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

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)

This collection contains letters that Morris Rea Paul wrote to his parents about his experiences as an ambulance driver in France during World War I. Paul described his service along the Western Front in 1917 and 1918 and later discussed his travels in France and Germany.

This collection (132 items) contains around 115 letters that Morris Rea Paul wrote to his parents about his experiences as an ambulance driver in France during World War I. Paul described his service along the Western Front in 1917 and 1918, and later discussed his travels in France and Germany.

The Correspondence series (123 items) contains letters dated May 22, 1917-April 16, 1919. The first 6 items pertain to Morris Paul's decision to volunteer for the American Ambulance Field Service (later the American Field Service) in 1917. The letters concern requirements for entering the service and practical information for men traveling to France. The series also contains a copy of a recommendation letter for Morris Paul, as well as letters Paul received from the minister of a church in Brockton, Massachusetts, and from a friend, who sent Paul a check in lieu of a gift.

Morris Paul wrote the remaining letters to his family between July 1917, when he embarked for Europe, and April 1919, after his return to the United States. In his first 2 letters, Paul commented on his experiences aboard the Touraine while sailing from the United States to France. In France, he provided details about the ambulance service; one letter includes a diagram showing the relative distances of hospitals to the trenches and locations of ambulances and relief cars (August 24, 1917), and another contains a pencil drawing of an ambulance driver in a helmet and gas mask (September 4, 1917). Paul served in the trenches and mentioned hearing artillery barrages and witnessing an airplane battle. He recounted several occasions on which he escaped death and reflected on the emotions associated with being a soldier. In his letter of August 29, 1917, he enclosed a piece of a German soldier's hatband. The series also contains a French-language military order (October 18, 1917).

The Photographs, Newspaper Clippings, and Ephemera series (9 items) mainly concerns Paul's military service. Photographs depict Paul as a child and in uniform around 1918. A group of newspaper clippings pertain to the ambulance service and medal citations. Other items include equipment lists, an address list for ambulance service members, and a broadside advertisement for volunteer ambulance drivers.

The Stanley D. Carpenter correspondence consists of letters that Carpenter wrote to his mother and grandmother while serving with the United States Marine Corps during the First World War. He described his experiences while training at the Quantico Marine Corps Base in Virginia and discussed conditions in the trenches in France. The collection also has 4 lists of items sent to Carpenter during his military service.

This collection consists of 60 letters and 2 postcards that Stanley D. Carpenter wrote to his mother and grandmother while serving with the United States Marine Corps during the First World War. The collection also has 4 lists of items sent to Carpenter during his military service.

Carpenter first wrote home from Port Royal, South Carolina, on February 21, 1917, to report his 4-year enlistment, and he regularly corresponded with his mother throughout his time in the military. His early letters reveal his enthusiasm for military life and describe several aspects of his training, including his daily routine and his uniform and equipment allotments, at marine corps bases at Parris Island, South Carolina; Portsmouth, Virginia; and Quantico, Virginia. Several of his letters have enclosures, such as two pieces of palm for Palm Sunday (March 11, 1917); a color print of a soldier, labeled to illustrate Carpenter's equipment (March 15, 1917); a printed copy of the Marines' Hymn (May 8, 1917); and a program from the Academy of Music in Norfolk, Virginia (May 13, 1917). By May 1917, he anticipated being sent to France, and on June 7, 1917, mentioned seeing Woodrow Wilson while visiting Washington, D. C. Several of these letters are sealed with American flag stickers.

Carpenter wrote his first letter from France on July 19, 1917, assuring his mother that he had arrived safely and in good health, and wrote frequently about the war and his experiences. He initially visited the local Y.M.C.A., though he later severely criticized the organization. He mentioned his religious habits and those of other soldiers, and his unit regularly participated in drill exercises. By January 1918, Carpenter began to serve on the front lines, and he later provided a detailed account of life in the trenches (May 2, 1918). While in France, he also described his quarters, local French houses, and inspections by General John J. Pershing. He wrote his last letter on May 30, 1918, and enclosed 3 receipts for money transfers.

Other correspondence includes a telegram that Caroline Carpenter sent to Stanley D. Carpenter on February 19, 1917, urging him to reconsider his enlistment and offering to pay for his return to Pennsylvania; a letter she wrote to the commanding officer of the Marine Barracks at Port Royal, South Carolina, asking him to look after Stanley (February 20, 1917); and a letter that Major W. Garland Fay wrote to Caroline Carpenter, apologizing for his inability to have Stanley assigned to a post closer to home [June 1917]. The collection also contains 4 lists of items sent to Stanley D. Carpenter during his military service.