'Round the Girdled Earth

Letters from Dartmouth Men in the Armed Forces

SERGEANT ROGER K. WOLBARST•43,

AUS, writes the following from somewhere in India.

You said that you'd like to know about my living conditions: We live in mud and bamboo bashas, which are pretty comfortable; they're better than tents anyway. Our beds are primitive affairs made of burlap, and we have no pillows or sheets; just blankets. We sleep under mosquito nets the year round. The food is always soft; mostly rice and vegetables, lots of curry and rice. The meat is awful; very tough and inedible most of the time. The fish, when we get it, isn't bad. There's only canned milk for coffee; no milk to drink at all. All water has to be boiled before drinking, or cholera is the result. The beverages we have are tea and coffee. Eggs are plentiful. The cooking is done by natives over fires. We have potatoes, but they are about the size of marbles. For washing, we have a primitive cold water shower. For hot water, you have to call the "pani-wallah," who brings you a bucket of water. We are situated hundreds of miles from any civilization; no cities near us. Only thick jungles, and paddy fields. There are hundreds of natives everywhere in India, even in the hills, and they live in the most primitive way. They wear rags and cheap cloth, and the women wear rings through their noses and many bracelets and anklets. The children are filthy, and run about naked. Cows, chickens and goats live right in the huts with the natives. A walk through one of the villages is enough to turn your stomach at first.

Our compound is guarded by Gurkha troops with tommy guns and long knives called "kukris," with which they are very proficient. At certain occasions, which I can't describe, we stand guard duty, too. We aren't allowed outside the compound unarmed. The hunting is good, with deer, wild boar, tigers, leopards, civets, fowl, etc. abounding. Tiger hunting has too many thrills for me; I wouldn't go after them with anything less than a .50 caliber machine gun. They are incredibly tough; even a shot through the heart won't always stop them.

MA JOR ROBERT L. McMILLAN '23,

USAAC, with the 99th Bombing Group inItaly, wrote a letter some months ago whichwill interest Dartmouth alumni.

The rugged life of the winter is now behind us and indeed it is pleasant to have Spring arrive at last. We have had a lot of bad weather to contend with since our arrival at this base just before Christmas. December was really the worst. Deep mud, heavy rain, some hail and snow and a series of cold gales from the North. We had a task setting up our camp and as we tackled a rather ambitious program it took us about three months to get everything functioning smoothly. Building materials are available here and hence each squadron set out to erect a few structures so as to have a few of the comforts which these buildings would provide. We constructed Orderly Rooms, Mess Halls, Offices for Operations and Intelligence as well as a day room and an Officer's Club. In some squadrons certain buildings were found standing in the areas so that these could also be utilized. Tile is plentiful here so we have used that for flooring. Lumber is also available so that roofs could be built by using either beams and tar paper (held on by chicken wire) or roofing tile placed over planks. Windows and doors have been obtainable from wrecked railroad cars. Quite a bit of comfortable furniture has been either "requisitioned" or purchased and this has been used in our day rooms and officers clubs. Each of these latter buildings contain a bar where local wines, etc., are sold during the evening hours. As a result we have a very livable camp and far superior to anything we ever had in Africa. We have now screened in all of these buildings for the summer season. There are fireplaces in the day room and officers' club which we have used this Spring and will use again in the Fall. We are now settled down and as it looks as though we will be here for some time we are glad to be able to have all this construction work behind us.

Last month I had a week's "vacation." I had such a glorious time that I must tell you all about it. Major Weeden and I took off for Naples in a command car on April 19. It was a perfect Spring day and as we toured along over the rugged mountains admiring the scenery, we recalled it was "Patriot's Day" at home, the holiday which always seemed to mark the arrival of Spring. (A year ago he and I took a trip together to Constantine in Algiers, another beautiful city.) We took a boat from Naples for the beautiful Isle of Capri. It was a most enjoyable boat trip with the city and the bay in the background and with Mount Vesuvius and the Salerno Peninsula clearly visible. We reached Capri around six and the sight as we sailed into the little harbor of Grande Marina is one never to be forgotten. Here indeed is about the nearest spot to paradise that I have encountered. Just above the harbor one sees the picturesque homes of the fishermen and the high hills in the background combine to make a superb setting. Upon landing we took the Funicolare up to the town of Capri and walked through the square to our hotel—the Quisisana. Here we had a room on the third floor facing south with a big terrace overlooking the hotel gardens and the ocean. Our first contact with civilization was to take a hot bath—not a shower—but 'a real bath in a bath tub. After a cocktail in the bar we had dinner. All the meals are served in the grand manner. A head waiter escorts you to your table—well trained waiters serve you from silver platters. An eight piece orchestra plays for luncheon and dinner. Meals are at most convenient hours. Breakfast until 10 A.M.—served in your room if you prefer and needless to say we did so prefer. Luncheon at 1:00 and dinner 7 to 9 P.M. There is a dance every other evening and on many days a tea dance. Many nurses were on hand and many of the civilians come to the dances. Flowers are in abundance everywhere and the walks are mostly covered with wisteria. Someone has" written a new song, I believe entitled "Furlough in Paradise" and that just about sums up the feeling one has to be on leave in such a magnificent spot. We led a most luxurious life not the least pleasing being the opportunity to sleep in grand, wide beds with sheets, a pillow, and real mattresses.

Naturally the war has ruined Capri's peace time tourist trade but the arrival of American soldiers has provided a tourist trade all of its own. We took a row boat from Grande Marina to the Grotta Azzura (Blue Grotto) on our second day. This claims to be the most famous cave in the world. To enter the boat must pass through an opening not more than four feet high and six feet wide. A rough sea or an east wind prevents entry. The boatman waits for an incoming wave, and the passengers must lie down flat on the bottom of the boat in order to get through the opening. The much publicized deep blue reflection of light found inside must be seen to be appreciated. Remains of Roman construction show that the grotto was well known to the Romans. Oddly enough the wind shifted to the east while we were inside. As our little boat tried to go out great waves broke at the entrance to the cave completely filling the opening. We wondered if we would be stranded inside. After 20 minutes of waiting for a lull the boatman got us out between waves.

We left the island on the 26th and spent one day in Naples. We had dinner at the famous "Orange Garden" now an Allied Officers' Club and called the "Orange Club." It is a magnificent edifice situated high in the mountain side with several terraces all overlooking the city and the Gulf of Naples. A top notch orchestra played for dancing and the impression one obtains from the balcony where our table was located is that the club is Hollywood's conception of what a night club really ought to be. New York has nothing to equal it in size. Here the Major and I had our first opportunity to meet several New Zealanders and to really become acquainted with them. They are every bit as fine as the South Africans whom I got to know quite well last winter.

As Naples had been bombed the night before we arrived we took our jeep and saw the results of this action. Only small damage had been inflicted. We decided the next day to take a circuitous route home and to visit the Salerno Peninsula. Our route took us by the base of Vesuvius and here we could see the fresh lava which had poured down the mountain side the previous month during the eruption. We reached Pompeii around ten A.M. and took an hour out to walk around the ruined city. This was particularly interesting and our guide was most thorough in telling us about the history of the city. Most of the originals of the statues have been placed in the catacombs of Naples for the duration but replicas take their place.

On our return trip we passed through Angri, Castel S. Giogio and S. Severino Rota. These three towns are all to the southeast of Vesuvius and as the wind was from the northwest during the eruption these towns had all received a large covering of the ashes. They were still digging themselves out. Only a narrow passage was open in the main streets and the roads were lined at each side with piles of ashes from 3 to 5 feet in depth. It was similar to a heavy snowstorm in that it was necessary to shovel paths through the drifted ashes to make it possible to get in or out of a house or a shop. The foliage was covered with ashes and you can imagine the dust and dirt that had penetrated the homes. We then struck out up the mountains to Avellino and there had a delicious dinner in a British Officers Transient Mess. And in the afternoon we returned to our base much refreshed after one of the grandest weeks I think I have ever had.

The 15th Air Force has this year reached the enviable position of being second only to the 8th. By summer I feel we shall exceed them in tons of bombs dropped on the target. It is satisfying to have a small part to play in the progress we are making here this year.

THE AIR MEDAL is presented to Capt. Robert R. Barvoets '39 USMC, pilot in the South Pacific, by Brig. Gen. L. G. Merritt.