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 home is the high point and nearly always the final mention of the day.

Tuesday, September 25, 1917
No papers received or mail for two weeks. Where can it be? At the office all day. Loafed all evening at the trenches. Boche came twice and we were all in trenches. Dropped no bombs. Wrote Dad a letter in the YMCA tent before dark.

Wednesday, September 26, 1917
Up early. Shaved. Spent the day at the office of Chef de Maut. To Autrecourt after supper. Laid in field dodging bombs and machine guns. Then stayed until 11:00 p.m. in trenches. Slept good.

Thursday, September 27, 1917
Up early. Had letter returned that I wrote Dad. Told him too much. Wrote Frances in the afternoon. Sat outside in moon till 11:00 p.m. No bombs dropped.

Friday, September 28, 1917
Received three papers and a box of cigars from Cecil. Have held off writing, waiting for blue envelopes. Sure good cigars. YMCA put out durham today, too. Stayed on hill till 10:00 p.m. then in trenches until the moon went down. No bombs closer than a mile away.

Saturday, September 29, 1917
Cold. Up early. Office all day. Autrecourt in the morning. Sat at the trenches until 11:45 p.m.

Sunday, September 30, 1917
Up early. Office all morning. Wrote Cecil a letter for the captain to read. Hell with that stuff. Sat on a bench until 9:00 p.m. then bed. Just had shoes off when signal came. Took to trench. Dressed again. Moon was full and light as day. Slept with clothes on. Was called to trenches eight times, last time at 4:40 a.m. Germans bombed Souilly hard and completely destroyed Bar-le-Duc. Never came closer than a mile away to us though. Sure will be glad when the moon goes down.

Trenches

Monday, October 1, 1917
Up 7:00 a.m. after spending most night in trenches. Was cold too. Moon was so bright last night. Was called to trenches eight times during the night. Boche sure out in force last night. They bombed all around us, Revigny and set Bar-le-Duc on fire too. Got two letters from Cecil this morning dated August 14 and August 15. Mail is sure irregular. Already had letters dated Sept 5th from her.

Tuesday, October 2, 1917
Up most of the night in the trenches. Sure will be glad when the moon goes down. Haven’t had clothes off for a week. All day at the office. Wrote a couple of letters.

Wednesday, October 3, 1917
Slept good on hill last night rolled up in my blankets in a little hole with Doud. Only woke up twice when bombs dropped unusually close. Rained hard in the morning. Wrote Father and Cecil. Cloudy at night, so black you couldn’t see a man six feet away. Sure slept good. Never heard a plane all night. “No Boche avion.”

Thursday, October 4, 1917
No mail. Office all day. Cloudy, cold. Touch of winter now. Real cool. Hate to see winter come. Real blue tonight. Wind whistling and so cold and damp. Darker than hell outside. Dread the winter. Can’t help but think of the lads over the hill. Artillery is a little active tonight. No fear of Boche avion tonight if we keep the lights out. No one could see to drop anything. Bed 7:30 p.m.

Friday, October 5, 1917
Sick all night. Up early. Slept good. Rained almost all night. Covered myself with shelter half and rain beat on me. “Pas bon.” This morning cold and raw. Getting out stoves today. Soon be winter. Buried a Frenchman and German this morning on the hill. The Frenchman gets a pine box and the Boche only a gunny sack.

Saturday, October 6, 1917
So cold this morning. Got two trench stoves going. Put one up in the office this morning. Tres bien. Raining hard today. Received packages, smokes, etc. from Cecil.

Sunday, October 7, 1917
Cold, raw, raining. Camp swimming in mud. Wrote letters all day in the office. Rained so hard, barracks like a sieve. Pitched shelter half over bed and slept while rain poured in rivers through the barracks. Sure rotten. Shoes haven’t been dry for four days. Autos sunk to hubs in mud. YMCA tent blown over. Slept good though.

Tuesday, October 9, 1917
Cloudy, rained all night. Cold and windy. Went to Lavoye this afternoon for some bread and butter. Also washing. Saw the prettiest girl I’ve ever seen in France in the Tabac shop at Autrecourt on the way back. I don’t fall for them here since I see the fellows who have all been back from Paris. Pas bonne.

Thursday, October 11, 1917
Up early, cold. Breakfast and to the office. Rained all day. Walked to Waly to get a searchlight. Poker all evening.

Friday, October 12, 1917
Rained continuously all day long. Camp and country one impassible mire of mud. Our trucks buried hub deep in the streets. Got three letters from Cecil, also a box of cakes. Wrote her letter this afternoon. If she could only see me now and see where I’m writing this with rain dripping all over. Ha. Haven’t shaved for seven days, or bathed for two weeks. All for Old Glory. Judge Advocate from Pershing’s camp here for court-martial tomorrow of Capt. Overpeck for bringing a —– into camp. Disgraceful.

Saturday, October 13, 1917
Still raining hard. Water flowing in streams through barracks. Slept with raincoat and clothes on. Still pouring outside. Great weather. Wrote letters all day.

Monday, October 22, 1917
Six zeppelins brought down last night. Slept all day. Went to Fleury in the afternoon, got bread and butter. Wrote Cecil in the afternoon. No mail yet. Five zeps brought down today.

Zeppelin

Tuesday, October 23, 1917
Slept till 11:00 a.m. Big blackjack game on until 4:00 a.m. this morning. Lost 10 francs and retired. Started raining at noon and spent the afternoon in YMCA reading papers etc. No mail yet and can get no trace of it whatever. Official dope: five zeps brought down, one at Bourbonne is intact and will be shown in Paris. One went over the land and out to sea, lost.

Wednesday, October 24, 1917
Up 11:00 a.m. Walked to Waly with Smithy in the afternoon. Bought eggs and butter, eggs at four francs a dozen. Butter 4 francs a pound. Also bought jam. No mail yet. 9:45 p.m. Capt. Holmes at St. Dizier just phoned me that another zep had been brought down at —— . They will quit doing these midnight excursion trips soon. Also in drive in Champagne today took 8,000 prisoners, 100 officers. Bonne Tres Bien Merci Beaucoup. Haig’s Artillery is so active tonight. Ground is fairly shaking now. Sky is a mass of fireworks.

Thursday, October 25, 1917
Slept until 11:00 a.m., up and shaved. Walked to Lavoye this afternoon and walked back with two loaves of bread, all I could carry. Read papers. Rained all day. We have given our mail up as lost now. Sure sorry. I should have some tobacco from regiment and Father and letters galore.

Friday, October 26, 1917
Slept until 11:00 a.m., shaved. Had mutton for dinner. Worked for Doud in the afternoon while he took a bath. No mail yet. Has been almost three weeks since we received a postal card. Surely will get some soon. I don’t know what we would do if it were not for our baby Tribune. Rained some this morning. Latrine news now: that we go south for the winter.

Saturday, October 27, 1917
Raining all day and cloudy. Very heavy artillery on front today. Big offensive now being launched. Have captured 11,000 prisoners so far. Tres bon.

While offensive operations in the Verdun sector were encouraging, the overall war picture was less so. The British were still bogged down at Ypres in Belgium, and Austria-Germany on October 24 achieved a key breakthrough at Caporetto on Italian front, which they probably could have extended to take Venice (a young German company commander named Erwin Rommel was decorated with the “Pour le Merite” for his role in that battle).

Sunday, October 28, 1917
Raining and cold. Artillery so heavy. Ground simply shakes. No mail. We lost 800 bags on the Antilles so boy at Paris says. Guess Cecil and Frances will wonder where they went. Just got first war bulletin of U.S. Army. Our men in the trenches. A few battalions of heavy artillery are on the Argonne front with some packed French batteries. Went in today. Moved in position last night and the Stars and Stripes were the German’s first sight.

Monday, October 29, 1917
Up 10:00 a.m. Washed. Walked to Lavoye for bread in the afternoon. Short arm inspection at 4:30 p.m. All present and accounted for. Bright moon tonight, sure be some fun I “loco.” Got the good news today of over 150 bags of mail for us in the morning. Everybody excited as a school boy. Sure is fine. Will get a big bunch I know. Papers and letters.

Tuesday, October 30, 1917
Up early. 180 bags of mail, first for a month. Seven letters from Cecil and packages galore. Two cartons of camels from Reggie. Sure a holiday here. Wrote long letter to Cecil in the afternoon and one to FJM.

Wednesday, October 31, 1917
More mail today and a box of soap from her. Sure good to me. Wrote her another and Father one.

Thursday, November 1, 1917
Five months away now. Five months a soldier. Walked to Froidos with Smithy. Rode back in ambulance. Air fights all day long. Weather clear and fine. Sun warmed things up some too. Just got the report that we lost 50 men north of Nancy, 200 wounded, tough. First actual trouble. Hope they publish it in America.

Friday, November 2, 1917
Routine. Took bath in afternoon, changed clothes. Drew third suit, winter underwear today. No mail today of any kind. The Finland was torpedoed, Wolf was on her. Haven’t heard how he came out. Made Southampton.

Saturday, November 3, 1917
Smithy went to Paris. Working 12 hours till he gets back. Rather lonesome but can write letters. Walked to Froidos this morning, stayed for dinner there. Made date to go to front with ambulance men next Sunday.

Sunday, November 4, 1917
Worked until 8:00 a.m. this morning as CWS has gone to Paris. Wrote Cecil 18 pages. Slept until 4:00 p.m. Great day to sleep. Coal and fire going in barracks. Weather cloudy and misty rain. Started canteen over by hospital today. Just heard Peck was on the Finland and is in hospital in Paris from exposure. Italians have the Germans stopped now. We are still gaining on the Aisne. Got another Boche “çe soir” over by Waly.

Monday, November 5, 1917
Slept all day. Woke up for supper. Bunch all sat around and sang tonight by candlelight. Sure makes one blue. So dark out. Moving constant line of troops to Verdun. Expect great attack there now in day or two.

Tuesday, November 6, 1917
Slept good. Head not so well lately. Bought a O.D. pillow case from Frenchman today, going to make a pillow, stuff it with all the letters and papers I receive from folks and Cecil. Work at 4:00 p.m. Cloudy, cold. Rained all day. Got 43 bags of mail, no letters though. Got five papers from Cecil. Making my pillow now of stuffing from the papers she sends.

Wednesday, November 7, 1917
Cold, cloudy. Nothing unusual. Somebody soaked Deveneau with piece of bread in the eye during a political discussion at noon. He’s going to have the entire HQ detail court-martialed.
2:00 p.m., our first accident. Head-ender between 65 and 58 between Èvres and Nubécourt. 65’s engineer left without the conductor.

November 7, 1917 was also a key date in history, as the Bolsheviks successfully overthrew the Kerensky government in Russia, installing Lenin as the first communist leader there. This would lead to Russia’s departure from the war effort, allowing the redeployment of hundreds of thousands of German troops from Russia to France in early 1918.

Saturday, November 10, 1917
Slept late. Newspapers give the revolt in Russia. Rather disheartening to say the least. The Italian trouble and now Russia. Seems bad for us. Hardly look for the war to end very soon now. Looks like a long stay for us here.