James CRUM went along. It is raining today. Have you heard anything from Prank SPRINGER? Harry ARMSTRONG's brother is in my company. There is some pretty fine scenery through here. How does the wheat look. Is Ray catching any skunks. Well I will close wishing you a Merry Xmas and Happy New Year. Your son, Pvt. O.L. BAKER Co. L, 884 Inf. A.P.O. 905 A.E.F. ***** Lemans, France Nov. 24, 1918 Mr. A.H. BAKER Dear Father, will write you a short letter today as this is the day we are all expected to write to the old man. We left the state on June 14th and landed the 21st sailed on the Olymphic, it is as large a steamer as they have got. We landed at Southampton, Englad, stayed one day and came over to Havre. Came on a small fast boat, took us about one night to cross the channel and two days to go to the Swiss border, only stayed two weeks and came to the town where we are located at now, population nearly as large as Akron. We are traveling all the time in box cars with hard tack and bully beef, but we are having plenty to eat at present. We have been working most of the time at the camp hospital, several of the boys had the Spanish Influenza. I have never been sick a day since I have been in France and like the country fine. There was no fruit at all this year and nothing at all to hunt. We have a small black pup in our Co. He sleeps in my tent every night, sleeps with one of the boys down under the covers on his feet. You were asking if I ever see anyone i know. I have seen several, her from Orange every week. The 84th division has all went through the classification barracks in town. Think I know where Orange is at, out only about 8 miles from town will now the next letter I get from him. Think we will start home in a few weeks, if we don't we are going up in Germany sure would enjoy the trip, would be cold but we are equipped for any kind of weather have heavy wool socks a pair of rubber hips boots and a leather coat, think we are well equipped as any company in the A.E.F. We certainly had a fine trip coming over seemed as if we were down in a low place in the water, could look up and see the big sharks riding the waves. Did you ever get the company picture I sent. I was cooking at the time the picture was taken, am standing in the kitchen in one picture. I was on a truck most of the time when we were at Chaumaunt and seen a good deal of the country. There were five hundred patients who left the hospital last night for home, went on an American train. The U.S. has several locomotives over here, they certainly show the French trains up in England. Their engines are about the size of SPRINGER's tractors. The only thing they French have are good roads. They are all as good as the paved roads at home. We have the best football team around in this country, have never lost a game this season. Have never seen a bill of corn since leaving the states, the principle crops in France are grapes, wheat and hemp. Hemp is what they make their rope out of. We built us a nice brick stove in our tent yesterday, the other one burnt out, would smoke us out before bed time and freeze us out before time to get up in the morning. You were asking if we had anything to read, there are three english papers printed in this country. We also have plenty of magazines. Do not worry if I don't write often. Although I have all the time necessary I hate to write, am ashamed I don't wrote to several of the home folks that I have heard from. Recieved a letter from the girl where I worked at Hartville. It is dinner time here and only six o'clock at home. Tell everyone around home I am sending them my best and will write sometime. Will close for today wishing you a Merry Xmas and Happy New Year. With the best of love I remain as ever your loving son Floyd To dad and all. Pvt. Floyd BAKER 329 Field Hospital 308 Sanitary Train A.P.O. 762 A.E.F. Joyce Fullen Grove City OH http://www.fullenfamily.com Proud of our National Championship Buckeyes!!!