Clayton M. Sherwood:
Diary of Foreign Service, August 1917 to February 1919

ENTRIES FOR JANUARY 1918

[January 1918]

Jan. 1. [Tuesday] 1918
Up for breakfast and feeling pretty good. Wrote to Bernice [White] and Cy [Chaney]. Good dinner for wonder, as feed is low now. Carrots have substituted potatoes and bacon and hardtack getting monotonous. Went on guard at 4:00. Didn’t walk post as [I] was extra man. Sent pictures in letters written today. [Inserted later:] Mail from home, two letters. All well. Lester Vanderhill hurt seriously at b.b. [?] Snow about six inches high.

Jan. 2. [Wednesday]
Chased prisoners, rather one, at tool room and bath house. At Y.[M.C.A.] tonight. Must write home (No. 15) and Jim [Burwell] and Lillian.

Jan. 3. [Thursday]
At guns A.M. and P.M.

Jan. 4. [Friday]
Guns in A.M. Bath in P.M.

Jan. 5. [Saturday]
At guns in morning.

Jan. 6. Sunday
On fatigue detail, not much to do in A.M. but in P.M. eight of us unloaded five cars of coal. Got thru after dark, so brought in some lumps as had no coal in shack. Got mail, two letters from home, one each from Aunt Edna [McKee], [cousin] Nettie, Homer [Chaney], Orel [Champney] and card from Zola and Chas. [Beebe]. Box of candy and figs from M. Jencks, very fine.

Jan. 7. [Monday]
Rainy this morning. Bath and nothing else to do till noon.

Jan. 8. [Tuesday]
Guns in A.M. Instructions in P.M. on gun and operation.

Jan. 9. [Wednesday]
At guns in A.M. Becker and I went out early and tried to get rabbit out of hole. Nothing in P.M. but wrote to Aunt Edna [McKee]. Received box from home at night. Candy, cake and canned chicken. Almost makes one homesick and brings tears at times to have home so vividly brought to mind.

Jan. 10. [Thursday]
At guns A.M. and P.M.

Jan. 11. [Friday]
“ “ “ “ [same as Jan. 10]

Jan. 12. [Saturday]
Received box from Iva, dandy fudge. Two letters from home. All well and comfortable, coal scarce and food high.

Jan. 13. Sunday
Target practice today. Up early and out to guns. Some time getting guns ready. Morning storm but cleared off bright. No dinner [at guns] for company but Becker and I walked in [to camp] and got ours. Intended to stay in but [I] wanted to see firing so went out and saw last half. Guns worked fine and shots all good, 9 hits and others close out of 12. Letter from Lambke [see Sept. 19, 1917] and Christmas card from K.C. [likely Katherine C.] Wrote home no. 16.

Jan. 14. [Monday]
On fatigue detail. Job watering mules and helping. Thru [Got through; further such references will be spelled “through”] early and went downtown and got a haircut.

Jan. 15. [Tuesday]
Rainy. Formed in mess hall.

Jan. 16. [Wednesday]
Inspection in mess hall and clothes inspection. Slickers issued.

Jan. 17. [Thursday]
At Y.[M.C.A.] last night. Heard man and two girls singing, pretty good, one red-headed French girl and a Belgian. Both could sing in English. At artillery park fixing ground to receive guns in A.M. On guard in P.M., post no. 14 next to guard house. Pretty muddy. [Inserted later:] Wrote home no. 17.

Jan. 18. [Friday]
Off guard 3:40 [A.M.]. At Y.[M.C.A.] at night to hear Countess Maurice lecture on German practices in Belgium and France.

Jan. 19. [Saturday]
Gunners instructions.

Jan. 20. Sunday
On fatigue till 9:30 [A.M.] Dismissed and took bath and washed clothes. Fine weather today, like May or June at home.

Jan. 21. [Monday]
Cleaned out barracks in P.M. in rain. Hygiene [talk?] by Lieut. Johnson.

Jan. 22. [Tuesday]
Artillery instruction. Vaudeville at Y.[M.C.A.] at night. Part of 6th field artillery came in.

Jan. 23. [Wednesday]
Inspection. Helmets. Heavy march order. Respirators issued. Went through gas chamber of lachrymose gas in P.M.

Jan. 24. [Thursday]
Art[illery] instructions, calesthenics [sic] and infantry drill.

Jan. 25. [Friday]
Instructions A.M. Took down gin at railroad when guns were put on trucks some time ago and set up farther from track. Mail from home, Lillian and Rose Bailey of T.C. [Traverse City, Michigan]

Jan. 26. [Saturday]
Gas instructions and gunners. Athletics in P.M. Fine day.

Jan. 27. Sunday
Cool in morn[ing] but sun up and pretty day. Must write a lot. Wrote to Iva, Lillian and home, no. 18. Got mail, photo of Lill, letter from home.

Jan. 28. [Monday]
Scrub day, and was in kitchen with Barny [Barnacastle], Stascroki [sp?] and White until [?] Thurs. 6:00 [P.M.] and washed all mess kits three times.

Jan. 29. [Tuesday]
Gunners instructions, on guard at night, No. 5 post.

Jan. 30. [Wednesday]
Off guard 4:00 [A.M.] On jaligs prison guard tomorrow. Shaved and fixed for muster.

Jan. 31. [Thursday]
Mustered. Most of bat[tallion?] on fatigue.


Original text © 2002-2003 by MysteryVisits.com, Willowshade, West Grove, PA


Contents

Foreword and Summary

August 1917 | September 1917 | October 1917
November 1917 | December 1917

THIS PAGE: JANUARY 1918 | February 1918 | March 1918 | April 1918
May 1918 | June 1918 | July 1918 | August 1918
September 1918 | October 1918 | November 1918 | December 1918

January 1919 | February 1919

Battle analysis | Definitions | Names | Family


OTHER WORLD WAR I INFORMATION
WWI and the CAC in general
History of the Great War | Trenches on the Web | WWI Links Page
WWI: Western Front | 59th Coastal Artillery | Coastal Defense | Doughboy Center
Railway Artillery information | WWI Photos and Artillery | WWI documents notes and archives
WWI Document Archive | The Soldier's Experience of WWI

Camp Bordon, England
Bordon map | Bordon main site | Bordon Today | Hampshire record office

Other personal recollections
List of memoirs via WWI.com

Essays
Why did WWI end?




John C. Sherwood's Bibliography

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