#35th division

December 14, 1918 - Full diary entry:

“Went to Commercy to a movie. 

Heard the Lieut. Governor of Kansas speak tonight. 

Are billeted at Pont-sur-Meuse. Married 10 months today and only have been with Nora about 20 days.”

Commercy, where the 35th Division was headquartered during this period, is just three miles southeast of Pont-sur-Meuse. As a reminder, the majority of the men in the 35th were from Kansas and Missouri, so it makes sense that Lt. Governor William Yoast Morgan would pay them a visit.

Robert will comment more about this speech in a letter tomorrow.

From Heroes of the Argonne:

As winter went along, this dearth of entertainment was in a measure remedied. Troupes of singers and dancers and musicians were sent out over divisional circuits. Motion picture shows were given three times a week. A show troupe of the Thirty-fifth was organized, playing at Commercy and other points in the divisional area. Later the show was sent to Luxemburg and covered other cities on the A. E. F. circuit.

Where was Robert today? See the timeline.

November 11, 1918 - Full diary entry:

“Today at 11 oclock is the day set for peace or more war. News came of the signing of the Armistice. The old bell rang in the church all day.”

Where was Robert today? See the timeline.

April 18, 1918 - Full diary entry:

“Fatigue: Set up stores in a.m. Raked in p.m. 

Midday wrote to Elinore.

Short drill.

Played poker, won 75$

Wrote to Elinore”

I wasn’t completely clear on Robert’s use of “fatigue” here. I had only ever seen the word used to mean “the state of being tired” (fatigued) or referring to military clothing (fatigues). Merriam-Webster helped me out.

The noun was used to mean both “the state of being tired” and “labor,” “effort,” or “trouble”—a sense that seems old-fashioned today. Early uses of fatigue meaning “effort” or “labor” often were in military contexts.

These senses led to two military-specific uses of fatigue. First, it came to mean “manual or menial work performed by military personnel,” and then, consequently, “the uniform or work clothing worn on fatigue detail and in the field.” This is how fatigues came to mean “uniform” in the military. When your job seems to be all work and no play, even your clothes are tired.

I also got to thinking about his poker winnings. The symbol following “75″ in this entry sure looks like a dollar sign to me. But $75 back in 1918 is more than a thousand dollars today. And I’m not sure about how these symbols were used in 1918, but today a currency symbol that comes after a number is more likely to be a “cents” sign. That would make Robert’s poker winnings 75 cents, which is more like $10-15 today and that seems more likely to me. 

If you’re curious, here’s how it looks in the diary:

Where was Robert today? See the timeline.

February 23, 1918 - Full diary entry: 

“Went to office + straightened up. Met Nora downtown. Went shopping.

Took 3rd Degree. Got beautiful emblem ring from Ma & Pa. Nora + I had a little scrap. She cried.”

Again, just an amazing quantity of content in a short 31-word entry. So much going on here, especially when you keep in mind what was happening to Robert and Nora at the time.

Robert is leaving for the Army in three days. He has been married for nine days. On his last Saturday at home, he went to work and “straightened up,” and had to be thinking about whether he would ever be going back to that office.

He became a 3rd Degree Mason, which has to have been an enormous accomplishment for him and his parents. I’m guessing it was really important to him to get this done before leaving for the war.

I don’t think we still have his 3rd Degree (Master) ring, and there are so many variations of these that I won’t even attempt to show a representative picture. You can get a sense for what this might have looked like here. 

And then the heart-breaking coda: a “little scrap” between the newlyweds. Poor Nora - newly married to a man she may not have known very long, pregnant, sick, and three days from being left to deal with all of this on her own. Not too surprising that she cried, all things considered.

WW2 VETERAN VISITS SITE WHERE FRIEND WAS KILLED IN ACTION

In November 2019, WWII Veteran Ceo Bauer returned to Normandy for probably the last time. We made the trip a bit more special for the 95th Infantry Division Veteran and visited the site where his friend of the 35th Division was Killed in Action on July 14, 1944.

In Honor of Rolland J. Hill and the rest of the 35th Infantry Division

Produced by: Joey van Meesen and Florent Plana

April 24, 1918 - Letter from Robert to his mother:

Co. B 140th Infantry

Amer. Expeditionary Forces

Dear Mother

You will notice I have a new address Amer. Exped. Forces. We left Camp Mills early this morning. I am writing this aboard ship but do not know when we will leave.

I am not allowed to put the date, name of ship or port in this letter. The ship is a fairly good looking one. She flies a British flag.

I would have liked to heard from you before I left to know how everyone is. Elinore wrote + I got it last night. She says everyone is alright.

Be sure and give her that money, she will need it this summer and will need it bad too.

I hope you + Ruth + Bess are better now.

Give my love to all and write soon.

Your loving son

Rob

Where was Robert today? See the timeline.

May 4, 1918 - Full diary entry:

“Reveille at 4 a.m., no subs sighted.

I wonder what my darling Elinore is doing now.

Time means nothing on ship. Eat, sleep + exist till we reach port.”

From Chaplain Edwards in From Doniphan to Verdun: The Official History of the 140th Infantry:

The fifth, sixth and seventh days were rough. We received news by wireless every day, and the bulletins were read with avid interest. Each evening the band — or that part of it unaffected by mal-de-mer — played during dinner. The men became accustomed to the rough seas and watched the huge waves with delight. On the eighth day once more we struck calm weather. The men found their sea legs, and swarmed all over the decks, a fairly happy crowd. On each of the two Sundays, Church Parade was held, and a band concert given.

From Corporal Phillips in War in Words:

At night and often in the daytime the fog was so dense it was impossible to see the other steamships. They all kept in contact by wireless signals and fog horns. One steamship or another was constantly blowing its horns. How clearly, by day or night, I heard those annoying fog horns. I had to be mighty tired before I could sleep because of the fog horns and the splashing of the waves on the steel side of my steamship. My bunk was along the water line, a pretty place to be if an enemy torpedo came skipping along into us. About the twelfth day, most all of us were becoming tired and weary of the boat ride. We knew each day and night was bringing us nearer to land. The most of us lived it through to see the shores of England.

Where was Robert today? See the timeline.

March 13, 1918 - Full diary entry:

“Drilled in mess hall

Worked in Canteen Dept 

Leut. Densmore got me the job.”

It’s almost a haiku. I assume working in the canteen was better than some alternatives; “got me the job” sounds like he was happy to get it.

As much as I would like to track down Lieutenant Densmore and share some of his history, I’m afraid it’s beyond my ability to research.

Where was Robert today? See the timeline.