“When you answer write a big long letter and tell me all the news….”
In his thirty-eight letter home (and his first from France), to his sister Minnie Riggle, US Army Wagoner (mule team driver) Lester Scott, a World War I soldier from Wheeling, West Virginia, doesn’t have much of substance to say, probably in part because of security restrictions on what he can write. He’s in good health. He saw Will Riggle. It’s raining in France. And, like Charles Riggle [see our August 1 episode], he wishes he could attend the Jacktown Fair. Mostly he just wants all the news from home.
Elsewhere on the same day, the Second Battle of the Marne ended, the British Government issued a Declaration to the people of Russia, promising that they will not interfere in Russian politics, and Ferdinand Foch was named Marshal of France.
Lester Scott was drafted in 1917 and trained at Camp Lee, where so many Wheeling soldiers were trained. And, like so many of his Ohio Valley comrades, he served in the 314th Field Artillery Supply Company, Battery “A,” 80th (Blue Ridge) Division in France. This is his thirty-eighth letter home, dated 100 years ago today, August 6, 1918.
To listen to the podcast, visit our SoundCloud page, or subscribe through your favorite podcast app.
August 6, 1918 – Lester Scott Letter to Minnie Riggle
August 6 1918
Dear Sister
I will write you a few lines to let you know I am well and in good health and hope you are all the same. I rec’d one of the letters you wrote me when I was at camp but havn’t got the last one yet. Rec’d one from Mdse last week. It came direct. I saw Will Riggle yesturday. he is looking fine. says he likes this country fine. when you see his parents be sure to tell them. we have been having quite a bit of rain here but is pretty warm most of the time. I suppose you will be getting ready for Jacktown Fair soon. I guess I will hardly be present myself. but we are all hoping it wont be long until we can take part again.
Well I believe this will be all for this time. but when you answer write a big long letter and tell me all the news.
Good Bye and Good Luck
To All
Your Brother
O.K.
W.T. Pelham
1stLieut F.A.R.C.
Wag Lester Scott
Supply Co.
314 F.A.
American E.F. Via N.Y.
Listen to Episode 56 of “From Camp Lee to the Great War: The Letters of Lester Scott and Charles Riggle”
To subscribe to this podcast, go to iTunes, Stitcher, Soundcloud, or your favorite podcast app, search for “From Camp Lee to the Great War,” and click “subscribe.”
From Camp Lee to the Great War: The letters of Lester Scott and Charles Riggle” is brought to you by Archiving Wheeling in partnership with the Ohio County Public Library (Wheeling, WV) and the Wheeling Academy of Law & Science (WALS) Foundation.
Jeremy Richter is the voice of Lester Scott. The letters of Lester Scott and Charles Riggle were transcribed by Jon-Erik Gilot. This podcast was edited and written by Sean Duffy, audio edited by Erin Rothenbuehler with music courtesy the Library of Congress.
[Music in August 6, 1918 episode: “Love Will Find A Way,” The Seven Black Dots (performer), 1921, https://www.loc.gov/item/ihas.100010774/]
Many thanks to Marjorie Richey for sharing family letters and the stories of her uncles, Lester Scott and Charles “Dutch” Riggle, WWI soldiers from West Virginia.
▶ To listen to the prior Camp Lee podcasts, visit our SoundCloud page.
▶ To learn about the background of this project and watch an introductory video about the podcast, click here.
