Ferme de la Croix Rouge

Via Lonely Planet’s site, I discovered a blog by an American expat named Richard Nahem living in Paris. It’s called Eye Prefer Paris. Someone named Thirza Vallois attended the recent dedication of the Rainbow Division memorial near Fère-en-Tardenois and has written about it. According to Vallois, the monument is on the site of the La Croix Rouge Farm [...]

Americans in Winchester

I thought that I had finally discovered some evidence of Americans in Winchester, England during the First World War. I knew sooner or later that I (or those intrepid Google computers) would find something. I posted messages to a variety of places — mailing lists and message boards — long ago but never received any [...]

YouTube de L’inauguration

French is a beautiful, yet frustrating language. I took two terms of it at a community college in Oregon. By the grace of God and a teacher who really liked my effort, I received an A each time. I received a link in my inbox to a video of the pomp and circumstance regarding the dedication of the new World [...]

Leslie Warren Darling (1895-1918)

Leslie W. Darling Private First Class #100884 Company E 168th Infantry of Iowa 42nd Rainbow Division Died in Field Hospital No. 117, July 30th. Son of Mr. and Mrs. J. H. Darling, Ogden, Iowa. Born at Chicago, Illinois, August 23, 1895. Private Darling was severely wounded at Foret de Fere, near Chateau Thierry, July 26th. [...]

The 42nd Division Roster

Someone wrote to me via the blog, in a response to another post, about family records housed by the U.S. Army. He wanted to know if I had a man named Robert Hynes ”among my records.” I’m interested if your records show a listing of the men in that unit and, if so, is there a Robert [...]

Family Records with the U.S. Army

Today I learned that the U.S. Army Heritage and Education Center in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, near the Army War College, is in danger of being closed, because of some major bureaucratic idiocy. I discovered a file on my great granduncle Leslie Warren Darling there a few years back. In his file is a transcribed letter, dated July 20, 1918. I am not [...]

150 Years of the 168th

I didn’t know that the 168th Infantry, founded at the outset of the Civil War, was still in existence, but apparently it is, and the historic unit is celebrating its 150th anniversary in a few days. Veterans of the campaign in Afghanistan will be on hand. Given that my great granduncle joined the Iowa National [...]

Memories, Camp Mills, and Postcards

A visitor to the blog, Ann Keen, has written about her great grandfather and his brothers in response to a post about Camp Mills on Long Island. I’d discovered a postcard of men dancing with some ladies. She thinks one of the men may be her great grandfather. My great-grandfather and great-uncles were at Camp [...]

The Rainbow Memorial in London

Last year, a Brit photographer named Tony Kemplen started a project to shoot with a different camera every week through the entire year. He then compiled some of his work in a book. Although he only planned for 52 weeks, he’s continued using different cameras and film. In week 80, he was in London, snapping [...]

Official Photos of the 42nd Division During WW1

Someone in East Longmeadow, Massachusetts has an “original” 38 page document listing the official photographs of the U.S. Army AEF 42nd “Rainbow” Division for sale on eBay. I have never seen one before. I didn’t even know it existed. I am assuming most, if not the entirety, of the collection were photographs taken by the men of Signal [...]