Huy, Belgium,
December 1st, 1918
Dear Mother:
Just a few lines tonight. Since my last letter written at Jemappes we have moved forward about eighty kilometers and are stopped tonight midway between Namur and Liege. We moved from Jemappes to Chapelle-les-Herliamont and on the 27th stayed overnight, on the 28th moved to Tongrinne and on the 29th to Beez just outside the historical old fortress town of Namur where we arrived about 12 noon. Got a good billet here and expected to stay for three or four days. Yesterday we spent most of the day in Namur which is a very nice little town of thirty thousand picturesquely situated in the bed of the Meuse, surrounded by sheer precipices which in their stern grandeur form natural defenses of no mean proportions. I got a number of views of the place which I will send as soon as we get a bit settled again. Yesterday evening when we came back from Namur the people with whom we were billeted had a big supper waiting for us - gave us soup, steak, potatoes and gravy and some kind of greens, bread and butter and coffee - pretty good of them wasn't it. But instead of spending Sunday as we had hoped in Namur we pulled out this morning at seven o'clock and after a rather interesting trip got in here about noon. Our road lay up the valley of the Meuse all the way and the beauty of its scenery is something immense. It must be a perfect paradise in summer for even now it is hard to imagine anything more beautiful. I will tell you more about it when I have more time.
We move again tomorrow morning at 6:30 so I think I will turn in and have a good nights sleep. We will have to be up at 4:30 in order to be ready in time so will not write anymore this time. Suppose this will reach you just about Christmas time and so I will wish you all the very happy Christmas and because of the fact that the war is over and peace once again restored to the world one can, in wishing a merry Christmas, know that such a thing is possible. I had hoped to have something to send but such things are out of the question here, but I hope that before long I shall be back myself as a delayed Christmas present. I expect we will spend ours in Germany.
Love to all, Harold
