PETERSON, Pvt. F. G., WWI

PETERSON

Posted By: Sharon R Becker (email)
Date: 3/5/2018 at 17:45:56

The Leon Reporter
Leon, Decatur County, Iowa
Thursday, May 10, 1917, Page 1

Tells of Life in the Trenches.

Private F. G. Peterson, of Co. B., 12th Infantry, First American Legion Battalion, in the Canadian expeditionary forces, which were quartered at Verdun*, will be in Leon today, Thursday, May 10th. He will tell of his experiences at the Idle Hour theatre as a portion of the day's entertainment of motion pictures.

Private Peterson enlisted in the Canadian regiment on November 1, 1914, and served until August 15, 1916, when wounds inflicted in battle crippled him for life. He participated in the battle of Verdun and the Dardanelles*. While in the trenches at Verdun he was shot four times through the left leg with steel nosed bullets and his left hand was torn to pieces by a dum-dum bullet. A portion of the wrist was also torn away. Although wounded four times in the leg he fails to show any sign of lameness. This is due to the fact that steel nosed bullets make a clean hole and will not kill or maim unless they touch a vital spot. Medical attention is good in the European hospitals and it is due to the fact that one of the best doctors in Europe treated his wounds that he escaped without lameness. He was in the American Red Cross hospital in Paris for four months and was totally blind, deaf and dumb throughout this period. He has recovered his sight and speech but his hearing has been affected by the noise of battle and the poisonous gasses.

Private Peterson's address upon his personal experience and that of his comrades in the greatest of all wars, will be most interesting. He has delivered addresses upon this subject in every large city of the state.

~ ~ ~ ~

The Leon Reporter
Leon, Decatur County, Iowa
Thursday, May 10, 1917, Page 1

IDLE HOUR FEATURES.

The Idle Hour theatre has a special list of big attractions for the coming week. Today in addition to the usual good program, Private F. G. Peterson, who served two years in the French trenches at Verdun, will tell of his experiences in the great war. He knows about it, for he was shot six times. Don't miss hearing his story.

[The featured movie was Paramount's "Ben Blair" starring Dustin Farnum and Winifred Kingston; directed by William Desmond Taylor.]

Transcriber's Note: * The Battle of Dardanelles, also known as the Gallipoli Campaign, was fought from February, 1915 to January, 1916 against Turkey to occupy Constantinople. The Battle of Verdun was fought from February 21 to December 18, 1916 at Verdune-sur-Meuse, northeastern France. It was the largest and longest battle of World War I on the Western Front between The German and French armies.

Transcription by Sharon R. Becker, February of 2018

Decatur Documents maintained by Constance McDaniel Hall.
WebBBS 4.33 Genealogy Modification Package by WebJourneymen