Context for May 1918

I went to the History Channel's web site to see what was happening in the War at this time and this is what I found, word for word... so let me give credit to the History Channel here. It is interesting to contemplate as Herb seems oblivious to what is going on at the highest levels as he talks about daylight savings and poslam ointment here.

On this day in 1918, in a conference of Allied military leaders at Abbeville, France, the U.S., Britain and France argue over the entrance of American troops into World War I.

On March 23, two days after the launch of a major German offensive in northern France, British Prime Minister David Lloyd George telegraphed the British ambassador in Washington, Lord Reading, urging him to explain to U.S. President Woodrow Wilson that without help from the U.S., "we cannot keep our divisions suppliedfor more than a short time at the present rate of loss.This situation is undoubtedly critical and if America delays now she may be too late." In response, Wilson agreed to send a direct order to the commander in chief of the American Expeditionary Force, General John J. Pershing, telling him that American troops already in France should join British and French divisions immediately, without waiting for enough soldiers to arrive to form brigades of their own. Pershing agreed to this on April 2, providing a boost in morale for the exhausted Allies.

The continued German offensive continued to take its toll throughout the month of April, however, as the majority of American troops in Europe—now arriving at a rate of 120,000 month—still did not see battle. In a meeting of the Supreme War Council of Allied leaders at Abbeville, near the coast of the English Channel, which began on May 1, 1918, Clemenceau, Lloyd George and General Ferdinand Foch, the recently named generalissimo of all Allied forces on the Western Front, worked to persuade Pershing to send all the existing American troops into the fray at once. Pershing resisted, reminding the group that the U.S. had entered the war "independently" of the other Allies—indeed, the U.S. would insist during and after the war on being known as an "associate" rather than a full-fledged ally—and stating "I do not suppose that the American army is to be entirely at the disposal of the French and British commands."

On May 2, the second day of the meeting, the debate continued, with Pershing holding his ground in the face of heated appeals by the other leaders. He proposed a compromise, which in the end Lloyd George and Clemenceau had no choice but to accept: the U.S. would send the 130,000 troops arriving in May, as well as another 150,000 in June, to join the Allied line directly. He would make no provision for July. This agreement meant that of the 650,000 American troops in Europe by the end of May 1918, roughly one-third would see action that summer; the other two-thirds would not join the line until they were organized, trained and ready to fight as a purely American army, which Pershing estimated would not happen until the late spring of 1919. By the time the war ended, though, on November 11, 1918, more than 2 million American soldiers had served on the battlefields of Western Europe, and some 50,000 of them had lost their lives.

And a little shout out to my friend, Marcy, who is celebrating today.

Still Quiet

What a nice son to send his money home.
As I write this, and I am not sure I mentioned it before, but Herb dies of lung cancer. Pretty sad when you think it started here. (I say that, but would need to go back and see if that is true... It has been so long since I have spent time with Herb that I have forgotten, though I believe at the outset of these letters there was some discussion with his Mom about the cigarettes he was receiving and how many he was smoking at any given time....)
Because Herb is surprised, the Mount Zion Lodge seems like an unlikely source for a gift, so I assume no family connection with the lodge; I am going to guess that researching there would not be fruitful. I do have some other documents for Masons lodges, but they have never contacted me back, which is disappointing.
Tom, if we recall is Tom Nial, mentioned here.

May 10, 1918
Dear Mother,
I’ve had no letter from you for some time, but I did have one from Karolyn day before yesterday.

I had two packages a few days ago. One was the cigarettes that Karolyn sent by Dad and the other was from – of all people – the Welfare Committee of Mt. Zion Lodge. I thought it was a mistake at first but my name + correct address was on it in several places so it must have been all right. There was quite a bit of tobacco + cigarettes in it and a couple of handkerchiefs. Rather decent of them, I thought. I suppose Dad must have handed in my name.

I find that I’ve more money than I need over here. You see my foreign service bonus pays my insurance premiums and so I have thirty a month clear. In francs that’s a good bit of money – more than I need, so I’ve made an allotment to Dad of $15 a month. Of course you probably won’t get it for a good while. There’s a bit of red tape and such things are slow moving so don’t worry about. After you get the first installment of fifteen it will come regularly every month. Please put it in the bank – under that old account of mine. It may be quite a bit before I get around to using it. Anyway I’ll need new clothes + things when I get back and it will provide for them.

Everything is just as ever here. I’m quite well, as usual, and the weather is a bit better. Things are still quiet and look as if they might continue so.

How is Tom making out?

I had a letter from Mr. Ferguson this week which I have not yet answered.
Love to all.
Your affectionate son,
Herb

This Section is Quiet

Pretty great to have a description of the French Camouflage. I like Herb's image of the fat soldiers fitting through.

May 5th (1918)
Dear Mother,
Sunday again! The weeks certainly do slip by at great speed, though the days do often seem pretty long.

The weather has improved quite a bit. This week we have had several fine days when coats were quite unnecessary. To-day, though, it is raining again.

The section continues pretty quiet, every few days there is what the French call a “coup de main” sort of a little night skirmish but that’s about all. Most of the men we’re carrying are sick though now and again there are one or two wounded, usually from shrapnel.

Lately I have seen several of the deserted, ruined villages hereabouts. None of them have been ravaged by the Boches but intermittent hell-fire for heaven knows how many months has done the work just as thoroughly. Here + there is a wall, or more frequently, part of a wall left standing, but everything else is a mixed up pile of stone and plaster.

The most amazing thing, I think, about it all is the perfection that the French have achieved in camouflage. One can stand within a hundred yards of a battery of 75’s and yet not be able to guess where they are, even when they’re in action. From even a few yards a battery may seem to be nothing but a pile of brush and odds and ends. And the dugouts - ! Some of them are elaborate affairs as big as small hotels with so many galleries and passageways that one needs a guide so as not to be lost. Of course, every bit of room must be utilized, so the passages are so narrow that I can’t see how some of the fat soldiers ever get through them. I had a dickens of a time squeezing through them myself.

We read the English papers, they being all we can get and things certainly are looking fine. The Germans are certainly getting enough. Of course no one knows how much longer it will go on but every new American division makes it so much shorter. Let ‘em come.

In the meantime, I’m well and happy so don’t worry about
Your affectionate son,
Herb

I took these photographs of the exhibits at the New York State Military Museum, talked about here. I'm afraid I don't recall where this trench was located; I add it just as an example I saw during my travels.

Too Much Sugar

And to follow up from last Friday's blog post:

Too much sugar is a primary cause of obesity, diabetes, and tooth decay, and new guidelines from the World Health Organization call for a sharp reduction in the amount of added, or “free,” sugars in the typical diet. Sugar accounts for 15 percent of the average American’s daily calorie intake, and the WHO recommends that number be reduced to no more than 5 percent, or roughly 25 grams—six teaspoons—per day. That’s less than what’s found in a single can of soda. Free sugars are found in white and brown sugar, honey, maple syrup, and additives like high fructose corn syrup. “The key point is that we are consuming way too much added sugars for good health,” says Rachel Johnson of the American Heart Association.

This tidbit is also from the 12/31 edition of The Week Magazine.

I've noticed when I cut out the sugar and the wheat that my teeth don't get nearly as fuzzy throughout the day. Perhaps that is TMI, but I thought I would share an observation.

The Theodora "Dora" Starr Story

The Theodora Starr Story
Theodora was either the first or second child, but only daughter, of Theodore Burr and Caroline Margaret Morris Starr. She was born on July 11, 1866 in Kings County, New York – Brooklyn. Her father was a jeweler working in Manhattan and her mother kept house on Congress Street in Brooklyn.
In the 1875 New York census, the family is living in a brownstone at 149 Congress Street, Brooklyn, claimed to be valued at $17,000. The house was across the street from Cobble Hill Park. One can assume that Dora played with her siblings and maybe even cousins in that park. The family of 6 had at least two servants living and working with them. Dora was the eldest of 4 children; her siblings were Louis Morris, 6, Theodore, 4, and Howard White 2. They were living on the same block with her paternal grandmother, Harriet Howard White Starr, who was living with her younger brother’s family, Joseph Theodore White. Another sister, Amelia E. White, was living within that household, as well. It appears that perhaps Amelia (or Elizabeth) never married.
Dora’s brother Theodore died sometime before the 1880 census. (There may have been a first child, also called Theodore, but records are hard to decipher.)
In 1878, Dora’s father moved his business from 22 John Street to 206 5th Avenue. Perhaps this indicates that his business was growing and the family was enjoying additional wealth.
By 1880 the small family moved from Cobble Hill to 112 East 39th Street in Manhattan. They still have two servants from Ireland living with them.
Theodora seems to have spent summers in Ridgefield, Connecticut. It is there, during June, that her engagement to Harry L. Bloomfield is announced. Tragically, only a month later, on July 16th, Theodora dies of pneumonia. Her parents did what they could for their beloved daughter, bringing the family physician to Ridgefield from his home on Long Island. The reports of the day claim that “social gayeties here during the past few days have been at a standstill, owing to the sudden death of Miss Theodora Starr, daughter of Mr. & Mrs. Theodore B. Starr, of New York, whose summer home is here,…”
Nothing is known about Theodora’s daily life, except for the tragedy of losing two of her brothers. She died on July 16, 1894 just after having reached her 28th birthday.
Theodora was the first of her family to be buried in Section 4 of the Ridgefield, Connecticut Cemetery.

Vegetables

This better not surprise anyone....
Again, from the 12/31 edition of The Week Magazine:

Eating vegetables reduces your risk of dying. Tracking the eating habits of 65,000 people over 12 years, researchers found that those who consumed seven or more portions a day—roughly half a cup each—of fresh fruits or vegetables reduced their risk of death 42 percent. Fresh vegetables were the most beneficial, with each portion reducing overall risk of death 16 percent; even minimal consumption helped, with one to three daily portions cutting the risk of death 14 percent. Consuming canned fruits, however, increased the statistical risk, probably because of the added sugar used in processing.

Stay away from that sugar!

Standing Up

This one worries me a shade, given how much sitting we all do. Again from the year end edition of the Week Magazine:

Standing up can delay the effects of aging. Swedish researchers split a group of men and women into two groups: Half were given a moderate exercise program and told to sit less; the other half continued their normal lives. After six months, scientists measured the volunteers’ telomeres—caps on the ends of genes that generally shorten and fray with age. While the telomeres of subjects in the “normal” group had shortened, as expected, those in the active group had grown longer. Further tests confirmed that the biggest benefit didn’t come from exercise but from time spent simply standing up. Sedentary behavior, says co-author Mai-Lis Hellénius, could be the “new health hazard of our time.”

I happily built myself a stand up desk - I just wish I could get the crap off it so that I might use it.

More Coffee

Reading my favorite magazine - The Week - in the year end summary they posted this little tidbit about coffee. We have spoken about coffee before...

Coffee can improve memory, but don’t drink too much. Researchers asked 160 people to look at pictures of objects, then gave them either a placebo or a tablet containing 200 milligrams of caffeine—equivalent to a strong cup of coffee. When the volunteers were shown a larger set of images the next day and asked to identify which ones were old, new, or similar, the caffeinated group was more likely to recognize very slight changes in the pictures. Dosage was crucial, however: Researchers found that 100-milligram tablets didn’t improve memory, while 300-milligram doses caused headaches and jitteriness.

I will keep my two cups of coffee as a part of my daily ritual.

That Empty Gut Feeling

So, with everyone grazing all day long, what does that say about people in decision making roles? Another article from the 11/14/2014 Week Magazine.

If you’re facing a big decision, a new study suggests you may want to make it before lunch. Researchers at Utrecht University in the Netherlands found that test subjects who were hungry were more likely to make better decisions—and reap greater rewards—than those who were well fed, DiscoverMagazine​.com reports. In the study, several groups of students took the Iowa Gambling Task, a series of risk/reward scenarios that mimics real-life decision making. They found that most subjects were better at making quick decisions while hungry and were also more likely to opt for greater long-term rewards over immediate gratification. The findings contradict conventional wisdom, as psychiatrists have long held that being in a “hot state” of emotional or physical duress can cause people to make hasty, irrational decisions. Instead, researchers said, it appears that people in hot states may rely more on their gut feelings, which help them make complex decisions.

Cocoa Boosts Memory

One has got to love this:

Eating chocolate has long been known to improve mood and increase blood flow, but new research indicates it may have an even bigger benefit: reducing age-related memory loss. The key ingredient, reports LATimes.com, is epicatechin, a flavanol found in cocoa beans. In a small study, researchers looked at two groups of healthy individuals ages 50 to 69. Half were given a daily drink that contained 900 milligrams of epicatechin, while the others consumed just 10 milligrams a day. After three months, the high-dose group performed significantly better on memory tests, and subsequent brain scans confirmed improved blood flow to the dentate gyrus, a region of the brain that’s been linked to age-related memory loss. Researchers caution that the typical candy bar contains minuscule amounts of the flavanol (with dark chocolate having more than milk chocolate), and that people would have to eat up to 25 chocolate bars a day to get as much as the group in the experiment. “It would make a lot of people happy,” said study author Scott Small, “but it would also make them unhealthy.” Researchers plan another, larger study on the memory-protective effects of epicatechin.

Found this in my favorite magazine, The Week, on November 14, 2014.