Characters
Walker and Hailey Wilson
Walker and Hailey’s parents
Grandpa Wilson
Great-grandmother Emily Mill and great-grandfathers Adam Cheltenham (Ivan) and her second husband, George Wilson
Great-uncle William Mill
Adam George Cheltenham Wilson
Great-aunt Myrtle
Acknowledgement
My thanks to Marilyn Ferrell of De Soto, who inspired this story. She graciously allowed me to weave into a story some of her fascinating family history and actual letters written by a soldier to his wife during World War I. The information and letters were taken from her book, “Don't Forget to Write.” – Peggy Koch
Chapter 1 – Grandpa’s challenge
On a crisp autumn Saturday morning, 15-year-old Walker and his twin sister, Hailey, were helping their grandfather clean out his basement. To Grandpa Wilson, it seemed that they were asking more questions than doing any real work, but Grandpa loved telling stories, so he answered each question patiently.
Each photo album, each souvenir, brought on a new round of questions and answers. He gave the twins short answers until Walker pointed out the photo of a man in a strange-looking uniform and an attractive younger girl by his side.
“Who are these people?” Walker asked.
“The girl was Emily Mill. She later became my grandmother,” he said. “The man is her older brother, William. “He is wearing a British uniform because when World War I broke out in Europe, he found his way to England and volunteered to fight with a British unit.
“Why did he do that?” Walker demanded.
“Emily’s family had emigrated from England to the U.S. in the previous generation. William was more upset than most U.S. citizens when the Germans began attacking the British Isles with bombs and their ships with torpedoes.
“Only a few young men from the U.S. volunteered. Most people back then felt that there was always going to be a war somewhere in Europe or in European colonial holdings. They wanted to be isolationists.”
Walker look puzzled.
“That means they didn’t want to get involved in the same way neighbors often don’t get involved when people in the same family fight with each other,” Grandpa explained.
“Wasn’t World War I because some archduke got killed?” Hailey asked.
“That’s the answer most people are taught. It doesn’t explain the situation very well. Again, think about a family. Some people like each other better than others. They fight with those they dislike, often over ways they think they are being treated unfairly.
“You mean like Hailey and I fight because she takes too long in the bathroom?” Walker asked.
“You are always hogging the bathroom,” Hailey said, defensively.
“That’s enough,” Grandpa ordered in a loud voice. “You’ve made my point.”
“So what happened to Emily’s brother?”
“To understand that story, you have to know some things about World War I,” Grandpa said.
Walker groaned.
Hailey smiled. “We are both studying world history this year. Maybe you can help us understand it.
Grandpa quit working. “You two are always telling me how much help the Internet can be. I’m going to give you two a challenge. You find out as much as you can about William James Wilson, Emily Rose Mill and Adam Cheltenham and what they were doing during World War I. Hailey, you report about the war from 1916-1918. Walker, you start by telling us about the early years of the war from 1914-1916. If you both do well, I’ll take you on a trip anywhere you want to go.”
“Anywhere?” Walker asked.
“What if we don’t agree on a trip?” Hailey asked, frowning.
“We’ll work that out later,” Grandpa promised.
“When I was a boy, I would have asked members of my family about those people. I would have gone to the library to learn about World War I. You two keep telling me how much more you can learn on the Internet. Now you have a chance to prove it. Come back next Saturday and report what you have learned.”
***
The following Saturday, the twins sat down in their grandfather’s family room.
Walker began: “World War I began in June of 1914 when a Serbian man killed the archduke of Austria-Hungary while he was visiting in Sarajevo, Bosnia. The shooter did it because he thought Serbs should have control of Bosnia instead.
“In 1914, Russia was sympathetic to the Serbians. When they started fighting their neighbors, the Russia army mobilized and helped them.
“Great Britain was not the first country to get into the war,” Walker continued. “Let’s see, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia. Russia got involved to defend Serbia. Seeing Russia mobilizing, Germany declared war on Russia. France was then drawn in against Germany and Austria-Hungary. Germany attacked France through Belgium, dragging France’s allies, the British, into the war.
“Grandpa, why did you compare World War I to a family battle when so many countries were involved?” Hailey asked.
Grandpa grinned: “Because the kaiser in Germany, the king in England and the tsar of Russia were all first cousins.”
“Wow, that was some family feud,” Hailey agreed.
LOOK IT UP
The Allies, or Triple Entente, brought together Russia, the United Kingdom and France (with help from colonies in Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia). Japan joined the war in 1915.
The opposing major Central Powers included Germany, Austria-Hungary (including parts of the territory of the Czechs, Slovaks, Poles, Serbs, Croats, Slovenians) and Italy.
Most historians agree that the war began for several reasons.
First was the chain of mutual defense pacts made by the various countries involved.
Second was the trend toward nationalism in many countries.
For example: as recently as the mid-1860s, Germany had been a collection of city-states. Unification brought the Germans a need to prove their national unity in a powerful way.
Third, colonial possessions were sought by France, England and Germany because each country needed raw materials (oil and rubber). The war quickly spread to those colonies.
Fourth, an arms race had begun as many countries in order to increase their power and nationalistic status.
Although the United States did not have colonies as such, they had “interests” in Cuba, Puerto Rico and the Philippines and held territories in many other parts of the world.
Chapter 2 –William’s war
The following Saturday, Grandpa welcomed the twins back to his home.
“So, Walker, what have you learned about Emily’s brother?” he asked.
“William enlisted in May of 1915, Grandpa. That was a year after the war had begun. I found the record of his enlistment on the Internet. That was right after a German U-boat torpedoed the British passenger liner Lusitania. More than 1,000 travelers died. Many British and American civilians lost their lives.
“Why would the Germans hit an unarmed ship?” Hailey asked. “That’s not fair!”
“If you let me, I’ll tell you, Sis,” Walker replied. “In February, the Germans had begun using their U-boats to blockade the coast around the British Isles. They warned other countries that they considered any boat in the Atlantic a possible target, including those from neutral countries because they might be carrying arms and supplies to England.
“That must have made people mad,” Hailey said.
“Then in April 1915, German forces did something that made people even madder – they used lethal chlorine gas against two French divisions in Belgium. That first major gas attack by the Germans enabled them to drive the French back miles further,” Walker said.
“But William didn’t get there until later,” Hailey noted.
“Yes, I found out more about William from an Iron County newspaper,” Walker said, “a newspaper published in the town of Franklinville near their hometown of Hughes. While he was in England and France, William sent news stories over the telegraph and by mail to a friend who worked there.
“Good detective work, Walker,” Grandpa said.
“After William went to England for training, he wrote that he had witnessed a German zeppelin dropping bombs near his base. The bombs weren’t very accurate because the wind kept pushing the zeppelin around. Fortunately, the bombs missed him but did kill a few people. Soon after, the Germans sent a zeppelin to attack London.
“Why didn’t the English use their airplanes to fight back? Hailey asked. “A zeppelin doesn’t fly very fast, does it? It’s just a big bag of gas”
“The Royal Flying Corps didn’t know how to blow them up at first,” Walker replied. “But they learned.
“After William received his training, he was sent to the trenches in France. The Germans had attacked fast and pushed through Belgium into France. That offensive gave them an edge for a while. By the middle of 1915, the German soldiers were facing-off the French and English all along a line of defense called the Western Front. By then, both sides had dug deep trenches for protection.
“Each side brought in new weapons. The Germans began using flamethrowers. Soon after, Allied soldiers used tanks for the first time. William was glad to see the tanks because the war had become a stalemate and he hoped this would give his side an edge. British soldiers were also issued steel helmets. That helped them to avoid some injuries.
“In January 1916, the British government passed a Military Service Act. From June on, men who were conscripted into the military joined the volunteers as replacements in William’s unit.
“In July, William wrote that the Allied forces had lost 60,000 men in one day during the first Battle of the Somme.
“The battles continued. Ground was gained, then lost, on each side. No one was winning. The conditions were terrible for both armies, particularly when it rained. The flooded trenches turned to deep mud that sucked at their boots and slowed them down when they were attacked.
“In September 1916, William’s unit received news that the Royal Flying Corps had finally found the right combination of explosives and incendiary bullets to shoot down their first German zeppelin as it was attacking England.
“In mid-December 1916, Germany sent a peace note to the British suggesting compromise. They didn’t respond.
Up to that time, William had managed to avoid being injured, but during the end of the Battle of Verdun in mid-December 1916, he was badly wounded by shrapnel. He was shipped back to London to recover. When he was well enough to travel, he was returned to the U.S.
In the spring of 1917, he arrived home, badly crippled but still alive.
“That was an exciting story,” Walker said.
“I’m glad he made it back,” Hailey added.
“You’ve done well, Walker,” Grandpa said. “We’ll see what Hailey has to report next week.”
LOOK IT UP
On April 22, 1915, the Germans launched their first offensive of the year. Known as the second Battle of Ypres, the offensive began with the usual artillery bombardment of the enemy's line. When the shelling died down, the Germans targeted four miles of the front with the wind-blown poison chlorine gas and caused many casualties among the French and Algerian colonial troops. The Allied line was breached, but the Allies still held most of their positions.
A second gas attack, against a Canadian division, on April 24, pushed the Allies further back. By May they had retreated to the town of Ypres. The second Battle of Ypres ended on May 25, with insignificant gains for the Germans.
Immediately after the German gas attack at Ypres, France and Britain began developing their own chemical weapons and gas masks. After that, both sides employed sophisticated gas masks and protective clothing that essentially negated the strategic importance of chemical weapons.
The German military used zeppelins (lighter-than-air gas-filled flying machines) to raid the coast and later London. Because they were hard to control in strong winds, the bombs they carried often ended up in less populated areas, terrorizing people but killing few. Although the Kaiser authorized the bombing of London in February, the first raid took place in May because of bad weather. Four of these raids resulted in six deaths.
On May 31, 120 bombs were dropped on London. Seven people were killed, 35 injured and 41 fires were started.
Chapter 3 – Hailey’s dilemma
Grandpa was surprised to see Hailey at his door on a Tuesday. She was crying.
“I know Walker is doing a great job of finding out about your great-uncle William and about the war, but I’m not. I’ve found a few things about Adam Cheltenham as a soldier in the public records, but the only thing I can find about Emily is their marriage license.”
“Don’t cry, dear,” Grandpa said. “I know that war records are easier to find than real-life stories of our ancestors. Emily is also the grandmother of my younger sister, your great-aunt Myrtle, who lives down the street. Maybe you should visit her sometime and see what you can learn.”
***
Aunt Myrtle was more helpful than Hailey had ever imagined. She lent Hailey a tall stack of letters written by Adam and a copy of Emily’s diary.
Where do I begin? Hailey wondered.
As she read, Hailey became fascinated by the story that she almost forgot to do her math homework that night.
The railroad town of Hughes where Emily, William and Adam were born was in the lead belt of the eastern Ozarks. Once prosperous, the town had stopped growing when a nearby lead mine closed down.
Emily had turned 16 in June 1916. The town’s school only offered 10 grades, so she had finished taking classes by the spring of her birthday.
Lanky but handsome, Adam Cheltenham became her beau that year. He was a cutup and a joker who made her laugh. When he had turned 21, the previous year, he had moved to the nearby town of Franklinville. Adam owned an automobile when most townspeople did not. He regularly had engine trouble, ran out of gas and had flat tires but since he was a capable garage mechanic, he was able to keep the Model T going. Once he noticed Emily, he had a special reason to regularly drive the dozen miles between their two towns.
Emily loved to hear Adam sing in church the weeks when he visited his parents. Emily enjoyed his singing even more when they were alone walking along the scenic rocky creek nearby.
Hailey smiled. How romantic.
Soon, the couple asked to be married. Emily’s father told her that she was too young. They would have to wait until Emily turned 18.
When Adam was working at the garage in Franklinville, he would write letters to Emily and she would write back. It cost just two pennies to send a letter in those days.
Adam would use any excuse to be with Emily. He even spent one evening in her parlor learning how to knit.
When the family was collecting wild grapes to make jelly one day, he climbed up a tall tree to cut down a vine. He went so far out on a limb that it cracked under him. Somehow he managed to land on the ground on his feet.
Adam soon got to know William. Adam watched his struggles to relearn how to walk. He saw the scars William still bore on his face and arms.
After several months of rest, William was finally able to keep the accounts for an uncle who owned a feed store. He still stuttered when someone asked a question. He also refused to go to public gatherings. Loud noises made him shake uncontrollably.
***
Hailey stopped off at Grandpa’s house again on Thursday.
“Grandpa, how was Adam related to you?
“Adam Cheltenham was my grandfather, Emily.”
“You mean Emily’s beau? Your grandfather was George Wilson, wasn’t he? That’s what Dad told me.”
“No. George Wilson was Emily’s second husband.
“Her second husband?” Hailey asked, her mind still on her assignment. “I don’t understand.
“Grandpa, I’ve learned so much about the war and the battles this week but it happened a century ago, so what happened doesn’t really matter now, does it?”
“Yes, it does matter,” Grandpa said with a frown. “The choices someone makes will affect the future in many ways. Emily and Adam Cheltenham made an important choice. If he had not, I wouldn’t be here. You and your brother wouldn’t be here.”
Hailey looked startled.
Grandpa continued: “Wars are about power, about soldiers and guns and explosions. They are also about love and sacrifice. Emily and Adam loved each other. They married young. We are here thanks to their love, and God’s.
“You keep reading, young lady. You will understand.”
LOOK IT UP
The Royal Flying Corps: At the beginning of the war, the use of airplanes was in its infancy. The Wright brothers were credited with making the first-ever flight in 1903.
Once the Western front became bogged down in trench warfare in 1915, England’s well-trained cavalry was no longer effective. The emerging Royal Flying Corps began to provide air photography and air-to-ground wireless telegraphy so that the Army commanders could have fast and accurate information.
The next step was artillery spotting. The airplane offered a much wider field of observation than before.
Aerial fighting became important once military leaders realized that denying the enemy reconnaissance information was just as vital as obtaining it.
The continuing war brought on a crisis in Russia. By early 1917, riots that began because of the lack of food and basic needs and triggered a revolution. The Romanov Tsar was executed along with his family. The newly formed provisional government tried to keep Russia in the war.
By October 1917, the Bolsheviks had swept to power under Vladimir Lenin's promises of "Peace, Bread, Land" designed to win the loyalty of workers, soldiers and peasants. Soon, the Bolsheviks fulfilled their campaign promise to take Russia out of the war, signing a peace treaty with the Central Powers on March 3, 1918. The new government canceled all of Imperial Russia’s commitments to its allies.
This strengthened Germany’s position, since it could concentrate on fighting on the Western front.
In spite of much opposition from the general population, the U.S. finally entered the war on Nov. 7, 1917. The U.S. charged that Germany had violated U.S. neutrality by attacking international shipping and by inciting Mexico to become their ally.
Chapter 4 – Emily’s plea
After school, Hailey continued reading through Adam’s letters and Emily’s letters and diary entries.
She learned that after Emily finished school, she began helping her mother and father full-time by cleaning, cooking, sewing, running errands and doing dozens of small chores like feeding the chickens and tending to the garden.
The war in Europe dragged on and on. The Franklinville newspaper carried the news of attacks and retreats. Because of William’s participation, the locals had earlier been following news of the wretched conditions under which the soldiers fought. Since William had returned home, those events seemed far away and not so important to the community anymore.
In 1917, the U.S. finally joined in the war on the side of Britain and France. A Selective Service Board was set up to draft young men for the military. Suddenly, the war became personal again.
Adam explained to Emily that he’d have to serve. He was determined to do his duty. He asked her to marry him before he was called up for the war.
Emily kept begging her parents to let her marry. They finally gave in, although they were reluctant because she was so young.
Adam’s sister had argued against the wedding, too. She thought it would be better to wait until he came home. Hearing that made Emily angry and frustrated.
The couple finally persuaded them all. Adam arranged to rent rooms for them in Franklinville. Then he bought used furniture.
Soon Emily and Adam were married. On their wedding day, Emily wore a special dress with lace and embroidery. Adam wore his only suit. The couple made a dramatic escape after the church wedding in a borrowed car. Adam drove up and down the streets of Franklinville honking the horn. They both waved, giddy with happiness.
Emily and Adam started out like most young couples. Family, friends and neighbors gave them gifts to furnish their new home with dishes and embroidered pillowcases and home-preserved food. They attended church. Friends visited. When Adam wasn’t working at the garage, he drew up plans to build a home for them to share. It was a happy time.
The happiness ended when Adam told Emily that he was being inducted. They had lived together less than six months.
Within a few weeks, Emily moved back into her childhood bedroom.
Why couldn’t she stay where she was until Adam came home? Hailey wondered as she read. Not many jobs for women then. I guess she couldn’t have made enough money to pay the rent in those days. I’m glad things have changed since then.
For Emily, life fell into a familiar routine, helping around the house and writing letters to Adam. For Adam, each day was new and exciting. On the very first day, he wrote to her. He was sitting in a train coal car at the time. He had just found out the new recruits were headed for a training camp near Waco, Texas.
“The sergeant had just given them each 75 cents to buy food from the dining car.
***
The following Saturday morning, Hailey was all smiles as she and her brother settled down in Grandpa’s family room.
“Please let me talk first this time,” she asked. “I can tell you a lot about Emily and Adam now.” So she told them what she had read.
“Wait a minute,” Walker interrupted. “How do you know what Emily and Adam wrote? Did you get that off the Internet?
“No Walker. When I had trouble finding out about her on the Internet, Grandpa suggested that Aunt Myrtle might be able to tell me something. She gave me most of this information.”
“That’s not fair, Grandpa,” Walker complained. “You said get our information from the Internet.”
“Yes, it is fair, Walker. I only suggested you use the Internet since you were so sure it was the best source. You learned a great deal about William’s war records. But have you found out anything about what happened to him after he got home?
Walker thought for a moment. “No, not really.”
“Hailey can tell us a great deal more about the people she was researching because she found first-source information. Go on, Hailey.”
LOOK IT UP
As automobiles became more common, garages for repairing them opened, particularly after standardized parts became available. Henry Ford had recently developed and begun manufacturing the first type of automobile that many middle-class Americans could afford. His Model T, which was introduced in 1908, revolutionized transportation in the U.S. The car was designed to be simple to operate and easy to repair with mass-produced parts.
Ford was successful partly because he paid his workers wages high enough so that they could afford to buy his products. In 1908, it would have cost the equivalent of $21,000 in today’s money to buy an automobile. By 1920, the price had been reduced to the equivalent of about $7,000 today.
Chapter 5 – War is confusing
At Grandpa’s house, Walker had just discovered that Hailey had gotten much of her report from letters and Emily’s diary. He claimed she had done so unfairly.
Hailey responded: “If you want to hear more about the war instead, Walker, I can tell you and Grandpa what I learned from the Internet.”
“Germany had hoped Britain would stay out of the war altogether. However, the Germans knew that Britain had promised to defend Belgium under the Treaty of London of 1839. Belgium’s ports were near the British coast. German control of Belgium was seen as a serious threat to Britain. When Germany attacked France through Belgium in August 1914, Britain declared war on Germany.
“Since 1902, British leaders had welcomed the Japanese as allies. Once the British got into World War I, the Japanese saw this as an opportunity to expand their own interests. Japan’s leaders demanded that Germany remove all its ships from Japanese and Chinese waters in the Pacific. The Japanese also demanded control of Germany’s overseas naval bases in China. When Germany ignored their demands, Japan declared war on Germany in 1915. The Japanese, with some help from the British, drove the Germans from their bases.
“Japan’s entry into World War I on the side of the Allies freed Russian forces from having to defend against German attacks from their coastal waters in the Far East.
“China remained neutral until 1917. The vast and ancient country had been greatly weakened by attacks from Japan and continual pressure from the West to open Chinese markets to foreigners.
“These pressures precipitated rebellions. In 1912-13 Sun Yat-sen formed a provisional government. Conflicts by warlords in various provinces were a symptom of the continued weakness of the Chinese central government.
“Japan used the situation of a weakened and divided China and Japan ultimately extended its control over China’s Shantung Peninsula and indirectly over the rest of China.
“Japan’s aggressive actions against China and quick economic expansion during World War I brought a boom to their wartime economy by exploiting Chinese raw materials and labor.
“How come Japan was on our side?” Walker asked. “What about Pearl Harbor?”
“Remember, the U.S. was still neutral,” Grandpa said. “Japan came in on the side of Britain. And yes, 25 years later, Japan became Germany’s Axis ally and the enemy of the U.S.
“Shows us how complicated it was.”
“And then there was Turkey,” Hailey added.
“Stop,” yelled Walker. “This whole war gets more and more confusing. You were right, Grandpa. It really is more interesting to read about real people,”
“I’ll tell you more about real people right now if you want,” Hailey said.
“A week later, Emily received a second letter. In it, Adam told her that when the train had stopped in Little Rock, Ark., the Red Cross ladies had greeted them with food and encouragement and were going to mail the letter for him.
We’re all as excited as a bunch of kids. There are about 800 of us on the train. I’ve yelled myself hoarse and didn’t get to sleep until 3 a.m. It’s 7:30 p.m. now, so I’ve got stop writing and hit the dining car before it closes.
“On Sept. 8, 1918, the recruits arrived at Camp Lone Star in time for breakfast. Adam told someone in charge that he was a mechanic and would like to continue doing that kind of work. Adam decided right then that he liked Texas. He had never seen open grasslands before.
“He was still excited when he wrote home telling that he had two vaccinations the day before. His company had faced some tough drilling. Their instructor had said some harsh things, but later he told his group that he didn’t mean the bawling out for them.
“In his letters, Adam couldn’t hide that he was having fun with the other recruits. Their quarantine had been lifted so they were being allowed to visit the nearest town.
“He ended with a plea that Emily would hear repeatedly in the following months:
Could you please send me some money? I either lost my wallet or somebody stole it and I don’t get paid until Oct. 20. And could you send me some handkerchiefs and a couple of towels?
The next time he wrote, he mentioned that 200 men that had come down with something called influenza.
LOOK IT UP
Turkey (then known as the Ottoman Empire) became allied with Germany out of the Turkish leaders’ fear of Russian expansion. Russia was afraid of losing access from the Black Sea to the Mediterranean and being landlocked to the south.
The Turkish Straits, considered to be the boundary between Europe and Asia, are a series of waterways connecting the Aegean Sea (the Mediterranean) to the Black Sea. They consist of the Dardanelles, the Sea of Marmara and the Bosphorus.
The British and French carried out the Gallipoli Campaign of 1915-16 in Turkey. Lack of sufficient intelligence and knowledge of the terrain, along with a fierce Turkish resistance, caused the Allies to withdraw in December 1915.
Although Germany was able to bolster its strength on the Western front after the armistice with Russia, Allied troops were able to hold off another German offensive until reinforcements from the U.S. arrived.
On July 15, 1918, German troops launched what would become the last German offensive of the war, attacking French forces (joined by 85,000 American troops as well as some of the British Expeditionary Force) in the Second Battle of the Marne. The Allies turned back the German offensive and launched their own counteroffensive just three days later. After suffering massive casualties, Germany was forced to call off a planned offensive further north, in the Flanders region stretching between France and Belgium, which was considered Germany’s best hope of victory.
On July 17, 1918, the Tsar of Russia and his family were executed by the Bolsheviks.
In August and early September of that year, the Second and Third Battles of the Somme were fought.
Chapter 6 -- Serving his time
The last Saturday that the twins were supposed to give reports to their grandfather, only Hailey showed up.
“Where’s Walker?” Grandpa asked.
“He’s serving detention at school,” Hailey told him reluctantly. “He and some other guys hacked into the high school’s computer system and stole the email addresses of most of the parents. On Wednesday, they sent a message that school would be closed that day because of a broken pipe. They got caught.
“I’m glad that scamp is learning his lesson,” Grandpa replied.
“I’m kinda glad he isn’t here,” Hailey confessed. “Aunt Mrytle let me read Emily’s diary. It’s really personal. Walker would probably make fun of what Emily and Adam said.”
Grandpa smiled in understanding.
“Emily didn’t tell Adam that she was expecting a child. She figured he had enough on his mind. Although he made a joke out of nearly everything, Emily knew that after getting to know William, Adam had seen what war could do to a man, even if he was not killed.
“Emily wrote to Adam regularly. She shared the local gossip and humorous stories like the one about someone who had mailed a dead frog to a romantic rival for her boyfriend’s attention.
“From the time Adam boarded the first train, he reported joking and horsing around. He also was hearing rumors about where he would be going. The train was headed toward Texas, but he quickly heard they might be moved to Indiana. Then, he heard that for sure they were going to France on a certain day. That date came and went and they were still in Texas. He wrote:
Sweetheart, I’m beginning not to believe a word I hear.
“Adam’s letters kept arriving nearly every day. He told her about learning to clean a rifle and use a hand grenade. Emily tried to believe that all would be well, but sometimes gave in to despairing tears,” she said.
We are getting physical drills, bayonet drills and how to develop muscles – also rifle practice, and learning how to handle a gun before they give us the shells. We’ve been learning about foreign motors and how to fix them.
A man’s size don’t count in this place. It’s grits and nerve. A man can’t get the right movement in a bayonet until he is quick.
Being away from home is the hardest part of a soldier’s life.
“In Texas, the days were blazing hot but the nights were cold enough to need three blankets. The recruits slept eight to a tent on straw mattresses on the ground. Adam caught a cold and wished he had some of his mother’s lard, turpentine and grease to rub on his chest.
Soon the men received gas masks. First, they were taught the mechanics of using them.
You have to breathe thru your mouth when you have them on. The nose is stopped up with a spring. They look just like the pictures. Believe me, when you put one on for the first time, you think your time has come and you slobber all over the place but you soon get used to it. Someday soon they will test us using real gas.
“Reading the newspaper didn’t help Emily’s frame of mind. Six hundred men had been captured by the Huns. Still, the Allies had broken the Hindenburg Line and were pushing to the east. According to the newspaper, the war was winding down. The next letter made Emily even more concerned.
They are splitting up our company and putting the best in one bunch and the worse in another. I’m in the first bunch.
There’s about 15 fellows in here raising the dickens and I can’t hear myself think.
I got your letter with the $2. If I don’t get paid in a few days, it won’t last, so suit yourself about sending more. I’ll make it somehow.
There’s been a scare about the Spanish influenza. About 500 cases in camp and new cases every day. Some companies are quarantined but ours isn’t yet. The doctors examine us everyday and our company commander made us move so there isn’t but five in each tent now. They are sure careful and sanitary. Do not be uneasy...
“How could Emily stand it, Grandpa?” Hailey asked, nearly crying.
“Keep reading their letters,” Grandpa said. “Life has a way of sorting itself out.”
LOOK IT UP
The initial symptoms of the Spanish influenza seemed as simple as the common cold. The virus’ ability to kill turned out to be much greater. Previous influenza epidemics had killed less than 0.1 percent of a given population. Those most likely to die were the elderly and children. This flu killed adults as well, at a rate of 2.5 percent of a population. Those afflicted quickly developed pneumonia.
This pandemic circled the globe. Outbreaks swept through North America, Europe, Asia, Africa, Brazil and the south Pacific. In India the death rate was extra-high – 50 deaths per 1,000 people.
The Second Battle of the Marne turned the tide of war decisively toward the Allies, who were able to regain much of France and Belgium in the months that followed.
Between Sept. 26 and Nov. 11, 1918, the Meuse-Argonne Offensive also effectively pushed back the Germans.
By the fall of 1918, the grip of the Central Powers was unraveling on all fronts. Despite the Turkish victory at Gallipoli, later defeats by invading forces and an Arab revolt had combined to destroy the Ottoman economy and devastate its land. The Turks signed a peace treaty with the Allies in late October 1918.
Chapter 7 – Parades and punishment
Walker looked sheepish as he strolled into Grandpa’s house with Hailey the following Saturday.
“We guys just thought we’d have a little fun,” he said defensively when Grandpa asked about the prank the young men had played.
“What do you have to report?” Grandpa asked gruffly.
“I really haven’t had time to do much,” Walker replied. “Can we hear more of what Hailey’s found out?”
“I’m ready,” Hailey said. Opening her computer, she began to read:
“Adam realized that he would be on the move somewhere soon. His company was being split up and the men were being assigned to jobs -- stretcher bearers, motor repairers, buglers, chauffeurs, government property guards and military police. They even needed 75 men for shoeing horses.
“Adam wrote to Emily:
I’ll have to work in the kitchen Sunday as punishment for dropping a rifle. Another kid dropped it, said I did it. I didn’t say anything.
We get two more suits of clothes in a few days one khaki drill suit and one olive drab suit. That’s our dress suit, and believe me, they sure look swell. Next week I’ll get two more pairs of shoes, making me three pair – most I ever had.
“Adam mentioned that eight new cases of pneumonia had turned up in his company. Then he reassured Emily that he’d never felt better. He could now drill for hours and walk six miles carrying a 60-pound pack.
From the way the papers looked today, I don’t believe will go to France. The officers were tickled to death this a.m. when they saw the newspaper. I heard two of them saying that all soldiers would get a discharge for a Christmas present. Won’t that be glorious...?
“Adam hadn’t received a letter from Emily for several days. He wrote to his mother asking about Emily’s health. Then he wrote another one to her.”
When we were issued mud boots, the rumors started flying again. Since last Sunday I have been moved all over the world and didn’t move at all. Someone even said Siberia.
I asked a lieutenant if he knew where we were off to. He said, “Brother, we’re on a shipment, but I can’t say where. Might not leave for a week or it could be a month.
Please send me some cash for I am broke. I only had six bucks. The Liberty Bond took five of it and it’s been almost two weeks since payday.
Tell your Mama my pals are just crazy over the cookies she sent and so was I.
‘Bye, sweetheart. Send as much money as possible.
“When Adam’s mother wrote back that Emily had taken sick, he asked for a 10-day furlough. Then he waited.
We took another overseas exam today. I passed again. We were told we would leave Oct. 21, but you know the Army. I guess we will get to France in time to tear Berlin up and make it hot for the kaiser.
Tomorrow we are going to have a big parade. All 100,000 of us will be marching together with a band. of 150 pieces. The camp commander will review the troops. Air stunts will be pulled off by 150 airplanes.
“In late October, Emily finally felt well enough to write him a reassuring note.
I’m feeling better but Uncle John is keeping busy doctoring. So many are sick with pneumonia. He looks like he might fall over any time. I’m so glad you didn’t take sick and pray that you don’t.
When Adam found he wouldn’t get the furlough, he wrote:
I don’t know what else to do. I guess it’s just the school of hard knocks. There’s no use to set up a yell. Be brave for me, honey. I’m praying that your illness won’t prove any more serious.
“He added that they had been put in a gas chamber and exposed to different kinds of gases. A few minutes later, they were hit with tear gas.
We had to take our masks off as we was going out, and believe me the tears run down my cheeks as big as goose eggs. This was done to give us confidence in our masks for protection.
We also had a big lecture on gases and we have gas drills every day to gain speed. I put mine on yesterday in five seconds. It takes practice.
“I have letters left to read, Grandpa. I think I need another Saturday to finish this.”
“That’s fine, Hailey. I can see you are learning a great deal.”
LOOK IT UP
A Liberty Bond was a war bond sold in the U.S. to support the Allied cause during World War I. Liberty Loan buttons were worn by people to show that they had done their patriotic duty.
The act of Congress that authorized the Liberty Bonds is still used today as the authority under which all U.S. treasury bonds are issued.
Events toward ending the war began to happen quickly:
■ On Nov. 3, 1918, Austria-Hungary signed an armistice with Italy.
■ On Nov. 9, 1918, German Kaiser Wilhelm II abdicated, or stepped down; a German republic was proclaimed.
■ On Nov. 10, 1918, Austrian Kaiser Charles I abdicated.
Chapter 8 – Armistice Day at last
At Grandpa’s house the following Saturday, Hailey began by telling them about Adam’s trip to the East Coast:
“In late October 1918, Adam wrote that they were going to New York and from there to France. After several more daily changes of plans and a train ride through eight states, they arrived at a camp in New Jersey.”
Unconsciously, Hailey gave a sigh of relief after she read the last line.
“They had arrived at the new camp on Friday evening and marched to their barracks, then stood in line from 11 p.m. until 8 a.m. Saturday while officers issued them gear for the impending sea voyage. Next, they were issued new clothes from head to foot. They stood in line all day. Then they stood for an inspection. Finally, they rolled up their packs and sat on them waiting for orders.
“About 5 a.m. Sunday they finally started for the coast. They hiked the five miles to a river bank and boarded a ferry boat that took them to New York Harbor. Once they landed, they sat around until 2 p.m. Sunday.
“Eventually, they boarded a ship – a monster of a British transport. Once everyone got on, they loafed around and looked the ship over. After supper they were finally allowed to get some sleep.”
Walker interrupted.
“Grandpa, I don’t understand why more recruits were being sent overseas,” he said. “The newspaper writers seemed to think that we already had the Germans beaten. It was just a matter of time until the war would be over.
“Be patient and listen to the rest of the story,” Hailey said, snapping at him before she continued.
“About midnight. the sergeant came around and told them to roll up their packs and be ready to leave the ship. So they waited again. They ate breakfast at 6 a.m. and left the ship at 10.
When we marched back through New York City, every whistle was blowing. Bells were ringing and everybody was rejoicing. We soldiers told some big tales when civilians asked us where we had disembarked from. Some of my friends told the locals they came from France. It is true that our company was the first to land in New York after the armistice was declared.
“On a leave to New York City a few days after peace had been declared, Adam discovered that. anybody with a uniform could get anything he wanted.
They go wild over us. We try to pay for something, and they give it to us half-price. I went into a big restaurant on Broadway, ordered a dozen fried oysters, two fried eggs, a glass of milk, a piece of pie, and I finished with a dish of strawberries. I expected the cost to be about $1.50, but the manager told me that my money was no good in his place. He gave me two good cigars and told me to come back when I got hungry. It sure is nice to be appreciated.
Soon a letter came from Emily:
Now that the war is over, maybe you will be home by Christmas. Be careful. The flu is raging here. No church services are being held now. School is closed. Mother keeps busy bringing food to neighbors who are quarantined.
I can’t get out yet. I was in bed part of the day today, but that’s nothing new for me. I’m ashamed to complain.
I guess you have the money by now. That should pay for the bond.
I haven’t gotten my wives’ allotment yet. Soon it will be time for the next one. Maybe I’ll get them both at once. My cousin Tom says that several of the wives of the boys on his ship have never gotten a check from the government, and their husbands have been on the ship for a year. Ed says his buddy’s wife didn’t get hers for three months, then she got all the money at once. Oh well, I’m not going hungry.
Sit down. I do need to tell you one more thing. You are going to be a Daddy pretty soon. I didn’t want to tell you when I thought you were going overseas. Now, I can’t wait to see you again.
I don’t feel like sitting up any longer now so must bid you goodnight. I love you.
“Wow, I’ll bet Adam was shocked when he got that letter,” Walker said. “So when did he get home?”
LOOK IT UP
On Nov. 11, 1918, Germany signed an armistice agreement that included the end of hostilities, the withdrawal of German troops to Germany, the exchange of prisoners, a promise of reparations and the disposition of German warships and submarines. Although the armistice ended the actual fighting, it was followed by six months of negotiations.
At about the same time, the Austro-Hungarian Empire was officially recognized as having been replace by an Austrian republic and a Hungarian kingdom.
For many years before Austria-Hungary had been one of the world’s great powers and in terms of geography, the second largest country in Europe. Austria-Hungary was effectively dissolved by Nov. 12.
Chapter 9 – Ready to muster out
At Grandpa’s house, Hailey continued her story.
“Adam wasn’t sure if he could get a leave or if the Army would muster him out. He was filled with impatience to see Emily again.
Some of the boys have organized a quartet. We sing together whenever we have time. And since they don’t need a mechanic as much, they have me walking guard duty all the time.
I heard they was going to send us home according to our different classes, such as farmers, married me, and all such as that, but at the worse, the officers are saying that the whole bunch in this camp have to be out of here by the first of the year.
I had a dream that you were at the depot, and the train stopped just long enough for me to kiss you. Gee, it made me homesick. Tell our baby that Daddy will be home as soon as he can.
“What Emily learned later was that more cases of the Spanish Influenza were showing up in camp. In one day, 15 men from Adam’s company had been diagnosed with it, and 45 in another camp.
“The quarantine camp was about a half-mile from Adam’s quarters. About 2,000 men in that camp were being treated and the YMCA buildings were also full of patients.
“In his next letter, Adam reassured Emily about her money situation:
Say sweetheart, don’t believe that about not getting your allotment. It will come. Also every soldier will get a month’s pay bonus when he is mustered out, so we will have a little to start on. This war has sure put me behind.
“Just before Thanksgiving, he wrote that an officer told him they would all be home in a short while.
They’ll start tomorrow and if I am lucky enough to be in the first bunch I may be home by next week. I heard that all married men get to go first, and I hope so.
“Trying to amuse Emily, he wrote about goings-on in his squad.
You sure meet some characters in the Army. That full-blooded Irishman is a regular show. He went to town last night and we filled his bed with chunks of coal. When he came back we had a bushel of fun. That’s all we do now is play jokes on the other guy.
I will get to keep my suit and overcoat when I come home. It really keeps me warm. We had about half an inch of ice this morning but I didn’t get cold.
“When news of a measles epidemic spread throughout the camp, Adam’s usual pleasure of writing to Emily became a dreaded chore. He tried to break it gently.
I have a little bit of bad news that has really clobbered me. We have been quarantined on account of the measles. We can’t leave the company street.
I think it’s a plan to keep us together so we will be ready to move. Looks like the move will probably be after Thanksgiving. I was on kitchen duty, peeling a mound of potatoes, so I know we are going to have a big feast here that day — turkey, oyster salad, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie, cake and everything good.
“Grandpa, How can he play jokes and worry about food?” Hailey asked. “Things are so serious.”
“That’s how most men cope with situations like the one he’s in, Hailey. No doubt he’s feeling like a puppet right now with someone else pulling the strings.”
She continued her research:
“By the end of November, Adam was still waiting in New Jersey. A new rumor was circulating that some members of his company were being held over to escort President Wilson to Europe.
“In early December, Adam noted that there had been 65,000 men in the camp two weeks before and now there were only 15,000 left. He speculated:
We were the last to get here, so we’ll be the last to leave, I guess.
“Adam wrote to Emily and joked that she had better find him a job that would pay better than the $8.50 he was making each month in the Army.
Don’t look for me home until you hear me whistle “Yankee Doodle” on the front porch. It should be before Christmas. I want to get home so bad I can taste it.
LOOK IT UP
In late November, the German Army had completed its withdrawal from Luxembourg and Belgium.
No explanation can cover the pain of those who had suffered and lived. One poem, written by British Lt. Col. John McCrae after the death of a close friend during the war, sets the tone for the great sadness lying just below the joy of victory:
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row
That mark our place: and in the sky
The larks still bravely singing fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the dead: Short days ago,
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved: and now we lie
In Flanders fields!
Take up our quarrel with the foe
To you, from failing hands, we throw
The torch: be yours to hold it high
If ye break faith with us who die,
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields
Chapter 10 – Waiting...
On the last Saturday of Grandpa’s challenge, Hailey continued to tell Emily and Adam’s story.
“Two days later, Adam mentioned that a man in their block had just come down with the measles and that now the quarantine had been extended for at least 21 days.
“A day later he wrote:
While going down the steps this morning, I got my big feet tangled up and faster than you can say scat, I fell sideways onto a big pile of rocks. I’m quite pained on one side now.
It fairly took the starch out of me and I can barely navigate now. However I’ll get over it, I guess. I just have to nurse my wounds.
It’s our turn to furnish guards today. Therefore I am on guard for 24 hours. I just hope I’ll be able to walk my post. At least I’ll try.
Kiss Baby and yourself for me and save some hugs until I get there.
In another letter, he tried to make the best of his uncertain future:
This detention place could be worse. I’ve been here five days already and time passes. We have all the books we want to read and that helps, too. We have some snow on the ground now. We’ve had four days of rain. Isn’t that exciting? They won’t let me pull guard duty as I’m very hoarse, but don’t worry. I’m all right.
In her diary, Emily worried about his health. “Why was he hoarse enough that he was being excused from guard duty?” she wrote.
Soon, Adam wrote again:
I’m beginning to wonder what will become of me. I’ve been shut up now for so many days in this block and it’s miserably rotten. Sometimes I think I’ve drawn the short end of the stick.
The worse part is that I won’t get paid until I get discharged, and again I don’t have a red cent to my name. Please get the money from Dad and send as much as you think best. Send it special delivery. They will bring the letter to my barracks, since I can’t get out.
Emily wrote that she hated to ask for money and wished she could send some herself, but she still hadn’t received a single allotment check.
In his next letter, dated Dec. 14, Adam wrote:
I’ll try to get this letter written before I go back to my post. It’s trying hard to rain again today and I have to pull guard duty. I shouldn’t worry for I’ve got a good raincoat and it’s not real cold yet.
I’ve thought very seriously about how thankful I am that I have escaped the flu and other diseases, for I am in perfect health and as happy as can be under the circumstances. I get to thinking about what a good little wife I have at home, and I get proud, swell up and strut around like a king. Honest, honey, I wouldn’t trade places with President Wilson.
I need to stop writing and go get something for my headache. Remember how much I love you and I’m so glad you are better now. Take extra good care of yourself and the baby.
“Now a headache?” Emily asked in her diary.
On Dec. 17, the quarantine was lifted, and Adam wrote again.
Let me tell you about the funny dream I had last night: I thought I was home, sitting on the porch with our baby in my lap and a man came up and asked me where I got the baby. He said it was his and he had come after it.
I sure was worried when I woke up, but soon realized it was a dream. Then I had a good laugh over it.
I have that pesky headache again. But I’m sure it will go away when I see your sweet face.
I can just picture myself about three years from now, coming home from work and seeing our baby running across the room to meet his daddy.
Say, Emily, if you are trying to think of something for my Christmas gift and have enough money left, I’d like a pair of dressy tan shoes, size 6E.
Emily prayed that Adam’s good health would return. She folded the letter into smaller squares and placed it in a pocket of her nightgown. The letter fit perfectly, just over Emily’s heart.
LOOK IT UP
On Jan. 28, 1919, the Treaty of Versailles was signed by the Allies. On June 8, Germany ratified the treaty.
The Spanish influenza killed an estimated 675,000 Americans. Severe illness and deaths occurred all over the country from 1918 through 1919. That number of people was somewhat higher than all the soldiers reportedly killed in the U.S. Civil War.
The Spanish influenza killed more people than World War I. Estimates run from 20 million to 40 million people worldwide. That flu outbreak is considered to be the most devastating epidemic in recorded history.
Chapter 11 – Going home
Hailey explained to Grandpa and Walker that Adam had continued to wait through December.
“Adam sounded very disappointed when he wrote on Dec. 20,” she said. “He wrote:
The company ahead of us is leaving tomorrow. I won’t make it home for Christmas but maybe for New Year’s Eve. We have a full contingent of men. Now we need transportation. So now it is up to the railroad.
Did I tell you that my waist was 29 when I enlisted and now it is 34? Will I be too big to hug now?
Have a good Christmas. Just be prepared to have an extra Christmas celebration when I get home.
Don’t be sad. I’ll see you soon. Remember how much I love you.
Your Daddy Boy Adam
Quietly, Grandfather asked, “Hailey, may I stop you here and tell the rest of the story?”
Hailey nodded.
“Walker, that was the last letter Emily received from Adam. Three days later, Uncle John came to visit. The look on his face warned Emily’s mother that he was bringing bad news. ‘I wonder who has died now?’ she thought as John sat down looking terribly weary.
“Our family has received a telegram,” he began.
Her eyes widened in alarm.
“Adam?” she whispered.
“Yes. He passed away yesterday.”
She was silent for a moment. Then she asked, “How can I tell Emily?”
“What happened to him?” Walker interrupted.
“No one really knows. The authorities listed his cause of death as from hitting his head in the fall he had taken not long before. Later, Emily would point out that Adam was so in a hurry to get home that he might not have reported how serious his symptoms were.
“His child, Adam George Cheltenham, was born in March 1919. That baby was my father.
“Emily lived at home with her parents for four years. Then she met Orville Wilson. They had a long courtship and eventually married. A few years later, he adopted my father.”
“Grandpa,” Walker said, “I never paid much attention to what we learned in history. It’s one thing to read that 100,000 faceless people died in a battle. It’s so much sadder when one man dies. And Adam didn’t even die in battle; he just died of something without a name.
“But you were right, Grandpa,” Hailey added. “If he hadn’t lived – if he and Emily hadn’t married when they did and had a son, Walker and I wouldn’t be here right now.”
Hailey wiped a tear from her eye.
But Grandpa, we haven’t learned much about the war that would help in school,” Walker said after a long silence. “We only spent a little time on the great victories and defeats. We didn’t even talk about the leaders and heroes.”
“No, Walker, we didn’t. Still, you two have had the chance to learn a great deal about all wars. Little time is spent by soldiers on the days of celebrating victories or enduring defeat; more often it is spent hurrying up, then waiting.”
“I’ve learned something, Hailey said. “War and peace are both like a river. Most of the people in it are as anonymous as drops of water. But without them, there would be no spectacular rapids or waterfalls of history.
“I had to learn about the periods of war and peace that happened for centuries before World War I to understand why people made the choices they did in 1914.
“Tragically, those choices led to World War II, just 20 years later. And for the U.S., those choices led us to Korea and Vietnam and Kosovo and to our current situation in the Middle East. Won’t we ever escape from the cycles of war?”
“I don’t know,” Grandpa answered. “But I know we won’t for sure if we don’t begin to understand the flow of history. As nations, we need to spend as much time on cooperation as we do on competition.”
Walker looked as though a light bulb had just gone off in his head. “We wouldn’t even have a river if we didn’t have rain,” he said. “Rivers flow because it rains. That’s a cycle, too. And we are learning slowly about how to contain some of the cycles of flooding and drought, aren’t we? So maybe we can learn more about channeling the things that make us want to fight.”
Grandpa smiled.
***
“So Grandpa, when are you going to take us on that trip you promised? I’d like to go to Jefferson Barracks and see their military history museum,” Walker said.
“I’d like to go to the Fox and see a musical with a happy ending,” Hailey countered.
“Would you like to see some of the places where the war occurred?” Grandpa asked.
“You mean like in a movie?” Walker asked.
“No, I mean would you like to see France and Germany and England where William Mill served in the army?”
“You mean really see them?” Hailey asked.
“Yes, I’ve already spoken with your parents. If you would like to travel there, we could go next summer.”
“That’s wonderful, Grandpa. But sooner than summer. could you please take us to Hughes and see where Emily and William lived?”
“Yes, I’d like to do that too,” added Walker.
LOOK IT UP
World War I took the lives of more than 9 million soldiers; 21 million more were wounded. Civilian casualties caused indirectly by the war numbered close to 10 million.
At the peace conference in Paris in 1919, Allied leaders stated their desire to build a postwar world that would safeguard against future broad-scale conflicts. The Versailles Treaty, signed on June 28, 1919, would not achieve this objective.
Saddled with war guilt and heavy reparations and denied entrance into the League of Nations, Germany felt tricked into signing the treaty, having believed any peace would be a “peace without victory” as put forward by Wilson in his famous Fourteen Points speech of January 1918. As the years passed, hatred of the treaty and its authors settled into a smoldering resentment in Germany that would, two decades later, be counted among the causes of World War II.
