A.E.F.
April, 23.1918

Dear Ma:-

Everything is going on smoothly
over here and I like the life great. Without
criticizing anyone I will say that I am
sure glad that I was lucky enough
to come over with a Marine outfit. I
think that they have got the hop alright.

I am now living with another
officer at the Mayor’s house. That is
the Mayor of this village, who I
suppose corresponds to about the chairmen
of select men in your community.
In addition he sings in church
and conducts the services generally
which seems to be one of the Mayor’s
duties as far as I can make out and
a prerequisite to his office. He is distinguished
by the fact that he usually wears a dirty
white collar which officially only he

(c) Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, Deerfield MA. All rights reserved.
Contact us for information about using this image.

label levels:

Written with his own brand of humor, this April, 1918 letter from Tom Ashley to his mother in Deerfield, Massachusetts, describes the place where he is living and includes prevailing attitudes of the French people toward Americans. He includes his version of some of the French customs and describes the Gallic landscape, comparing it to a section of Deerfield (the Old World), while also confessing what is most on his mind - that "everyone is crazy to get at the Germans."

top of page