Thinking about Christmas Passes....

A cold & messy trip back to Allentown, PA.

Harry sure seems an unfocused young man....

Monday Dec 8 (Dec 8th was a Saturday, so this is probably the 10th)
Dear Mother,

I surely would have written yesterday but things have happened thick and fast since Saturday. Late Friday afternoon we got orders to be ready to start back to Allentown in the morning. So there was the hurry and confusion of packing up. And Saturday morning was dandy – not. I got up and looked out upon one of the finest blizzards I ever saw. It snowed with an occasional variation of rain all day Saturday and quite a little again Sunday. And cold – winter has surely come. That march back to Allentown was fierce in the snow – but what we found when we got here was worse. They put us in new barracks – just finished the day before and with no heat in them. Yesterday they gave us one small coal stove to heat a whole floor about three times as big as our floor home [sic]. So most of the boys hung out in the Y.M.C.A. It seems that the authorities in Washington thought it too cold for us where we were so they brought us back to nice cold barracks out of our warm dugouts.

Sunday morning I came here to the “Y” to write you and had just gotten warmed up + settled when the Lieut. sent for me post haste to see about getting everyone new clothing for what was lost while we were away. We were at it until lights out last night and all day to day and it isn’t finished yet.

It was rather a coincidence that you should be asking me if I wanted some money about the same time that I was asking you to send me some.

There were some disquieting rumors about Christmas passes but the Lieut. assured me today that we’d get enough time to go home so I’m not worrying though I don’t know just when it will be. Probably latter part of next week, but it can’t come any too soon to suit me.

Love to all,
Herbert

Tell Harry to wait at least until I can see him before he enlists anywhere.

We have names!

Holy cow - we have names of the other men shown in the photographs! What a find!

What kind of helmet would someone send Herb? I suspect Nellie is Nelly Graham, but I have no way of knowing, just that I have seen that name a lot in my recent transcriptions.

I have no idea who Jack Hawkinson is... and what kind of picture could he be working on?

I wish we knew what Herb writes to the Men's Club... I mean, what kind of information do they want? Mr. Ferguson... again, Herb has a cousin who marries a William Ferguson, but that hasn't happened yet. Below please find a photograph of cousin Helen who marries Bill Ferguson.


Thursday, December 6th, 1917
Dear Mother,

The days seem awfully long but still they’re gone before one knows it. Here it is four days since I’ve written you yet it doesn’t seem possible.

The box arrived all right Monday so it was all of a week on the way. However it was still in pretty good shape. The bread of course was a bit stale but it made fine toast, and the cake and turnovers were in a surprisingly fresh condition. The four of us fell to on them and had a nice little feed. The four of us who are together are Howard Breese, a private secretary from Brooklyn, Ron Mather who was a freshman at Cornell last year, Jordan who was in the importing business in N.Y. We make a pretty congenial foursome.

The helmet comes in fine and I shall thank Nellie for it within a few days.

Sine Jack Hawkinson hasn’t written I consider it likely that he is away working on some picture. He often goes away like that for several weeks or more at a time. I expect that I will have a vacation of a week or so around the 18th and while I’m in NY I’ll try to get in touch with him, personally.

I don’t know when we’ll be paid, so I wish if you can spare it you’d send me about ten dollars so I can be prepared. You’d best send a money order, because we’re still in the field and probably will be for some time and a money order is safer. Make it out to Charles. H. Lee because that’s my name in the Army and that makes identification at the P.O. easier.

Monday afternoon we had a fire in our shanty and lost quite a few articles of clothing. We weren’t in any danger ourselves and managed to rescue most of our goods. I was the lightest loser. I lost only my new hat so I have to wear my old one. However we are to be issued new clothing for all of the burnt stuff. There certainly was a wild scramble for about five minutes trying to move our stuff out.

I had a letter from Mr. Ferguson this week requesting another letter for the Men’s Club meeting next Monday so I’m writing today.

Love to all,
Herb




Here we have Herb's sisters - Olive and Margaret flanking his cousin Helen Sherman Ferguson


These are the Shermans, with Cousin Helen in the middle - the child - and Herb's Aunt Ada standing behind Helen.

Rain & Dugouts....

Aha, maybe we now know why Herb sent the picture of the shelf.... I have included it again.

And, wow, they had to dig out their own tents. Not sure I understand that. But, all part of history, so good to know. See the photos at the end of the letter.

That Aunt Birdella again - I have a picture of her, but no idea who she is. Is Aunt just a title of respect or is there blood there?





Sunday 1917
Dear Mother,

Your Thursday letter arrived yesterday noon while I was in the throes of moving. Thursday night we had that same thunder storm that you had in Troy, I guess. It rained cats and dogs most of the evening + some of the men got pretty well soaked. A number of them in our battalion had chosen very poor places for their dugouts so far as drainage was concerned and as a result their homes looked like cesspools. We four were pretty dry in our place, however, except for a little drip around the edges. Friday, of course, everything was a sea of mud so we in Battalion 19 and 20 had to move. We have a nice ravine now with dugouts cut back in the side and built up and roofed over with sod. Really very comfortable and much warmer than the old place, as well as dry. The men who were here didn’t suffer at all Thursday night so I guess we’re safe because I don’t believe it could rain much harder. We have two double bunks, the lower a foot above the floor and the upper three feet from that. They’re made of sapling and with our straw mattresses on top are really quite comfortable.

I knew there was something wrong with that candy because it was too soft but it was eaten just the same and the bread certainly tasted good.

I’m writing Charley today.

I’m inclined to think that I may perhaps have about a week around Christmas though I shan’t know definitely for a week or two I suppose.

Karolyn is well and quite happy, taking on a little flesh which worries her. In her last letter she mentioned that she has been given an opportunity to learn how to take X-ray pictures as well as assist in the process. She seems quite pleased over it.

Friday night it turned colder and last night a scum of ice formed quite across the little river near the camp.

I did write and thank Aunt Birdella for the pictures but I’ll try and write again this week some time.

The four of us have chipped in and bought a small lamp to brighten the evenings and what with a roaring fire the place is quite comfortable. I’ll probably have some pictures of the place to show you.

Love,
Herbert

P.S. What about the coat? Do get it.
Herb

Reports & more photos of people and living situations

In 1917 both September and December started the month with the first on a Saturday.

We know Herb uses a typewriter, though the October report that the National Archives has was hand written.

More photos of sleeping accommodations - not labeled, but this looks more permanent than tents in and around Allentown. In the last photo, Herb is the guy sitting on the right hand side. I have learned one of his mannerisms now through the photographs - the way he holds his hands in his lap. Pretty distinctive.



Sunday [December 2, 1917? Could be September…)

Dear Mother,

It’s been a busy week or me. I had your letter Wednesday but so far the box has failed to put in an appearance. It seems very peculiar but then the mails here are awfully uncertain and parcel post stuff especially.

Yesterday of course was the first of the month and I had to have my monthly reports ready. It took a bit longer that normal this time because I haven’t any very good place to work. Our quarters are rather cramped. However I did get them finished in time. I’m really getting a fair speed on the type writer though I don’t think any business school would approve of my method.

The weather has been rather bad – rainy most of the week turning cold today. However the roof held and the wood supply has been good so we’ve been reasonably comfortable through it all. Tuesday I think we shall go back to Allentown. I’m not at all sorry though we have had a fairly easy time of it here. For the last week or ten days morning roll call has been omitted and if one was willing to omit breakfast at seven thirty he might sleep until nine or even later. Not bad for the army. Still it will be nice to be able to wash regularly.
Here you’re lucky to get water to clean your teeth.

Nothing new develops, but I’ll write again in a few days.

Love to all,
Herb

November 1917 and still in Allentown, PA

So, searching for an arsenal in Troy, NY I found one in Watervliet, NY, across the river from Troy. It seems to be one of the oldest continuously operating arsenals in the country, in fact the arsenal was "founded in 1813, it's the United States' oldest continuously active arsenal" according to an article about the arsenal found here.

This letter makes me wonder about what Herb did when in France if he were the clerk for the Section. Did he have a turn driving the ambulances? Did he move wounded on stretchers? He hasn't mentioned anything in these letters about any sort of medical training. I therefore assume the ambulance corps was literally just moving the wounded, not doing any triage or anything, but that seems strange. I would think if one was dealing with wounded one would have some knowledge of how to care for them.

I found some loose photographs in a photo album. Perhaps these are some that Herb mentions in other letters. Below I have included a picture of a fire in some sort of living situation. I don't know who the man is. I also have a photo of a tent. Pretty interesting in light of these letters. I have no idea why a photo would have been taken of the shelf, but it's interesting to have.


Sunday, November 18, 1917
Dear Mother,

Sunday again without anything of note having happened. I went in to Allentown yesterday and had a good cleaning up in the Y.M.C.A. That place looks more like an Army Club than anything else. The reading and recreation rooms seem to be crowded with soldiers all the time and civilians are scarce as hen’s teeth.

We’ve built ourselves, the four of us who are together, a nice dugout this week and are really quite comfortable. We put in double decked bunks for more room and a couple of days ago a fire place. With a good log fire the place gets almost too warm sometimes. I am inclined to think we’ll be here for at least a couple of weeks.

I’m excused from all drills now to attend to the clerical work.

The weather seems to get steadily warmer. Of course the nights are cold, but the days are almost mild.

I am very near forgetting to answer that letter to the Men’s Club. Fortunately I thought of it last Sunday.

I hope Harry can get a job in the Arsenal. That would be fine.

Lovingly,
Herb

1917 October Report for USAAC Section 580

I am posting this here, though I have no letters from Herb in October of 1917. It was a true delight to see his handwriting on the report archived with the National Archives in Maryand. Once he gets to France the Army gives him a typewriter, so this is a true treasure to have found these formal documents with his handwriting.

Nothing much to report other than the number of men in the unit. Two men were ordered out of the unit; who knows why.

Big Jump in Time

From August to November - I don't seem to have the intervening letters. This jump was the whole reason I stopped posting Herb's letters as I assumed I had some which I just hadn't yet found, but I have gone through everything I have and they just don't exist.

So fun to see that Herb has been picked out to be the official clerk - I wonder why. It's not like he is the only college graduate in the group. No promotion, though. I went to the National Archives a while ago and saw that it was his handwriting on the reports - you can imagine how much fun that was for me to see.

Harry is his younger brother, as we may remember. I don't recall why he is in New York City or when he got there. I should reread the letters to see if there is a clue.


Sunday, Nov. 4th (1917)

Dear Mother,

I am now at a miserable hole in the ground called Guth’s Station some four miles from Allentown with about 1800 other unfortunates. It’s frightfully uncomfortable, cold, muddy, and all together messy. Nothing has happened worth writing about. We eat sleep and drill about as we do in Allentown only more so and I have finished up all the monthly reports – that is unless they come back for corrections. I am the official clerk that is I do all the clerical work in the section. It isn’t an official grade. I appear on the roster as a private but I guess it’s mine allright so long as I want it.

Quite a few men perhaps a half dozen have contracted heavy colds which may be pneumonia and have been sent back to Allentown. I’ve fortunately escaped so far. I did have a congestion in the head which I broke up with salt + water. Anyway I fortified myself against a cold in the chest as soon as we arrived and I found out how cold it was by putting on woolen underwear over the other. Some stunt – but it keeps me warm. Our lieutenant is also on the sick list but with something or other due to exposure.

I expect we’re going back Wednesday and I’m very glad. I’ve have enough. If we get paid perhaps I shall go to New York next Saturday. This trench life makes me long for the City. So if you haven’t already sent my shirt in which case it will be waiting for me at Allentown I wish you’d send it Tuesday or so. I’m so dirty that getting cleaned up for once will be a luxury. I expect to have a good visit with Harry and I promise to use my head. I’ll go over there for a while but I won’t discourage him about Dean St. Any way he understands it all and he’s written me that he thinks it best to stick there for a time so I’m satisfied. I’m writing Harry to-day.

Love to all,
Herb

Stand, don't sit!

Again, from the October 3rd issue of the Week Magazine -

A simple way to prolong life
To delay aging, spend more time standing up. That’s the surprising conclusion of a new study by Swedish scientists, reports The Daily Telegraph (U.K.). Researchers at Karolinska University Hospital in Stockholm took blood samples from a group of sedentary, overweight men and women, all 68 years old, and measured the length of their telomeres—caps on the ends of DNA that generally shorten and fray with age. Half the volunteers were started on a moderate exercise program and told to sit less, while the other half were told to continue their normal lives. When the scientists took second blood tests six months later, they found that the telomeres in the “normal’’ group had shortened, as expected, but those in the exercise group had actually grown longer—their cells had become physiologically younger. Even more surprising, this wasn’t because of the exercise regime: The telomeres of the volunteers who worked out the most tended to grow less and sometimes even shortened. The most beneficial factor was time spent standing up. The less time people spent sitting down, the more their telomeres grew. “Formal exercise may be increasing, but at the same time people spend more time sitting,” said co-author Mai-Lis Hellenius. “Sitting and sedentary behavior [may be] an important and new health hazard of our time.”

Herb's back!

I am guessing that this letter belongs to September, but it might very well be December. I transcribed it a long time ago, but I really need to reread all the letters together in one flow to see where it might fit. But, I am eager to return to Herb, so I wanted to keep going.

Don't you just love how he puts movies in quotes? I guess it was still such a new concept.

Mr. Fairlee is the pastor/reverend (whatever is the right term...) of their church. I can't think who Mr. Ferguson might be, though eventually Herb's cousin Helen Sherman marries a Bill Ferguson, so could there be a family connection? Who knows?

He is so nice to his mother, isn't he?



Thursday 1917 (September?)

Dear Mother,

Dad’s letter came yesterday and the box arrived to-day. Everything tasted so good after a couple of weeks of rations. Last night occurred the first rain in three weeks. All drills had to be called off today because the soil is mostly clay and when it’s wet it’s awfully soupy. Last night I went into Allentown for a bath and a shave at the Y.M.C.A. and a visit to the “movies”.

Nothing has developed in regards to our leaving here as I imagine we may be here some time yet. Still it might be worse. We have a good fire in our dugout all the time and the roof keeps out the rain all right. I think we’ll be able to get ten days off around Christmas time. Five of the fellows left Tuesday to be gone until the last day of this month.

I was quite surprised, I think it was Monday to receive a letter from Mr. Fairlee, a very nice letter, too. I suppose my letter to the Men’s Club prompted it. Mr. Ferguson asked me to write him that letter.

By the way, Mother, there must be on hand enough of my allowance to get you a new coat if you haven’t one. You haven’t said anything about a new one and I know you’ve had the other at least three years. Why not take some of my money, whatever is needed, and get yourself one. Nothing could please me better. Won’t you do it? I know what you’ll say of course, the H.C. of L. etc. but you need a good coat to go to church and please for Heaven’s sake get it.

I’ve been wondering what to get Karolyn. I’ve been thinking of a wrist watch. I know she’d like one though she hasn’t said so. However I haven’t decided yet. Anyway I like to give her something rather nice and I guess if I can do that you ought to be able to get a coat and call it a Christmas present.

Love,
Herb

Artificial Sweeteners

I was catching up on my reading and I came across this small blurb in the October 3rd issue of the Week Magazine:

Beware of artificial sweeteners
Artificial sweeteners, among the most common food additives in the world, may be contributing to obesity rather than preventing it, reports the Financial Times. In a series of experiments, Israeli scientists found that exposure to three sweeteners widely used in low-calorie snacks and beverages—saccharin, sucralose, and aspartame—raised blood sugar levels in mice and increased their risk of glucose intolerance, a condition that often leads to obesity and diabetes. When the researchers at the Weizmann Institute of Science then gave a regular dose of saccharin to seven human volunteers who did not typically use sweeteners, four of them developed glucose intolerance. Previous studies have suggested that certain artificial supplements can give consumers a “sweet tooth,” making them more likely to seek out sugary foods, but this research suggests that sweeteners might actually alter the body’s metabolism to make weight gain more likely. Sweeteners, the report found, “may have directly contributed to enhancing the exact epidemic that they themselves were intended to fight.”