Love From Chezeaux

Personal letters, drawings and first-hand stories in this work portray the life of a young soldier, Private Clarence Augustus Bush, during World War I. While serving in France he frequently wrote home to his bride Margaret.

After the war Clarence became an author and syndicated journalist, with articles published in myriads of popular magazines and newspapers. He co-authored two books on swimming in collaboration with Johnny Weissmuller and Johnny's coach, William Bachrach.

Toward the end of his career, after fifteen years at the Christian Science Monitor as general news and feature writer and central sporting representative, Clarence accepted the position of Publicity and Campaign Director: American Olympic Committee, raising funds for American athletes headed for the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin.

As a young man in his late teens, Clarence arrived in Boston with an eighth grade education, dreaming of a career in journalism. When the United States declared war on Germany in 1917 he volunteered with the 101st Field Artillery of the 26th Division from New England. They were in France nineteen months - nine months continuously in the front lines.

C Battery abruptly left Camp Devens, Massachusetts, one day in early September 1917. Initially the Army experience proved a great adventure for the twenty-one year-old from rural Indiana. During service overseas Clarence wrote to Margie whenever possible, sometimes by candlelight with only a broken pencil, sometimes on whatever scraps of paper available. He drew pictures of fellow soldiers, the surrounding countryside, and French villages. He wrote a first-person account of the Second Battle of the Marne, published as a series in the Christian Science Monitor, September through November, 1918.

Love from Chezeaux is dedicated to my grandparents, Margaret and Clarence Bush.