William Coats Crumley
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Barry Co., MO Photo - William Coats "Bill" Crumley
B. June 26, 1895 - Pioneer, Barry Co., MO D. June 8, 1926 - Pioneer, Barry Co., MO Buried Mt Olive Cemetery, Near Pioneer, Newton Co., MO He was a son of John Elwood and Susan C. (Cox) Crumley William Crumley was divorced, died of TB and was a barber according to his death certificate. He was possibly married to Opal Wallace and Emily Lee. Will Crumley Writes From France
William C. Crumley who is in the 88th Division in France, writes the following letter to his sister, Mrs. Ada Bennett at Pioneer: When I first went in the front the trenches it was on German soil and when the armistice was signed our old machine guns were playing "The Star Spangle Banner" on the Buches backs upon the Verdun front. They had taken their breast plates and put them on their backs and were beating it thought the woods and believe me it was sure some fun to us Sammies to watch them travel. We all had a harder time whipping them than we thought for because they were so hard to catch up with. Uncle Sam had fed we boys too well just before we left I suppose or else he had given us the wrong training, I mean he would have had more trained runners among us. Well, sister there are 500 Hun prisoners in this little village when we are billeted. Some of them look at us Yanks real sorrowfully and some have a smile that won't rub off. We travel from one of these little burgs to another and billet in barns or old houses, but the barns are different from those back home and at the present yours truly is occupying an upper berth n a barn and has to climb up a ladder for about ten minutes before he reaches his place of rest. I have not slept on a good old feather bed in so long I have forgot just how they feel. I am not at ease now days if I haven't a rock for my pillow and one about the size of a quart cup poking me in the ribs. There is another lively little creature over here they call cooties. I guess you don't know what kind of an animal that is but ask some Sammie over there who has just returned from France and he will tell you how they entertained him while here. They sing such lovely melodies to us, such as Home Sweet Home and the Missouri Waltz. You know the last mentioned was your and my favorite back home. I have slept on everything from a barb wire enragement to a brick floor since I have been here. These Fregs, that is what we call the French, think there is nothing like a Yank and they think America is something like Fairyland. They have a kind of stuff here to drink they call beer but the Yanks don't seem to relish it very well. They also have plenty of champagne and wine that are fine of the kind but you know I never was much to take up with a bottle back in the old U. S. A. so I would prefer facing duty over here a sober man. And I can't have a so called good time on that. Well, sister I can't think of much that would interest you so I will close and tell you more when I come home a wiser and better man. Keep your good work up by writing often to your American brother and give all my old Shoal Creek friends my best regards. Corp. Wm. C. Crumley Co. L 350 Inf., A. P. O. 795 A. E. F. January 16, 1919, Cassville Republican Submitted in 2007 by Alice Allen Note submitted by Donna Cooper |