Private John Brown of the U.S. Army's 63rd Coast Artillery Corps makes some observations about Europe in 1918:
On the United Kingdom
There seems to be an idea prevalent here that a slice of bread, a hunk of cheese, and tea make a meal.
On the cleanliness of UK ships
July 13: We left camp at 4:00 a. m. and returned to New York by train and ferry, where we boarded the SS Empress of Britain. The least said the better.
July 29: We were mighty glad when we marched up the gangplank of a real American ship, the SS Yale, and dropped our packs at last. It is a pleasure to see a good, clean American ship again.
On French military transportation
A French troop train travels a little way at a few miles per hour and then rests a while.
On the French people
All the natives here wear huge wooden shoes, and their chief means of transportation are two-wheeled carts drawn by oxen which are even slower than a French troop train.
On the French economy
The people here surely value American products. Tonight three of us parted with an old razor, some soap, tobacco, and shoe polish for the sum total of twenty-six francs, with which we made the acquaintance of the Central Cafe, Cherry Brandy, and the "Vin Sisters."
On general French business acumen
The "poov Frenchie" that sells the New York Herald's Paris edition is nearly mobbed every night as soon as he gets the papers off the train. A good American newsie could handle the crowd and be calling for more customers. but the frog gets so excited he never knows what he is doing.
Final thoughts on France
The only redeeming feature of our trip to France is the return home.
