III. Ture's Story (1917-1920)

Ture's Story - In His Own Words 

Part III  (1917-1920)

The Great War 

In July, I was called to military. We were over 300 from our district that traveled away at one time to a training place named Camp Gordon in the state of Georgia. The had established a big training location out in a desert. We were sure there were several thousand men there. All was well organized, it was warm there and it was unusually hard on us. We should go over to France as soon as possible. We stayed in Camp Gordon for 6 weeks. Later they took us to another camp not far from New York. There we found our field assignment, got new stronger clothes, helmet and a gas mask. We were vaccinated in a group with a syringe which we got before, but nothing for flu, a sickness that took many lives, many more than the war did. We got our New Testaments, pocket size and a life insurance of $10,000 written for any of our relatives. 

RMS Olympic

One night we stood up and marched down to beach and went on a ferry out to a big boat named Olympic. It was equipped for troop transport. We were about 13,000 men on board. Germans had U-Boats so we had escorts that chased and flew nearly always. It took only 4 days and nights over the Atlantic.



We landed in England, stayed there in tents for a week. Many of us were sick and got to stay behind in England. One night they took us over to France to a town named Le Harve. There we climbed on a freight train that went south to a big military base. Roads we rode on were small and poor, nothing to sit on beside a toilet stool in one corner, no windows, only a hole in top, doors they fastened outside. After one day, we stopped by a big military base. There they separated us, the most rode direct up to the front. Our company proceeded southeast. It didn’t go fast. Sometimes we stopped and stayed some nights got a little food, and so on the way again. It was so much traffic on the railroad, so we hardly got anywhere. After a few days we were where we should be for a time. 

WW I Centenary photo

Then we knew that we would be taken out to cavalry. It was a first-aid regiment. It was divided in troops, 150 in each. I came in with Troop E. First we came to a training camp, there we should learn to ride and shoot from horses. It was a hard training a few weeks our group were used to horseback and they tried to torment us as much as possible. Sometimes we rode without a saddle, there became big saddle sores so one could not take off his clothes at evening. But time heals all sores, and we became used to horseback. I thought it was a good accomplishment that we didn’t always go and carry your pack.



When we were finished with training we were moved to a regiment. It was located by a little town in eastern France. We lived in board sheds with only ground for floor, but in the fall when the war was finished, we laid in a floor. We had quite good food - before that we could be without for a long time once in awhile. We had many horses, not so many riding horses, mostly big artillery horses that they drove pulling cannons up to the front lines. They were many that were hurt, we had a horse hospital. There were many veterinarians and horseshoers that worked with them to make them somewhat well, but many were badly injured with gas and had to be destroyed.

Toul, France

{Editor note: Unconfirmed, but I believe this would have been near Toul, France, in the Lorraine region near Nancy & south of Verdun. Here the US Calvary had a remount depot & veterinary hospital.}

It was a place with high hills, some trees there but to the most it was overgrown with deep grass and valleys. People lived in small homes, otherwise the community. They mostly had poor housing, houses were built of limestone, with floors made of stone slabs. They had later small cultivation of vines and green vegetables around there. They went early in the morning with their big baskets that they carried on their back like a backpack. In it they had their work materials, a hoe or spade. There were only old and children at home, the young were all with the war around there. Tractors had never been there. 



The 11th of November 1918 the war ended. There was gladness and jubilee over the whole world, not least in France. I was very glad and thankful that I had been spared so easy and didn’t have to injure any of my fellow people. After being freed it was more comfortable then the hatred also disappeared friendship was better. It happened surely that they quarreled once in awhile, so it was a little fuss. I had few problems with comrades or those in command, sometimes I got to go with and have charge of their money. A few squandered away wages the same day they got them. We had around 2000 horses so we had a little to work with. First we went up to Germany with a couple hundred. We each were given four horses. We rode on one and led the other three. It took us four days, we got to ride a truck back. Then I got to see where they had war for 4 years. It was terrible to see how badly mankind can do against each other. One time I was with to bury fallen comrades, we did shoot a few shells over the graves. There were no flowers, a flag around the coffin and a little wood cross on the mound. You could see a big grave field with many thousand graves. 

Winter months were lonesome. It rained almost every day, come light snow one time. We got to begin to make a riding ground for a jumping competition. It was just finished right time, we journeyed from there and once in a while we sold the horse we rode away with. One time in early spring (1919) we loaded horses on the railroad. It was a train, eight horses in each car and two men. Also hay bales that we got to sit on. It was the finest trip that I was on. We went out to a seaport in southwest France. It took three days out there and one day back, and then we got to ride a passenger train. It is hard to transport horses so long, they cannot stand so long and neither could the lay down. We got permission to let them off once, so they go to move themselves one time. Farmers needed horses for spring work, so soon they were all sold and we had nothing more to do. We got a guard duty once in awhile but that was not so often and so it was a little sport to the most it was baseball, it is of course America’s biggest sport. Towards summer began the Americans to ship home their soldiers and one day it was our turn. The most were glad to travel home, but not all. Some had their girlfriends, so they shed many tears the day we left. We got to ride a truck, our trip went westward, but when we came half way to the coast it was stopped.

It was well into our trip now. My troop was headquartered in a farmhouse and we stayed a month. We did not have anything to do, only ate and slept. I and some others lay in a high tower. It had been a fort before this time. There was a big river nearby in this we swam almost every day. It was summer and warm. Soil cultivation was long after its time. They drove with their wood wheel wagons with very high wheels. If they had two horses, they were not in a team, but one went ahead of the other. Now I think they have it in order there also. France is big and pretty land with a good climate. In a month we took off west to a big homestead they called Brest. We were there a week, then we went on a boat that took us over the Atlantic. It was fine weather and we lay on deck and sunned during the day. We landed in a big town named Boston where we were well met (welcomed) and honored. Too much I thought. We stayed overnight in a fine hotel. There I did my last two hours watch. 

There was a comrade named Moller. He deserted until after the end of the war. I think he had some relatives in Germany. He came back just when the trip started for home. Authorities did nothing to him, except he had to stay with the others until we landed in America. Then he was arrested. He asked me what I would do if he attacked. I answered that you know I had an automatic nine mm loaded with ten sharp shot. I never met him again so I don’t know how it went for him. He surely got hard punishment. Next day we took a train, got to ride the sleeper to Des Moines. There was a training camp called Camp Dodge. There we were reviewed, uniform, helmet and gas mask we could keep. We also got two extra months pay. This happened on the 7th of July 1919. I got a room in a hotel over night. Next day I went and called my sister Maria. She worked in town. I had neither heard or talked a Swedish word for a year. Later in the day I went to my brother. It took only a couple hours. They kept on to thresh oats and it was very warm. I could not sleep at night on the soft beds but had to get up and lay on the floor. We had only a pair of blankets and wood bottom in our beds in France. I did not take any special work that fall. I just had not adjusted myself. I helped my brother a little with the harvest. I traveled to Minnesota to my brother Gustav. I stayed there quite a while.

There were many welcome festivities both in church and other places for us that came home and tributes for those that did not come back. There were four of my comrades from our community that never came home. One was killed in the last days of the war, the others died of sickness or other causes. Two were brothers born in America, the other was a Smälands boy, we had been very good friends. 

I had better be thankful to the higher maker that protected me from all danger.


To be continued ...