Enroute to France

This letter, was written from the troop ship DeKalb, enroute to the port of St. Nazaire, France. Ed mentions his brother Charles H. Cole, who was serving in France as a Brigadier General in the Army.

(click on letter to enlarge)

Dear Mary:

Tonight we dropped anchor off the coast of France. . . It is twenty days since I left Quantico and while most of the trip was uneventful, a few minutes of it were extremely exciting with guns firing a depth bomb sending up a cloud of spray. My men behaved splendidly and I am very proud of them.

Tomorrow I shall go ashore to report from there. I do not yet know just what part of France I shall go to. The passage was fairly smooth but quite a few of the youngsters were seasick. We run at night with all the lights out. I do not think I have ever seen it quite so dark as it is in the bowels of a ship with the lights out. My first view of France came during one of the most exciting moments of my life. I was looking astern watching the fall of our "after five inch battery shots" and a destroyer dropping a depth bomb, when, after the excitement was over, I turned around and what I saw in the distance was the shore of La Belle France. . . .

Christmas day found us at sea in the heart of the submarine zone and while the men had turkey the officers did not, anyway, tell the boys that when I woke I found my stockings full. As I have not had my boots off for four days, you can imagine what I found in them. Tonight I will get my pajamas on and tomorrow I will indulge in a bath which will be a great luxury. . . .

Too bad Charlie and I could not have Christmas together. I wonder where he is — for all I know he may be on shore and perhaps I may see him tomorrow. I was in command of troops on the way over and had a good-sized outfit.  A million kisses for you my dear little sweetheart. God bless you and our dear boys.

With all my love,

Ed