Letter to Edna from her brother James, December 27, 1918.

Letter to Edna from her brother James, December 27, 1918.

Fritz, Edna Ingels, 1892-1987

College of Industrial Arts; Texas Woman's University;

Clothing and textiles instructor at the College of Industrial Arts (C.I.A.), Denton, 1917-1922. First president of Denton Branch American Association of University Women (AAUW). Active in Business and Professional Women. Married George L. Fritz. Born October 15, 1892. Died July 26, 1982.

Letter to Edna Ingels from her brother James Ingels, who was serving in France during WWI, dated December 27th, 1918.

Fritz, Edna Ingels

Ingels, James

12/27/1918

Ingels, James

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Letters;

Manuscripts;

MSS031c_letter_19181228

MSS 031c, Edna Ingels Fritz Papers.

Denton (Tex.)

Gift;

Fritz, John

Woman's Collection, Texas Woman's University, P.O. Box 425528, Denton, TX 76204.

Sommedieue, France
Dec. 27, 1918

Dear Sister,

I just received your letters last evening dated Nov. 29 & Dec. 1 and believe me I was sure glad to hear from you. It was the first mail I’ve had for about seven weeks. I was a little worried about you because the last letter I had from Mother up until last night was of you being sick in bed. I am glad to hear that you are well. and back to your school again. I would ^ have certainly glad to have been home Christmas when you were there. This Christmas was the sorriest I ever spent in my life. Honestly, it didn’t seem anything like Christmas. It snowed here Christmas eve, but it was to
end p. 1

was to [sic] warm for the snow to stay on. I didn’t receive any of my mail while I was away from the Battery. All my mail was forwarded to ^ Camp Coëtquidan, and it hadn’t caught up with me yet. I’ve been back with the battery now a little over a little over a week ago. That Christmas box has not arrived yet. I expect it within the next day or two. Say, my mouth is watering now. I don’t see what difference it would make to the assistant post master [sic] there just so you had the regulation size of a box. The next chance I get I will send you a silk handkerchief with Souvenir de France on it. I am not any place where I can buy them now.
end p. 2

When I find out just when I am coming home, I’ll bring everything I can carry and get a hold of. I’ve had several chances to buy some souvenir vases. They were made out of brass shell cases with fancy [illegible] carved on them by French soldiers. I have a German officer’s dress Helmet [sic], that I am going to send home to morrow [sic] or the next day. I don’t know just how soon I will get back, but I’m hoping that it won’t be very long. I saw a clipping out of some paper where General Martin stated that he thought that the 35th would return by spring. We hear a lot of rumors about what the 35th is going to do. One time we’ll hear that we’re going back to the states, and again we hear that we’re going to the border.
end p. 3

The reason I didn’t want you to send me a watch. That they was easy to brake [sic]. It is awfully hard to get repairs for a watch over here. We have about the same old grind every day now, mostly infantry drills. We have pretty fair sleeping quarters here. We are staying in a town (Sommedieue) evacuated by the French. We have the whole town to ourselves, that is the regiment. We are about eight or ten miles southeast of Verdun. Our motor equipment is beginning to come in, so I guess we will be motor equipped before coming home. I am figuring on a furlough some of these days, and I will try and have some pictures taken. You know that a Kodak would come in very handy now since the war is over. & a few postcard views I will put in this letter.
Your Brother
Corp. James A. Ingels