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 from the Santa Fe Railroad, as he prepared his personal memoirs for his three grandchildren. This final narrative has the benefit of his maturity, experience…
Thursday, September 12, 1918 Too busy last ten days to keep up my diary. Great attack coming. More guns than ever I saw. Have been night and day spotting heavy guns etc. Think the attack will come tonight if rain stops. General Pershing and the American army were primarily behind the operations to reduce the…
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 Hotel 18 francs. Got back 9:00 p.m. German offensive started 5:00 a.m. against the British front. Heavy artillery action against Verdun but no attack yet. Gas came…
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 examination for commission as a 2nd lieutenant. Took a bath, shaved and was examined by Dr. Clayton and Tope at 4:00 p.m. in their rooms. Passed…
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 by the Americans) had already been fought the year before. Beginning in February 1916 the Germans had launched a major offensive with the objective of…
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 relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War wasn’t formally signed until 1929 and didn’t enter into force until 1931. It stipulates that captured prisoners…
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…
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 action in the First World War, many of them flying with the squadron since its inception. The group was authorized by the French Air Department…
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. Breakfast, packed up, left Châlons 11:00 a.m. over Eastern railway. Went south to St. Dizier, then headed north to Fleury. Arrived Fleury 9:00 p.m. Just on the…
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 town. Threw pennies to watch kids scramble. Worked all day in dock. Uptown at night with Corning. Lots fun. Had few beers. Town sure shows…