chapter 4 | to love and serve
In Their Own Words
fighting in france Father Daniel Lynch was the only New England Province Jesuit to serve in both World War I and World War II. For his outstanding service in World War I he was awarded the Purple Heart as well as the Croix de Guerre from the French government for heroic service during several successive hours under heavy fire. This letter about some of his experiences in World War I is included here since it captures the spirit that characterized his later service in World War II.
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ow that the censorship has relaxed a little, I shall give you a brief account of my wanderings over France.
I left New York on May second, on the British India steamer Leistershire. The fleet of fifteen troop ships were all British, carrying about thirty thousand troops, with the San Diego (U.S. cruiser) as escort. After fifteen days at sea we sighted the north of Ireland and entered Liverpool by the north. One submarine attack on the way. From Liverpool we proceeded by train to London where we were informed that the channel was closed to traffic for a week. I rested the day after our arrival in London, visiting Westminster Abbey, etc., and intended to call at Mill Hill the following day. Orders came for me that night to proceed immediately to Southampton, where I would find a small fast steamer to take me to Havre. Of course it was rough, and to see the destroyers racing along on all sides of us made it a very interesting evening. From Havre I was ordered to Paris, where I ran into an air raid the first night. There was an air raid starting when I left London. After seeing the sights about Paris for a few days I started for Blois. From Blois I was shipped to Tours to join my negroes. As there was no Catholic chaplain in that city, I was called to Headquarters, given 38 | in their own words
the second Aviation Field to look after, besides St. Pierre des Corps, the three Barracks and American Hospital. This job I held down till a K. C. chaplain arrived in about a month and took part of the work. It was not so hard, as I had lots of transportation either from Headquarters or Aviation Field. All I had to do was to call up either garage and I had a Cadillac at my door in ten minutes. You can imagine my disappointment when I was disturbed from this gentleman’s mode of warfare by orders th to join the 310 Infantry, then in the British area, at once. Fifty pounds was all I was allowed to carry. There was some hustling for a day or so, getting my accounts straightened out, and then after leaving almost everything I had at Our Fathers’ House in Tours, I started for Calais via Paris. When I landed in Paris one of those shells from that long distance gun dropped, not too far away from the station. It made quite a mess in those crowded streets, but as I was expecting to see lots of such excitement in a few days, I did not delay long. The shells were then dropping on Paris every twenty minutes. From Calais I went to Bologne to see another big air raid, and finally found my regiment near St. Pol. From St. Pol the regiment moved up back of Arras, a rather quiet front, except for night air raids. Finally I got orders to prepare (we thought for Italy). After two days and two nights in freight cars we landed
