World War I Travel Order

Once the Great War was over, and my grandfather's services in building bridges, shoring up bridges and repairing roads were no longer needed, he was the recipient of travel orders.

They read:

Company "D" 2rd Engineers
Betoncourt, Ht Saone
April 27th, 1919


TRAVEL ORDERS

        The following men of this command are hereby authorized to proceed from this station (Betoncourt, Hte Saone) to Belfort, France, on Company business, leaving this station 12 M Sunday April 27th, 1919, and returning 12 M Thursday May 1st, 1919. They will travel in a light Ford touring car.

            Sergeant Carroll, Samuel P #2503836.
            Corporal Royse, Harry D. #2503988.
            Corporal Percival, John S #2503963.
            Wagoner, St Leger, Gaspard D. #2503808.
            Pvt 1cl Packard, Marlborough #2503965.

       
HARRY L. STEBBINS
Captain Engineers U.S.A.
Commanding.

TFG

I know this because Grandpa P. sent the orders home to his bride-to-be in a letter dated May 1st, 1919. He got to do the driving and drove the Ford Touring Car. Grandpa's name appears below the struck-out name.

It amazes me what survived. I only wish that he had sent her letters back to her so that we would have had a record of all their correspondence.

The men were headed to Belfort, France, and my grandfather describes it this way:

      "There is a big fort on the edge of the city, builton a high hill and most of it cut out of solid rock. Just outside of the fort and on the side of the hill toward the city, a big lion has been carved out of solid rock. The man that carved the lion is the same man that built or carved the Statue of Liberty." 

I couldn't picture it, until I checked out Belfort, France on Wikipedia. Which is where I found out that it was indeed carved by Bartholdi, the sculptor of the Statue of Liberty.

Photo courtesy of Wikipedia.



Copyright 2010, ACK for Gene Notes