DOCSLIB.ORG

Ansel Brooks Smith-Mrs. Marie Smith, February 9, 1919, Coblenz, Germany

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Ansel Brooks Smith-Mrs. Marie Smith, February 9, 1919, Coblenz, Germany EVACUATIONHOSPITAL "2 USA Coblenz, Germany. 9 February 1919 My Dearest Girl:- It is a beautiful day, with the sun shining as bright as in June and not at all cold. I am s urely in favor of the winter weather that they have over her in Germany. It is by far the mild est winter that I have s een since I was in the West in the States.The strange thing to me is that there should be so much sickness d uring such good weather, f or this hospital is never under full capacity, no matter how many we send back to the base or to duty each day. They keep coming in faster than we are able to send them away, and as there are at least five other hospitals in this area nearly as large as this one it is easy for you to judge that there is a great deal of sickness. It is mostly Influenza and pneumonia, and there is rather a high mortality to the latter, but the Flu seems to have become a less s evere disease than it was when the epidemic first began. Who do you think is in this army? Stan Waite! I found out last night that he is with the 5th Machine Gun Battallion of the 2nd Division, and am surely going to get in touch with him at the earliest opportunity. I will write to him to day, and if I fail to reach him that way I will get a days leave and go out there to look him up. There must be a lot of my friends in the army at one place or another but Stan is the first that I have heard of up in this area.I will sure be glad to see him. There is no new news regarding our leaving, but we are none of us impatient. We are so glad to know that we are under orders that we will never complain about anything. I can hardly wait though for the day to come on which we will begin to pack up and seriously get out. It will be a lot quicker the way we are going to leave than it would be if we had to go through France, and also a lot more interesting. We are not going to take any equipment with us, so the moving proposition will be s imple. All we will have is the baggage of the officers and men and some rations, and that will be the easiest move that we have ever had. It s eems as if good luck had at last found us, and that is one thing that none of us has " 2 ever expected to have in this army. I find on looking over the letter as far as I have written it, that t his typewriter is going on the bum too, so I may have to fall back on a lead pencil for a great deal of my writing to you. I am sure that you will not mind however as long as you hear from me, and as long as you realize that it is unavoidable. While ink is not entirely unknown over here, it is a very hard thing to get at times, and those are the times that I write to you on the machine. You told me recently how- ever that I did not need to make any more apologies regarding the matter so I will not. I reported yesterday that I had a return of the old trouble that Ferris Smith operated on me for, and I will relieve your mind now by reporting that I am a cured man. It seems as if I have no luck being sick. Some of these fellows succeed in getting sick and staying so, long enough at least to be sent home, but let me try ever so hard and I always have the same result. I never get any sympathy for no one ever believes that I am si ck, and I am always all right the next day. There i s no profit in a sicknessof that sort is there Dear?I am perfectly all well today. The pain has all stopped and the slight cold that I had has left, so that I feel perfectly normal. I am of course, very grateful for my good health, and especially so on account of the great amount of sickness that is going on around here at present. The air is full of aeroplanes today as it is on every nice day. I love to watch them doing stunts• Some of the things that they pull would make your skin creep they are so daring, but it is a fascinating sight, and one that is always interesting to me. There is a large aerdrome near here and the aviators are all American, and they happen to be good ones, at least for the stunt stuff, so we have a lot of exciting entertainment. On days like this they come out to entertain the patients in the hospltal who are able to be outdoors and watch them. Several of them have met with serious accidents, and I believe that one or two have been killed which seems a great pity now that the war is all over and they are only doing these stunts to be smart, so to speak. It seems to me that their Commanding Offi cers would do well to stop the practice as there certainly can be nothing necessary about it now. "3 I am very much surprised to learn of Frank's contemplatedt move to Philadelphia, and wi ll be glad to hear the details as soon as you are able to write them to me. I am sure that he has an opportunity to better himself, for he was well liked by the McMullen Machine Co, and was doing well there. It is a big job to move like that so he must have something rather good in view. Let me know as soon as you know yourself I am more sorry than I can say that Tud is so intimate with the Cheneys. I have no use for them and I have too much love for Tud to want to see her reputation suffer as it will if she has so much to do with them. As to her s pending the night with a married man, I don't believe it is any worse than spending it with an unmarried man f rom Tud' s standpoint, but from the standpoint of others it will look considerably different. I hardly expect Tud to settle down to the drab sort of an exi stence that some people have, but there can be no excuse for some of these things, and in the company of any others than the Cheneys she would have a hard time to find the opportunity in Grand Rapids. Also I should expect her to be a little more thoughtful of the effect such things will inevitably have on you. It would be a lot different if I were at home. I believe that I would have a little understanding with her if I were you. If the matter is all quited down bythe time this reaches you don't let her see this. I think a lot of Tud. A lot more than she has any idea. My own sisters have never been as dear to me as she is, and therefore I hate to hear these things about her. I want it stopped without any half way business. Well Dearest I must close now. I have alot of work to do and must get at it. I have to go out and see about a little carpenter work now. I will write again tomorrow. I love you Dear. I love you. Give my love to Glad and the babies. Give them each a million kisses. I love you all so much. With all my dearest love and a million kisses to you, I am your loving husband, AB Ansel B. Smith Captain MCUSA Evacuation Hospital "2 USA American E F Germany..
Load more

Recommended publications
  • FEBRUARY 1919 Published by the West Virginia Collegiate Institute Institute, W
    THE INSTITUTE MONTHLY -~:-~~~ I I ) FOR FEBRUARY 1919 Published By The West Virginia Collegiate Institute Institute, W. Va. II II THE iNSTITUTE MONTHLY 3 me, due to the fact that I hav~ French. We had French equip- The Institute Monthly moved about so much, and also ment and were really a part of the Entered as second-cJassmatter. January 29.1914. at the post-office at Institute, West Vir- have changed regiments since I French Army. This lasted for six ginia. under the act of Marh 3. 1879_ wrote you. months with me. We left the Vol. 11 FEBRUARY 1919 No.4 Your letter was very newsy and Argonne front and went to Verdun, I enjoyed it very much. To give where we fought all summer. In you a bit of my experience here, I September we started south for shall go back to the start. Sailed rest, but did not go far until we from Newport News, Va., April were turned back to take part in EDITORIALS 24,1918, on U. S. Ship Hancock, the great drive of September 25th. 35 officers 1200 men. On the We met the enemy on the Cham- HE last session of the scope of Negro education generally morning of May 4, we struck the pagne front and went over the top West Virginia Legis- and benefited the colored State Azores Island, a Portugese posses- at 11:00 P .M. That was the first T lature has become a Schools especially. sion about 1,000 miles off the west real Hell I think I ever saw.
    [Show full text]
  • The Impact of the 1918-1919 Influenza Epidemic on Virginia Stephanie Forrest Barker
    University of Richmond UR Scholarship Repository Master's Theses Student Research 2002 The impact of the 1918-1919 influenza epidemic on Virginia Stephanie Forrest Barker Follow this and additional works at: http://scholarship.richmond.edu/masters-theses Part of the History Commons Recommended Citation Barker, Stephanie Forrest, "The impact of the 1918-1919 influenza epidemic on Virginia" (2002). Master's Theses. Paper 1169. This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Research at UR Scholarship Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Master's Theses by an authorized administrator of UR Scholarship Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. The Impact of the 1918-1919 Influenza Epidemic on Virginia By Stephanie Forrest Barker Master of Arts in History, University of Richmond, 2002 R. Barry Westin, Thesis Director In the fall of 1918 an unparalleled influenza pandemic spread throughout the world. More than a quarter of Americans became ill, and at least 600,000 died. For many Virginians, this was a time of acute crisis that only could be compared to the days of the Civil War. This thesis describes Spanish influenza's impact on Virginia, primarily focusing on the cities of Newport News, Richmond, and Roanoke. It details influenza's emergence in Virginia and explores how state and city officials dealt with this unprecedented epidemic. This study examines how the epidemic disrupted daily routines of life and overwhelmed the state's medical community. This thesis briefly discusses the effect that the segregation of races had on the spread of influenza and the role that women played in battling the epidemic.
    [Show full text]
  • Tee 1919 Race Riots in Britain: Ti-Lir Background and Conseolences
    TEE 1919 RACE RIOTS IN BRITAIN: TI-LIR BACKGROUND AND CONSEOLENCES JACOLEUNE .ENKINSON FOR TI-E DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGH 1987 ABSTRACT OF THESIS This thesis contains an empirically-based study of the race riots in Britain, which looks systematically at each of the nine major outbreaks around the country. It also looks at the background to the unrest in terms of the growing competition in the merchant shipping industry in the wake of the First World War, a trade in which most Black residents in this country were involved. One result of the social and economic dislocation following the Armistice was a general increase in the number of riots and disturbances in this country. This factor serves to put into perspective the anti-Black riots as an example of increased post-war tension, something which was occurring not only in this country, but worldwide, often involving recently demobilised men, both Black and white. In this context the links between the riots in Britain and racial unrest in the West Indies and the United States are discussed; as is the growth of 'popular racism' in this country and the position of the Black community in Britain pre- and post- riot. The methodological approach used is that of Marxist historians of the theory of riot, although this study in part, offers a revision of the established theory. ACKNOWLEDcEJvNTS I would like to thank Dr. Ian Duffield, my tutor and supervisor at Edinburgh University, whose guidance and enthusiasm helped me along the way to the completion of this thesis.
    [Show full text]
  • The Paris Peace Conference (1919-1920) and Its Aftermath
    The Paris Peace Conference (1919-1920) and Its Aftermath The Paris Peace Conference (1919-1920) and Its Aftermath: Settlements, Problems and Perceptions Edited by Sorin Arhire and Tudor Roşu The Paris Peace Conference (1919-1920) and Its Aftermath: Settlements, Problems and Perceptions Edited by Sorin Arhire and Tudor Roşu This book first published 2020 Cambridge Scholars Publishing Lady Stephenson Library, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE6 2PA, UK British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Copyright © 2020 by Sorin Arhire, Tudor Roşu and contributors All rights for this book reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the copyright owner. ISBN (10): 1-5275-4224-6 ISBN (13): 978-1-5275-4224-2 Cover Image: Sturdza Palace (photo taken around 1930) which was the headquarters of the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 1919-1920. Source: Diplomatic Archives of Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Bucharest. TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction ................................................................................................ 1 Sorin ARHIRE and Tudor ROȘU Chapter One ............................................................................................... 3 The Romanian Americans and the Paris Peace Conference: The Trianon Treaty (4 June 1920) Constantin I. STAN and Mădălina OPREA Chapter
    [Show full text]
  • Protestantism and the 1919 March First Movement Author(S): Timothy S
    American Society of Church History A Political Factor in the Rise of Protestantism in Korea: Protestantism and the 1919 March First Movement Author(s): Timothy S. Lee Source: Church History, Vol. 69, No. 1 (Mar., 2000), pp. 116-142 Published by: Cambridge University Press on behalf of the American Society of Church History Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3170582 Accessed: 19/04/2009 21:20 Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of JSTOR's Terms and Conditions of Use, available at http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp. JSTOR's Terms and Conditions of Use provides, in part, that unless you have obtained prior permission, you may not download an entire issue of a journal or multiple copies of articles, and you may use content in the JSTOR archive only for your personal, non-commercial use. Please contact the publisher regarding any further use of this work. Publisher contact information may be obtained at http://www.jstor.org/action/showPublisher?publisherCode=cup. Each copy of any part of a JSTOR transmission must contain the same copyright notice that appears on the screen or printed page of such transmission. JSTOR is a not-for-profit organization founded in 1995 to build trusted digital archives for scholarship. We work with the scholarly community to preserve their work and the materials they rely upon, and to build a common research platform that promotes the discovery and use of these resources. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected]. American Society of Church History and Cambridge University Press are collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Church History.
    [Show full text]
  • Engineering Social Peace: Networks, Ideas, and the Founding of the International Labour Organizationã
    IRSH 50 (2005), pp. 435–466 DOI: 10.1017/S0020859005002178 # 2005 Internationaal Instituut voor Sociale Geschiedenis Engineering Social Peace: Networks, Ideas, and the Founding of the International Labour Organizationà Jasmien Van Daele Summary: In 1919 a pioneering generation of scholars, social policy experts, and politicians designed an unprecedented international organizational framework for labour politics. The majority of the founding fathers of this new institution, the International Labour Organization (ILO), had made great strides in social thought and action before 1919. The core members all knew one another from earlier private professional and ideological networks, where they exchanged knowledge, experi- ences, and ideas on social policy. In this study, one key question is the extent to which prewar ‘‘epistemic communities’’, such as the International Association for Labour Legislation (IALL), and political networks, such as the Second Interna- tional, were a decisive factor in the institutionalization of international labour politics. In the postwar euphoria, the idea of a ‘‘makeable society’’ was an important catalyst behind the social engineering of the ILO architects. As a new discipline, international labour law became a useful instrument for putting social reforms into practice. This article also deals with how the utopian idea(l)s of the founding fathers – social justice and the right to decent work – were changed by diplomatic and political compromises made at the Paris Peace Conference. The article thus reflects the dual relationship between idealism and pragmatism. INTRODUCTION In the first half of 1919 representatives from more than thirty allied and associated nations assembled near Paris to outline a new, peaceful world order.
    [Show full text]
  • 1919: Aftermath Pp
    Cambridge Histories Online http://universitypublishingonline.org/cambridge/histories/ The Cambridge History of the First World War Edited by Jay Winter Book DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/CHO9780511675669 Online ISBN: 9780511675669 Hardback ISBN: 9780521763851 Chapter 7 - 1919: Aftermath pp. 172-198 Chapter DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/CHO9780511675669.010 Cambridge University Press 7 1919: Aftermath bruno cabanes The end of the First World War cannot be easily demarcated by a specific date. The war’s long-term effects were so devastating that it is fair to say no clear dividing-line separates the war itself from the post-war period; nearly 10 million men died, in other words, one in seven of all soldiers; 21 million were wounded; millions of widows, orphans and other grieving relatives were left behind to mourn their dead. The war’s aftermath produced countless human tragedies; nearly every family continued to feel the emotional and psychological effects for years to come.1 To take the single year of 1919 and consider it as a specific historical subject in its own right thus constitutes another way to question traditional chronology, which tends to view the Armistice of 11 November 1918 and the subsequent peace treaties as the two decisive markers in the return to peace. In reality, 1919 constitutes at most a step – but only a step – in what historians now call ‘the transition from war to peace’, in French, la sortie de guerre. This term refers to a transition period of several years, characterised by the return home of soldiers and prisoners of war, the pacification of the belligerent nations and the far slower demobilisa- tion of minds and attitudes, or what is also called ‘cultural demobilisation’.2 This process was far from straightforward.
    [Show full text]
  • The London Gazette, 18 February, 1919. 2429
    THE LONDON GAZETTE, 18 FEBRUARY, 1919. 2429 DEFENCE OF THE REALM Admiralty, 10th February, 1919. REGULATIONS. Tempy. Engr. Sub-Lieut, to be tempy. MARINE Box CHRONOMETERS OREER, 1917. Engr. Lieut.— Notice of Cancellation. Frederick P. Wilson. 28th Jan. 1919. Notice is hereby given, that the Lords Com- Payr. Lieut.-Odr. to be Payr. Cdr.— missioners of the Admiralty have cancelled as Norman F. Roy. 27th Jan. 1919. from the date hereof the Marine Box Chrono- To .be Engr. Lieut, (temporary service).— meters Order, 1917, made by them on the 4th Gerald R. Wilson. 1st Deo. 1918. day of August, 1917. Actg. Lieut, .to be Lieut.— The Order was published in the London John 0. P. Roach. 1st Feb. 1918. Gazette dated the 21st day of August, 1917. By Command of Their Lordships, R.N.R. 0. Murray. Tempy. Lieut. Thomas Garner, who has re- linquished his appointment on account of Admiralty, S.W. 1, ill-health contracted in the Service, to retain 17th February, 1919. his rank. 7th Feb. 1919. Admiralty, S.W., 18th February, 1919. Admiralty, llth February, 1919. The KING hias .been .graciously pleased to Lieut.-Cdr. (retd.) to be Cdr. (retd.).— approve of the posthumous award of the Albert Percy J. Helyar. llth Feb. 1919. Medal for gallantry in saving life .at sea to: — Tempy. Engr. Sub-Lieut, to be tempy. Engr. Mr. Albert Charles Mattison, late Acting Lieut.— Boatswain, Royal Canadian' Navy, and 'Charles M. Cock. 27th Jan. 1919. Stoker Petty Officer Edward iS. Beard, late Royal Naval 'Canadian Volunteer Reserve. The following is the account of the services Admiralty, 12th~Februavy, 1919.
    [Show full text]
  • The Frisco-Man, February 1919
    FEB'RUARY- 19 1: 9 St, Louis Fro! & Switch Gol Gaalick Packings MANUFACTURER .., .-."., ..,. for Air Pumps and Throttles Ball and Socket Joints and General Purposes Frogs, Switches, Crossings, Switch Stands for THE GARLOCK PACKING CO. Steam and Electric Railroads 1017 Olive St. St. Louis, Mo. Con. Printing Printers, Designers, Engravers, Lithomavhers. Blank Book Makers PHONBI EIGHTH AND WALNUT STREETS Ball. Maim I191 Kimloab, Cmmhd 991 ST. LOUIS, Mo. ONE MOMENT PLEASE! ANY of your friends and aeaociates M have followed our suggestion to buy Accident and Health Insurance from ue and those who have suffered disability have congratulated themselves many times upon the benefits received from having "THE TRAVELERS" protection. When you buy from us you get The Best. There is no time like the present. Make your application now. The Travelers Inszcrance Company HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT ADVERTISING INFORMATION Galena-Signal Oil Co. KERITE FRANKLIN, PENNSYLVANIA Insulated Wires and Cables Sole Manufacturer. of Celebrated For signal service, under all conditions, KERITE GALENA LUBRICANTS is the most durable, Perfection Valve and Signal Oils efficient, and permanent insulation known :: :: AND Galena Railway Safety Oil FOR Stem and Electric Railway Use Exclusively GUARANTEED COST EXPERT SERVICE FREE CHARLES MILLER, President To all Railroad Men "Continental" Means Income Protection Liberal Policies Courteous Agents Fair Claim Settlements Abundant Resources Continental Casualty Company H. C. B. ALEXANDER, Plus1D.m. PILL OUT AND MAIL TODAY. 723 FRISCO BUILDING SAINT LOUIS A monthly pub1kat;on devoted to the interests of the 23,000 employes of the Frisco Syetem. VOL. Xlll FEBRUARY 1919 No. 2 Walker D. Hines Appointed Director-General \\.nll;cr I).
    [Show full text]
  • The 1919 Seattle General Strike
    BECOMING MODERN: AMERICA IN THE 1920S PRIMARY SOURCE COLLECTION __The Seattle General Strike*of 1919__ For six days in February 1919, the first “general strike” in American history paralyzed the port city of Seattle, Washington. Two weeks earlier, the shipyard workers had gone out on strike for higher wages to accommodate rising postwar prices. In an act of solidarity, thousands of Seattle workers from over one hundred local unions joined the strike on February 6 as the labor press urged unity and insisted on orderly protest. City newspapers predicted chaos and condemned the strike as a Communist (“Red”) threat to American freedoms—a potent and immediate anxiety fueled by the 1917 Communist revolution in Russia. (Coverage of the strike often shared page-one headlines with news of Communist military activity in Europe.) On February 11, the unions voted to end the sympathy strike; union cohesion was weakening, and the American Federation of Labor had urged the General Strike Committee to end the strike before the labor cause was seriously harmed. Yet the Committee claimed victory in maintaining order modeling a new form of labor protest. The newspaper coverage in this collection samples pro- and anti-strike positions through headlines, editorials, letters to the editor, cartoons, political cartoons, and more. It is compiled from the extensive materials of the Pacific Northwest Labor and Civil Rights Project of the University of Washington. For further study, see the online collection STRIKE: Seattle General Strike Project, at depts.washington.edu/labhist/strike/.
    [Show full text]
  • Strikes and the Red Scare Answers Background the Treaty of Versailles Was Not the Only Issue That Divided Americans 1
    ¡ ¢ £ ¤ ¥ ¦ § Postwar Europe, 1919 58 °N EFFECTS OF WORLD WAR I ON EUROPE 32 24 ° E New nations W E ° ° ° 0 ° ° E E 8 8 58 16 °N NORWAY FINLAND 0 400 Miles SWEDEN ESTONIA SOVIET 0 800 Kilometers RUSSIA North a e LATVIA Sea S IRELAND DENMARK ic lt LITHUANIA GREAT B a 50° N BRITAIN NETH. GERMANY ATLANTIC BELGIUM POLAND C ZECH OCEAN LUX. OSLOVA KIA AUSTRIA 42 FRANCE SWITZ. °N Y HUNGARY U G ROMANIA L O A S Black G LA U V Sea T ITALY IA R SPAIN BULGARIA O P Mediterranean Sea ALBANIA GREECE 34 °N IMMEDIATE EFFECTS LONG-TERM EFFECTS Revolution in Russia Breakup of empires Formation of League GEOGRAPHY SKILLBUILDER Interpreting Maps Allied victory 1. Region What new nations were created after the war? of Nations 2. Region In what part of Europe were most of the new Resentments leading Destruction in Europe nations located? to World War II Skillbuilder Strikes and the Red Scare Answers Background The Treaty of Versailles was not the only issue that divided Americans 1. Finland, Estonia, In 1919, police, after the war. Shortly after the war ended, the United States experienced Latvia, Lithuania, steelworkers, Poland, Czecho- and coal miners a number of labor strikes. For example, in Seattle, Washington, in slovakia, Yugoslavia also went on February 1919, more than 55,000 workers took part in a peaceful gen- 2. Eastern Europe strike. eral strike. The shutdown paralyzed the city. Some Americans saw efforts to organize labor unions as the work of radicals, people who favor extreme measures to bring about change.
    [Show full text]
  • War Legislation Against Alcoholic Liquor and Prostitution John G
    Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology Volume 9 | Issue 4 Article 7 1919 War Legislation against Alcoholic Liquor and Prostitution John G. Buchanan Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarlycommons.law.northwestern.edu/jclc Part of the Criminal Law Commons, Criminology Commons, and the Criminology and Criminal Justice Commons Recommended Citation John G. Buchanan, War Legislation against Alcoholic Liquor and Prostitution, 9 J. Am. Inst. Crim. L. & Criminology 520 (May 1918 to February 1919) This Article is brought to you for free and open access by Northwestern University School of Law Scholarly Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology by an authorized editor of Northwestern University School of Law Scholarly Commons. WAR LEGISLATION AGAINST ALCOHOLIC LIQUOR AND PROSTITUTION 2 JOHN G. BUCHANAN It is my purpose to deliver a plain, unvarnished tale of the course of one phase of our war legislation. I bespeak your attention because I think that you may be most useful in furthering and rendering effec- tive this legislation in your several states and communities. I realize that to many of you my remarks will convey but a slight amount of information, because their subject has been more or less in the public mind since early in the war-intimately related as it is to venereal disease, of all diseases the greatest cause of disability in wars, even, I regret to say, in the present one. It has been said repeatedly that the three principal vices affecting an army are prostitution, drinking and gambling. There is a marked line of distinction, however, between the two former and the last in the matter of their effect upon the health of their victims.
    [Show full text]