wherever necessary, and the officers had a good theoretical training in picking out positions, conduct of fire and observation.

Throughout the stay at Coetquidan, the Battery's health was uniformly good in spite of much of France's "best weather." Several men had severe bronchitis and coughs but there were no deaths. For about six weeks commencing December 18, the Regiment was quarantined on account of several cases of spinal meningitis in the 2nd Battalion, but no one in the Battery was affected. It was very fortunate that at this time packages were still coming in from America. Otherwise we should have been very short of tobacco, chocolate, etc., while cut off from opportunities to buy them.

As in all army life, one of the chief diversions was swapping rumors. Some of the wildest are worth mentioning. At the beginning the general impression was that we would train at Coetquidan for 4-6 months before going by gradual stages to the front. The last of October, a man claimed he saw the schedule for the next 6 months, and it included 4 weeks at the front. On October 24 a rumor sprang up that Mexico and Japan had declared war on the United States, and that we were to return within a week. Towards the end of November rumors became thick that we should leave very soon, probably for the region around Chaumont where the infantry were. These grew thicker in the first part of December but suddenly died out. About December 15 came the first of the many rumors that the 101st F. A. would go home as instructors after a short stay at the front.

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