July 27, 1918 – Crossing England to Winchester

The remainder of the trip was ‘uneventful’….I can’t imagine Jay or anyone on that train would have wanted it any other way.  Still, in their minds, I doubt any of them were relaxed.  They are still in England but day by day, they are getting closer to the Western Front.

“The remainder of the journey was uneventful, and about six in the morning (July 27) the train drew up at a station in Winchester, and in no time the regiment was marching through the crooked and narrow streets of that historic town, and climbing the hill to the rest camp.”

“After the all-night ride in the close and crowded compartments, much of the morning was used to make up lost sleep.  No passes into town were issued to the enlisted men, though the officers were allowed to visit it and make whatever purchases were desired.  In the afternoon the men were marched into the city and taken to the points of historical interest and to the larger shops, where things necessary to their comfort could be bought.”

– The Three Hundred and First Engineers – A History 1917-1920