Bolte Letters

IN A RECENT LETTER to his father Lt.Charles G. Bolte '41 described his recuperationfrom amputation of a foot in the Egyptiancampaign. His British regiment is the King'sRoyal Rifles. Abstracts from the letter follow:

GREAT NEWS FROM HERE, all the doctors amazed at my quick healing, and I a new man of great strength, quick movement, superb morale, and unquenchable elation. My elation, in fact, is unspeakable. But the fact is my stitches came out a week ago, and Dr. Jack said I could try the crutches in 3 or 4 days. I tried them next day, to see if I could try them in 3 or 4 days: and I could. When I told the Doc he said, "All right, Boltii, just go ahead and do whatever you can." So I walked around the enormous long porch of this wing, up and down and around and this morning Jack said I could go to Cairo tomorrow.

I was 19 days from the second amputation to crutches, which is only 2 days worse than the record. Everything is still clean and almost completely knit. I've practically no pain and haven't had any dope for a week, not even to sleep. All this seems miraculous, after the first six weeks. I am back to wisecracking, and all the old familiar vices that go with it. Had a cigar after dinner last night.

We've had a nice American colony in the ward lately—a big flier from St. Louis gave me the cigar. He left yesterday. Before him there was Guy Ramsey, a 40-year-old railroad expert from Chicago, who's here as supply officer for a Diesel locomotive outfit of the Engineers. Guy is a very sound citizen and a grand fellow. He cheered me over some bad times and we had endless talks about home, families, meals we'd like to eat, football players and jobs—all the real important things that seem to lie closer to the heart than wars, for instance. Then there's Wade Claxton, "Georgia"; a nice Georgia lad who was shot down in his P-40 while strafing, picked up in enemy territory by a couple of our armored cars, and brought back here by car, hospital ship, train and ambulance. He's quiet, with a good laugh and pretty keen observation. Very pleased with himself that his old school's going to the Rose Bowl.

Georgia and the St. Louis bomber and a wild Irish gunner and I went across the street to an exhibition softball game between a couple of American army teams on Saturday. Georgia who has shrapnel in the legs, and I went on crutches, with the other two pushing wheelchairs behind us. There we sat in the chairs on the first-base line, and shouted at the teams just like home. The all English crowd was awed by the noise the players made more than by the playing which was onesided and sandlot style. There was polite applause for two home-runs, however. We didn't care. All we wanted was a hot dog and a bottle of pop.

Alexander Kirk came out yesterday again, bringing a great bundle of August Times' and Trib's: old Time's, Liberty's and Esquire's and two This Week's. I liked the picture page and the format changes and it was nice to see the old bread and butter again.

Mr. Kirk insisted my first lunch out be with him and said he would send the ministerial Cadillac. I caught a glimpse of this Caddy as he drove out and had an impulse to heave a water-bomb on it and shout "scratch one flat top."

DIARY LOST

I've heard from the battalion that an hour after I was evacuated something hit my truck and it burned to the ground, you might say. All my kit was aboard, except my service dress and a few items I left at the I.B.O Worst loss was my diary, which was beginning to shape into something or other. I could write more fully in it than I could in letters—no censor and reading it over on the boat I thought it might amount to something as it stood or as a basis for rewriting. However, it's gone, but I remember a lot of things that happened. Quite a lot. The army will replace all the official kit, but my own odd items are up the spout.

The battalion evidently did a magnificent job at Alamein, it becomes more and more apparent as news comes in. The award of the D.S.O. to Colonel Bill has just been announced and of the M.C. to a company commander. Our awards were nothing compared to a Rifle Brigade Battalion in the brigade which destroyed 57 tanks in 24 hours. Their Colonel got the V.C. and there was a D.5.0., 4 M.C.'s and a hatful of D.C.M.'s and M.M.'s. All riflemen walk proudly these days.

I'm reading "Napoleon and Waterloo" and noted yesterday that British casualties at Alamein were less than Prussian casualties at the one-day "preliminary" Battle of Ligny—15,000 against 16,000. If you can make anything out of this, please let me know.

Reading American magazines alarms me a little. Everyone seems to be sniping at every one else. Rumors fly, Roosevelt still a big target, Washington lambasts manufacturers, manufacturers and Luce attack labor and army and navy claim credit for air victories, inflation threatens, people bully the army for not opening a second front; and over all, in every publication, is Alexander de Seversky saying "I told you so" about airplanes. No doubt things aren't as bad as I read them—or are they?

Tribute to Americans

MAJOR-GENERAL SIR JOHN DAVIDSON, Colonel Commandant of the 60thRoyal Rifles, has paid tribute to the American recruits who trained and served withhis Regiment. Abstracts from his recent letter to Mr. Guy Bolte follow:

"There were six young Americans who went into battle with our two Regular Battalions in the Middle East—Cutting, Cox, Chaning, Durkee and Brister, as well as your son, C. G. Bolt 6, and all were wounded though I am glad to say that some of them were lightly wounded and will be able to return to the Regiment. Some 16 young men altogether have come to join us from the U. S. A. and they have been an unqualified success, always cheerful under any conditions, extremely popular and highly efficient; they have passed their military training tests in the highest grade, and they are not only ideal leaders but admirable companions.

"My Regiment, as you know, was originally raised in four battalions in 1755 from the States of Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and North Carolina, and the contact between those States and us was close at one time, but with the effluxion of time, gradually dwindled and almost disappeared. The experiment of reviving the link in this War has proved successful beyond anything I imagined possible, due to the splendid type and quality of these young men who have joined us.

"May I say on behalf of my Regiment how deeply we appreciate the services of your son and how much we regret his wound involving the loss of a limb, and the loss of a very fine officer to us."