Collections : [University of Michigan William L. Clements Library]

The Walter Crane papers contain 88 letters, 2 postcards, and 1 Christmas card written by Corporal Crane to Ruth Backof, a former high school classmate, while he served in the Machine Gun Company of the 138th Infantry Regiment during the First World War. He described his experiences in training at Camp Clark, Missouri, and Camp Doniphan, Oklahoma. Crane also reported extensively on his involvement in combat along the Western Front, including his service in the Meuse-Argonne Offensive and on life in the trenches.

The Walter Crane papers contain 88 letters, 2 postcards, and 1 Christmas card written by Corporal Crane to Ruth Backof, a former high school classmate, while he served in the Machine Gun Company of the 138th Infantry Regiment during the First World War.

Crane wrote his first letters while training at Camp Clark in Nevada, Missouri, in September 1917. He inquired about mutual friends and reminisced about his time at McKinley High School in St. Louis, Missouri. After moving to Oklahoma's Camp Doniphan in late October, he discussed his fellow soldiers, training exercises, and leisure activities. On December 25, 1917, he copied lyrics to a soldiers' song entitled "When Our Machine Guns Are Starting to Roar (for Me and My Gal)," and mentioned that his unit played sports in their spare time. Several envelopes bear the skull-and-crossbones insignia of the 138th Infantry Regiment's Machine Gun Company.

In April 1918, Crane moved to Camp Mills on Long Island, New York, and made final preparations to travel overseas. A May 14, 1918, letter provides an account of the trip. He first wrote from France on May 25, 1918, describing his journey across England. The remaining letters contain his impressions of France and news of his military engagements. Crane's vivid war letters mention both simulated battles (July 30, 1918) and real engagements. His stories of life in the trenches include several featuring trench rats. Between August and October, he wrote about his experiences in combat along the front lines just before and during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive -- the letters dated August 18, 1918, and October 6, 1918, are especially detailed. After November 1918, Crane’s company stayed in training near "Grimaucourt," France, despite the armistice. He continued to describe his daily life and on December 12, 1918, he copied three pages of poetry written by Sergeant S. F. McElhiney, a member of his company. On April 23, 1919, he wrote his final long letter while aboard the USS Kroonland, and, after he landed in the United States on the 29th, he sent Ruth a brief telegram.

The two French postcards are dated October 9 and December 21, 1918, and the Christmas card (1917) bears the insignia of Crane's unit. These three items are filed with the correspondence.

This collection is made up of letters and postcards that Second Lieutenant Lewis Douglas Lacy, a master engineer, wrote to his family while serving in the American Expeditionary Forces during World War I. Lacy was deployed to France around July 1917. He wrote regular letters about his experiences overseas, which included service at the front lines and at the army's general headquarters.

This collection contains about 100 letters and postcards that Second Lieutenant Lewis Douglas Lacy, a master engineer, wrote to his family while serving in the American Expeditionary Forces during World War I. Lacy was deployed to France around July 1917. He wrote regular letters about his experiences overseas, which included service on the front line and at the army's general headquarters.

The Correspondence series is comprised of Lewis Lacy's letters to his mother and sister, who lived in Webster Groves, Missouri. His first letters describe his experiences traveling through Pennsylvania to Washington, D.C., and traveling overseas to England in the summer of 1917. While stationed in England in early August, Lacy participated in a large parade in London (August 15, 1917). After his arrival in France, he described the country, complained about censorship restrictions, and discussed his experiences, including service on the front line in November and December 1917. While at the front, he mentioned a recent successful push by the Allied military forces, and shared his pleasure at having helped capture German positions. In early 1918, Lacy was transferred to general headquarters, and he was promoted to second lieutenant in July 1918; his mother received a formal notice of the promotion (July 10, 1918). After the armistice in November 1918, Lacy wrote about life in Neufchâteau, France, where he was stationed until around April 1919. He then traveled to Brest, where he wrote his last letter on March 23, 1919. The final item is a letter that a soldier named "Bob" wrote to Lewis Lacy from Walter Reed Hospital on June 9, 1919, providing news of mutual military acquaintances.

The collection's Printed Items include a card encouraging French victory loans, German and French currency (2 bills), and a copy of the Windy City Echo, the 13th Engineers Regiment's newspaper (December 13, 1918).

This diary of Corporal John H. Harris concerns his service with the United States Army's 145th Infantry Regiment in France and Belgium during World War I. The volume also contains lists of soldiers' equipment, battles in which Harris participated, and members in his first squad.

The 37-page diary of Corporal John H. Harris concerns his service with the United States Army's 145th Infantry Regiment in France and Belgium during World War I. The volume also contains lists of soldiers' equipment, the battles in which Harris participated, and members of his first squad.

Harris began his diary with a history of his service from his enlistment in the American Expeditionary Forces through his transfer to the 145th Infantry Regiment of the 37th Division. Between June 6 and June 15, 1918, he briefly commented on his travels in the United States, and he mentioned an extended training exercise for trench warfare on June 8, 1918 (p. 2). After sailing to France onboard the Leviathan in mid-June 1918, he described his experiences in active service in France and Belgium. As he traveled, Harris consistently recorded the names of towns and villages and noted that his unit continued to train throughout their time abroad.

Harris often fought in the trenches, and wrote about his experiences during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive (September 25-31, 1918, pp. 9-12). The 145th Infantry traveled through France and Belgium after the armistice, and Harris occasionally commented on his accommodations and meals. In early March 1919, he recorded his distaste for camp life near Brest, France (March 5 and March 16, 1919, pp. 27-28). Harris embarked for the United States on the Great Northern on March 26, 1919, and recalled some incidents during the journey, which included a small fire and a strong storm. After his arrival, Harris was stationed near New York City and in Ohio. He wrote his final entry on April 23, 1919, after his discharge and arrival in Akron, Ohio.

• List of battles in with Corporal John H. Harris participated during World War I (1 page)
• Inventory of United States Army soldiers' clothing (1 page)
• List of items that John H. Harris carried in his pack during World War I (3 pages)
• Illustration showing the layout of soldier's pack during an inspection near Le Mans, France, ca. 1919 (1 page)
• List of men in Corporal John H. Harris's first squad (1 page)

The Harley and Laurence Benedict papers consist of letters written by Harley and Laurence Benedict to their mother, grandparents, and sister in Ohio during the brothers' overseas service in the First World War.

The Harley and Laurence Benedict papers consist of letters written by Harley and Laurence Benedict to their mother, grandparents, and sister in Ohio during the brothers' overseas service in the First World War. In his first letter, dated September 23, 1917, Harley M. Benedict discussed his recent journey to Camp Sheridan, Alabama, and described the camp and the town surrounding it; he also noted the demographic composition of the town, roughly evenly split between African Americans and whites. Most of the letters date from 1918, and include correspondence addressed to their mother, Mrs. Frank L. Benedict (Bessie), and maternal grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. F. P. McVey. Laurence also wrote one late letter to their sister, Marjory (November 27, 1918). Throughout his time in France, Harley discussed camp life, the army's rapid progress across France and into Belgium, and the hazards of fighting. On July 17, 1918, he mentioned seeing an airborne fight, and in several other letters reported German bombing raids and booby traps. At the end of the war, Harley was in Belgium, and looked forward to returning to the United States.

Laurence Benedict spent several months training at Camp John Dick, near Dallas, Texas, and traveled to Breton, France, by September 1918. There, he spent much time "loafing," though he did fly; on one flight near the end of the war, he sustained a minor injury, though he was reluctant to report it to his mother. Unlike his brother, who often described combat, Laurence focused primarily on his leisure time, though he did mention his unit's casualties (October 31, 1918). His late letters are chiefly concerned with his return home, expedited by his injury, which rendered him unable to fly. In addition to her sons' correspondence, Bessie Benedict also received a letter from Russell H. Walter of the 166th United States Infantry, a family friend, who reported that his unit was "busy rehearsing going 'Over the Top'" (May 15, 1918). The collection also includes two postcards of United States soldiers; one is a photograph, and the other a painting.