US Soldiers In World War I

I posted another thread elsewhere on a different WWI topic (https://goscf.com/t/64509), but I thought I'd start a thread on Americans in the war. I've often wondered about the doughboy in this RPPC; there's nothing on the back to identify him.

The last post card is postmarked from Camp Greene near Charlotte, opened 7/20/27 and closed 6/30/19. Those dates may not coincide with the special cancels used there.

I thought it was interesting that the year slug was inserted upside-down. I don't know whether that adds any premium as an error.

Many future officers were trained in Plattsburg NY. Here's a postcard from the "CAMP OF INSTRUCTION" in Plattsburg. The "Plattsburg idea" was the forerunner of the modern day ROTC.

GregAlex, upside down elements in machine cancel dials are common enough, therefore no premium. Similarly for "6"s used as "9"s, etc.

I found one among my family's pictures--luckily the man's name was written on the back. I later learned he was a neighbor to my great-grandparents.

Unfortunately, I didn't scan it at the time I found it several months back and now I'm not sure where I placed it at.

-MV

I picked this up last weekend. These appear to be U.S. officers, but I can't sleuth out any more details. It's a RPPC with nothing on the back.

Nice historical cards!

Card above: Probably not officers or at least, not all are. For one, the soldier second from left has corporal stripes on his shoulders. His hat also looks to have a taller crown than the rest.

My grandfather in-law was Private Bernard Burch of Wadena, Minnesota. He is seen at age 30 in this postcard image from 1919, fourth from the left of the first standing row.

These are the Headquarters Company band of the 53rd Infantry Regiment, Sixth Infantry Division, U.S. Army American Expeditionary Force. Each man was awarded a battle ribbon for the Meuse-Argonne offensive. Bernie was a snare drummer, but like the other bandsmen, he became a stretcher bearer during battles. According to the reverse of the card, the image was taken in Cauterets, France, in the Pyrenees, close to France's border with Spain.

Bernie and the boys toured France while awaiting their turn for passage home on the SS Leviathan. Bernie passed away in 1985.

Here is one sent from Camp Humphreys, Virginia (later renamed Fort Belvoir) by my great uncle Frederick Muller to his brother-in-law Albert LeBreton, my paternal grandfather. I never met this Frederick Muller; he died fairly young in 1933.

Muller's father, Frederic, was born in Alsace before the department was ceded to the Germans following the Franco Prussian War. He had done required military service in the German army, then emigrated, so I have to wonder what his thoughts were when his son was drafted into the US Army. He never went overseas, however.

Young Frederick is upbeat in this card, encouraging his brother-in-law to come visit. Shortly afterwards, he and hundreds others went down with influenza and it looked like young Fred might not make it. His parents were asked to come from Dumont in northern New Jersey to see him, but they were afraid of anti-German sentiment on the journey (the last name and they spoke German even though they were born in France, etc.), so his sister, my grandmother Salome LeBreton, went instead.

I have never troubled to id the stamp as it is so badly damaged.




I have a few from my maternal grandfather, most never mailed. I will look at his next to see if there is something to post....
- Jonathan

My maternal grandfather, George Standen (1888-1974), was in the 78th division AEF which assembled and trained at Fort Dix, New Jersey, before shipping overseas. A photographer who made postcards must have come through the Camp doing custom work cause I have one postcard of him and another trooper in front of their tent. It is badly faded, though, so here I offer a postcard of a larger group in front of their tents, taking a break to eat. The back has no message, and it was never posted, but I assume these are boys from the 78th division, mostly drawn from northern New Jersey and New York.
- Jonathan

And here is a postcard mailed from Fort Dix, New Jersey, dated April 25, 1918, bearing a US Scott # 499e.

In one month these men of the 78th Division AEF will be embarked and heading from New York to England.

Here they are enjoying mess after a long hike. FWIW my grandfather George Standen is the third standing on the right. The cooks at Fort Dix were black civilians according to accounts I have read. White soldiers did KP and those designated learned to cook for overseas messhall service.

The card is addressed to his mother. The Edgar mentioned was George's younger brother who at the time was serving in Army Motor Truck Co. 402 somewhere in the US Southwest around the Texas - New Mexico border.

Last one.

After the armistice, AEF soldiers stewed waiting to be repatriated. Officers organized athletics, there was still plenty of greatly-resented drilling, and various groups organized entertainment.

In my grandfather's unit, Co. B, 303rd Engineers of the 78th Division, there were a disproportionate number of singers and theatrical types, some of whom had played vaudeville in New York. They organized an entertainment troupe that toured parts of France to entertain their fellow doughboys while they waited.

My grandfather did a solo tenor act and sang in a quartet. He is the sergeant kneeling at the right on this postcard which was never mailed.

I didn't have any relatives in the war but my mother was a bartender in the forties. One of her regular customer groups were WWI vets who told her a lot of stories when in their cups.
I used to pester her to tell me the stories but she would always say "You don't want those stories in your head. They're not pleasant memories." She did let me handle the souvenirs she retrieved from the bar when it was demolished. A rifle with bayonet sans bolt, a gas mask and a small flag.