This blog is about a man, a railroad, and a war. It is the history, one hundred years later, of EP Dudley’s experience in the 13th Engineers (Railway) during the...
All Aboard for War
A Railroad Man's Experiences in WWI France
ABOUT ME
Who am I?
EP Dudley was my grandfather. His WWI experiences were left for his family in a daily diary he kept from June 1917 to November 1918. My goal has been to put his diary into context for his great grandkids and their great grandkids.13th ENGINEERS (RAILWAY)
About the 13th Engineers
The 13th Engineers (Railway) regiment was created on Friday, July 13th, 1917. The regiment departed from Chicago a week later in three trains of thirteen cars each. And it was to record thirteen deaths during its term of service.SHARE
Let us hear from you!
If you would like to share the experiences of your own family members in WWI, especially if they served in the 13th Engineers, please comment on these blog pages or send me a note through the Contact option in the main menu.
The final chapter in the war record of E.P. Dudley (pictured above with his “pal” Cecil) was written some forty years after the end of the war, following his retirement...
The following is a reminiscence of EP Dudley long after the war was over: November 11, 1918 The war ended November 11, 1918. On that afternoon I took a little...
Friday, March 22, 1918 Went to Bar-le-Duc. Got up 5:15 a.m., got there at 9:30 a.m. Ordered uniform and got measured. Cost 260 francs. Horrid journey on slim gauge. Ate dinner Commerce...
Thursday, January 3, 1918 Happiest day in my life. When I got up I found a letter on my bed telling me to report to the doctor for a physical...
A Note on Verdun Despite the shelling and the bitter fighting which continued at Verdun in 1917, the major battles there (except for the final offensive, which would be supported...
EP Dudley’s visit to the front makes for grim reading. His matter of fact reporting of how German prisoners were treated is startlingly contrary to the Geneva Convention. The Convention...
War has been described as “interminable monotony punctuated by moments of sheer terror.” The boredom of late September and October 1917 is evident in these diary entries, where mail from...
The Lafayette Squadron was a small group of American flyers that had originally seen combat in Mexico, flying for the revolutionary armies. They were among the first Americans to see...
On September 11 the 13th Engineers moved to Fleury-sur-Aire, near Verdun, which was to be their headquarters for the next twenty months. Tuesday, September 11, 1917 Up 5:00 a.m. Moving today....
After just a few days in England, the 13th Engineers packed up and headed for France. Friday, August 17, 1917 Made port at La Havre at 11:00 a.m. Crowds there. Big...