11 Those That Never Sing

8/6/2019 11 Those That Never Sing

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Chapter TenHoboken

The light of the full moon reflected brightly on the rippling currents of the black river.

Bill did not know what time it was. After a late night of cards with some of the other men, in

which his luck had proved consistently bad, he had been asleep until minutes earlier. He had

stowed his watch and his empty wallet before turning in hours before. When the steady

movement and predictable rhythm of the train slowed and then came to a stop he peered out his

Pullman car window. Floodlights illuminated heavy equipment and a barge while people who

looked the size of flies in the distance milled about as a behemoth platform ship pushed itself

into its moorings. He heard the hollow thuds that came from the barge bumping against the

landing. Steam engines roared mournfully like the rumbling bowels of a steel factory.

A train engine with couplers front and rear belched white clouds of steam and smoke,

waiting for the iron harnesses to clasp into place. A shrill whistle filled the night air with an


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ungodly, banshee-like shriek. Two tug boats at the side of the ship farthest away from the dock

pushed the rear of the ship upstream.

The men in Bills cabin felt their car roll backwards when the rear section of their

transport train separated from the cars in front of them. The engine on board the barge inched its

way up the pier. They heard the loud clanging of iron against iron down the rail. Then the slow

sound of the steel wheels against the steel rails screamed, piercing the night air and the dank

humidity of the late spring night. The front section of the train made its way across the entire

distance of the barge. The barge itself sank no deeper in the water.

After nearly two hours of coupling and uncoupling, the pieces of the train finally crossed

the GreatRiver and they resumed their journey. It occurred to Bill that for the first time in his

entire life he had crossed the Mississippi River. He thought of his own grandparents crossing the

country from the opposite direction, driving a team of oxen, thirty-two years before. How

curious that they both had crossed the river on a barge, they in their Conestoga wagon with their

animals and Bill in such a manner as to conquer technology. He guessed he knew something of

the excitement, fear, and anticipation they must have felt on another spring night, alone and

surrounded by strangers, all journeying toward some unknown land.

He had just crossed the Mississippi River by boat while on board a train.

Over the next two days, they passed through railroad towns in the South and then up the

Eastern Seacoast, through Washington, D.C., Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey. In

Philadelphia, crowds of children and teenagers lined the tracks watching the troop trains pass.

When he thought of it again, Bill jotted a note in the notebook he carried, using the dull stub of a

pencil barely long enough to hold in his hand. He wanted a reminder for some future reference.

I'll bet Badger and Speck would enjoythe trip along the Pennsylvania Railroad line


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from Philadelphia to Tenafly,to see a thousand kidswatchingfor troop trainsaskingfor nickels and dimes

even buttons and emblems offyour coat

dirty and ragged and happy andjust about the slums ofthe world.

The Red Cross ladies greeted the men with donuts and coffee and picture postcards at the

depot when they disembarked while the engine was serviced. Missionaries from the Salvation

Army handed the soldiers tracts and offered to pray with them for their safety in the months

ahead.

Weeks passed and Rosa had no communication from Bill. A 2-cent postcard finally

arrived. It bore this imprint at the top of the blank side:

CANTEEN SERVICE, SOUTHEASTERN PENNSYLVANIA CHAPTER, AMERICAN RED CROSS, PHILADELPHIA

Bill scribbled a brief note below which Rosa read

Monday MornBeloved Rose

In dear old Philly andfeeling great.Have had a nice trip. It is sure alovely morn makes me think ofhomewill reach our destination about 4PM.Will write later.

Hope youfeel as good as I.

Bill

He dropped the postcard in the mailbox in front of the Western Union Office when the

train stopped in Philadelphia. He had had another bad night at the card tables on the train the

night before and he found himself with only a few coins left in his pocket, barely enough to send

a wire home, asking for money. With what he had and a loan from his old friend and drinking


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buddy Sgt. Charlie Hopkins, he stepped into the Western Union office and composed a telegram

to his father.

JH HOLMES

WIRE ME TRACKER NUMBER OF MONEY ORDERS AT ONCE AT MY

EXPENSE STOP NEVER RECD IT STOP LETTER FOLLOWS WITH

EXPLANATION STOP FEELING GOOD STOP WILL GET YOUR

ANSWER IF YOU ADDRESS IT RIGHT STOP HAVE NO MONEY HERE

STOP

WG HOLMES

CO C 9TH

FIELD BN

SIGNAL CORPS

CAMPMERRITT

NJ

Back on the train, Bill wrote a rambling letter to his parents which included an

explanation for his abrupt plea for money in the telegram he had sent to Langdon. When the

telegram arrived in Langdon, Josie opened the envelope with trembling fingers as the delivery

man left the stoop. Then she thanked God it did not confirm her greatest fear.

Days later, when his promised letter finally arrived, she squinted at Bills letter, jaw

muscles twitching under her velvety soft cheeks.

Dear Mother and all

Well, I hope the telegram caused you no worry for I just have to have money soon.They have a French instructor here who tells you what is necessary and what you can

take. Ifwe are here long enough I want to enjoy everything that comes our way. Ihavent got enough money to get out ofcamp and no barber work here, so I sure can usesome cash.

I am in this work whole-hearted and, say, we havent all the privileges you might

think

Josie was at once angry and worried at her sons plight. Wiring him money would be a

strain, but somehow, not wiring it made her feel unpatriotic, as if for all the sacrifices others had

made, this was all that was asked of her. Could she get Bills money out of the Holland woman

since the checks were being wrongly sent to her? She would have to ask, no matter how


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uncomfortable she felt with the idea. She would talk to Jonas and they would see about it. That

boy! How did he get himself into such a predicament?

For the time being, Jonas did not think it advisable to involve J.M. and Mrs. Holland, nor

their daughter. With cash on hand, he thought they could manage at least this once without

taking savings from the bank. So he wired the money, twenty-five dollars, per his sons

instructions. Bill picked it up at the Western Union office at CampMerritt. Smiling, he returned

to his tent and wrote home. The warm wad of bills in his pocket and thoughts of his family made

him feel nostalgic. As he wrote, he pictured his mothers face and his fathers broad shoulders

and his round, keg-like physique. The air in his tent felt crisp and moist, like the dewy mornings

he remembered in Kansas, but the smell of machines and the exhausts and wailing of gasoline

engines permeated the clouds that hovered over CampMerritt, the primary staging grounds for

the troop movements overseas. Masking whatever fears he had about the mission he anticipated,

and whatever resentment he felt realizing that control of his life belonged to others, he wrote to

his family with enthusiasm and conviction about the big job he would soon undertake with his

comrades at arms.

Wed Morn 4/3 1918

Dear Mother and all-

Will drop you a few lines while I rest. They just took the boys outfor alittle exercise and I am doing some barber work have my hair cut short andfeel

like a convict We began giving hair cuts ofArmy regulations. It is sure somejob. I worked till eleven last eve. Was sure tired.Never stoppedfor supper at all.

This is a lovely camp and Soldiers galore, all kinds too. We have an inspection

every halfday. The next inspection is the one ofthe greatest importance to me and thatis the Physical I believe I would croak ifI didnt get to go over for my own ambition

is to go on with the gang and do my part My number is 1,113,423 and I am proud ofit.I have never yet been called on anything but this is the final Gee I can hardly wait.


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Say but we sure had a fine trip I sure enjoyed myself we had a grand tripfrom San Antonio here 5 days and 5 nights crossed the Mississippi River on alarge Barge at night. Cars and all, about 10 p.m. Moonlight and it was fine-- got tosee the Capitol at Washington D. C. also at night and it was grand Sure had a nice

reception in Philly from the Red Cross. Saw one ofthe prettiest lit up buildings there I

ever expect to see Saw the Statue ofLiberty and say, so many things I cant mentionthem all, and ifI had ofhad the money today I would have went to N.Y. City. We didnthave an accident ofany kind Afew ofthe boys were sick but the change ofclimatewasnt so bad. We are so near the ocean You can hear the whistle ofthe Big boats.

Have you rec'd the Insurance Policy I am sending you our emblem towear and hope you receive it O.K. and let me know ifyou do I am sendingVesta one too.

Will have to cut more hair as the boys are coming.

So Bye Bye! Love to allYour Son and BroBill

Andfor heavens sake write, and put the right address

Army food has long held the reputation for being a dreadful, barely tolerable alternative

to starvation, but Bill did not find this to be the case at CampMerritt, where he wrote rave

reviews about the meals to his family. The Holmes family grew much of their own food and,

like many farm families generations ago, developed an appreciation, for fresh home made meals

and good eating. Josies biscuits went unrivaled throughout the county.

Whoopee Doodle! I am sofull I can hardly utter a word but am going to tell youwhat I hadfor dinner. Look at the postcard which shows our mess hall run by UncleSam called Merritt Hall and say its some place a pool hall, the largest I ever saw

a dining room cafeteria style the largest I ever saw but the dinner here we gonow dont get hungry. Pork chops with gravy mashed potatoes and Lima beans. Justgreat! Sliced tomatoes, lettuce with a dressing grand indeed a great big piece ofChocolate Cake with preserved peaches that were out ofsight and I never cared muchfor peaches! and apple pie with a slab ofice cream a la mode what ever that isand a glass ofsweet milk with bread and butter to go now there was plenty ofall and

allfor 90 cents now say, this is no pipe dream, for I devoured it in jig time and I havehad my after meal smoke. Oh yes, Iforgot the large Opera house a show everynight that isfine so more amusement.


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Yes this war is a great old game and many are playing it and many are fightingit I rather enjoy hearing the kicks and remarks ofdifferent outfits it is amusingI am glad I am with the bunch I am they are a real nice outfit ofcourse there area few mean ones, but the platoon I am assigned to are all jolly fellows no slackers

just bully boys into it with a light heart.

Sgt. Hopkins sauntered over to Bills cot just as he finished his letter to his mother on

Tuesday after early chow. He boomed.

One overnight pass for Private First Class, W. G. Holmes. To be accompanied by

Sergeant C. T. Hopkins and selected members of the Company. Transportation at 1200 hours.

Bill looked up from his writing. He wasnt a PFC. And he hadnt applied for leave,

knowing he would have no money for the City.

And from your kindly Uncle Sam, Billy-boy, the proceeds from commissions for

barbering the past week, $18.00. Cash money, son, on the barrel head!

Bill sprang to his feet to give Hopkins a bear hug. Then remembering himself, he clicked

his heels in mid-lunge and saluted smartly.

Yes, sir! Sgt. Hopkins, sir, he parroted loudly. Yes, Sir!

At ease, PFC Holmes.Hopkins spoke with patronizing good humor. He held an

oversized manila envelope in one hand, a bulging pay envelope in the other.

PFC?

PFC, SIR!Hopkins replied, handing Bill the long brown envelope. Bill had received a

promotion and a raise in pay. Not that he was getting much pay apart from barbering.


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The ferry to Manhattan left at 12:30. Bill and Hopkins made it on board with only

minutes to spare. The ferry sailed past the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. Bill stared, mouth

agape, at the monument in the harbor and the skyline beyond the water. From his perspective,

the buildings looked like a vast, man-made mountain range with grey clouds of smoke obscuring

the view.

When they arrived at the docks on the lower west side of Manhattan, the two men caught

a trolley uptown operated by an attractive woman who looked to be about thirty. Bill could not

resist the urge to flirt.

If you dont mind my asking, maam, whats a cultured gal like you operating a trolley

car for?

For a while, Soldier, she answered with a coquettish tone in her voice. But Im

getting off of work at the next stop. What brings you to town? She looked him over. Ruddy

face. Dark eyes and auburn hair cut short over his ears. She was lonely and he was new in town.

She said her name was Caroline. They continued to talk.

Hopkins quickly became a third wheel as he often did when out with Bill. The trio

headed uptown from the trolley station.

You boys should have tickets to the Hippodrome for tonight. If we hurry we should still

be able to pick some up. I have a girlfriend at the ticket cage. You by yourself tonight,

Charlie? she asked, looking at Hopkins.

Just me and Bill, ah, Private Holmes, here.

Good! Yawanta go? We can make it a foursome and take in some spots after.


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It occurred to Bill that Caroline seemed as outspoken and aggressive as Kitty had been

when they first met. She easily convinced her girlfriend to join the party and help create a

foursome to celebrate the day.

They spent the rest of the day together. In the park opposite City Hall, they stopped for a

war bond rally where celebrities encouraged the crowd to invest in the war effort. Later the

four of them had dinner at the YMCA cafeteria before going to the Hippo-drome. They

approached their time together without inhibitions, like people who have only one night to live

and no idea what the future holds beyond the already dwindling twenty-four hour pass. Like

strangers who meet on an

Atlantic cruise, they felt drawn together by some irresistible force.

They closed a bar on Lexington Avenue and found themselves walking down a wet,

dimly lit side street somewhere in midtown Manhattan at 3:00 oclock in the morning. The four

walked separately as two couples now.

Bill! Hopkins called, Ill see you for breakfast at the YMCA tomorrow morning at

10:00 oclock. Dont be late. I wont be early! The pairs turned away in separate directions.

Caroline guided Bill to the door of a brownstone townhouse in Greenwich Village on a

fashionable street with wrought iron fences and gates and steps up to the front doors. They stood

together and looked into one anothers eyes and listened to the night sounds of the city. Then

they sat down on the stoop and talked quietly for a while. Bill felt an unfamiliar sadness that he

did not remember from previous experiences with other women. A kind of sentimental

yearning.A remembrance of times past. He sensed that another conquest, another notch in his

belt, another story to tell the boys in the barracks, was not how he wanted to remember this

night.


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Caroline rose and unlocked the door and turned again to face him. She stepped away and

held the door for Bill to come inside.

No, he said. I want to remember just what weve had today. I dont want to leave

here wondering if someone in New York City will ever care about what becomes of me. Its

been a great day. Lets just call it a night.

Bill touched her shoulders, lowered his head, and kissed the nape of her neck. She

brought her arms back around his back and leaned her softness into his hard chest. The palms of

her hands fell below his belt line as he kissed around her neck to the indentation formed by the

notch below her throat.

Not willing to give up, she turned and took his hand to lead him up the stairs that led

from the foyer to her apartment. A single electric light bulb hanging from a cord at the top of the

stairs illuminated the hallway to her bedroom. Bill marveled at the idea of living in a place like

this. He might have followed, but he tugged a little and freed his hand. She let it drop, turning

to look at him curiously, unused to having her favors declined.

Well, good night then, she sighed, still confused, ambiguously disappointed, as she

turned and mounted the stairs leading to her second floor townhouse. Bill followed her to her

boudoironly with his eyes, standing on the stoop alone, clutching the program he had carried

with him from the Hippodrome, remembering Rosas face, her fair skin and her penetrating blue

eyes, and what he would write and tell her about his day.


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Back at camp, the men compared notes on their outing in the city. Hopkins barely made

the ferry back to Hoboken. Bill remembered the ticket girl who came to the dock with him to

see him off. They held hands and embraced before he boarded, and she stood on the pier and

waved when the ferry cast off. When Hopkins asked Bill about his night, he gave a

noncommittal answer and left the details to Hopkins imagination.

Later, back in his tent, Bill waxed on like the first-time tourist he had actually been

when he wrote about his sightseeing trip in his letter to Rosa.

Beloved Rose

I received your letter some few days ago and have been enjoying myselfandworking some since, so please pardon me wont you only wish you could run over andtake a trip to the big city

For say, you will never in all your sweet, sweet dreams imagine the ways ofthebig metropolis not only the ways but the tall, tall buildings and the many other

things a person in Hutch would well enjoyWe crossed on a ferry to Manhattantook asubway up to 33

rdSt. went to 38

thand Broadway and got a room.

And thenfor the sights.

Now I wont endeavor to mention all, for say its greatwe got ourselves togetherand located supper at what they called the West Side YMCA and by the way, we gotintroduced to our women conductors by saying itsfunny to see women driving busses

but they were alrightwe got our tickets for the show at the largest theatre in theworldthe Hippodrome. And say, they knocked the puffall out ofme thefirst shot.

Ringling Brothers and the rest have nothing on that place. I thought they would neverquit coming and they were all goodI had a program butforgot and left it at the Ytheyhad elephants, camels, dogs, trains, ships and wheatfields represented that werenearly perfecteverything was but the fieldthen to Grants Tomb, City Hallwent there

this morning

The tall buildings didnt bother me anyinfact I only gazed up once and that wasto be sure I was staring at the Woolworth buildingI went up, yes up! 57 stories!

Looked out over the old ocean on which I expect to pass in a few dayssaw a huge linercoming in all "camouflaged" and it was quite a sight Governors Island and the

Brooklyn Bridgethe Bell telephone BldgtheDocks and Ferry's. Tugs, ships ofalldescriptions and the wee, tiny people below some burg, also some building.


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Now I wont go into any details, but in the 24 hours I was there I believe I mightwrite 24 hours. But I will wait till I return and maybe I will have something ofmoreinterest.

I must tell you ofour evening at the Hippodrome, the title was "Cheer Up" The

first scene threw me into a spasm from which Ifailed to recover.it was grandIthought they had opened the doors ofheaven,for actors and actresses poured onto thestage (which is larger than thefloor space ofConvention Hall in Hutch) until a chorus of500 that made the place ring, elephants, camels, trains, ships and well just ask me therest laterI will long remember the occasion.

Yes I saw the women doing their bit as conductorsfiremen also sellingLiberty Bonds. Got to see and shake hands with dear little Mary Pickford, (also refusedto buy a Liberty Bondfrom her which calledfor an explanation) Chas Chaplin andDoug

Fairbanks gave short talks in Front ofthe Liberty Bell in Park Place across from CityHall. They are very patriotic and we all wished them success. Walked across the old

Brooklyn Bridge which was completed in 1883 and rode backrode the subways,overhead street cars and everything I could, just to be city likeHumand just had agrand time, I may go back Ha! Ha!

No I didnt try to go to the Ball Game. There was so much else to see and an oldBall Game I can see later.

Not as many soldiers in New York City as in San Antonio but Sailors are thickespecially when you get near BrooklynBridge as the Navy Yard is on the Brooklyn side.

I hope you are making itfinefor I am doing real well I just got one smallpromotion. Ha! Ha! Big me, just afirst class private but it means $3 a month morethough.

Well, I must stop and say good bye. All my love to youYourBill

Payday came and went at CampMerritt and still Bill did not receive his full allotment.

When Kathryn agreed to end her marriage she signed off her rights to his paychecks, a fact the

government neither fully nor finally acknowledged. But before his departure for France, Bill

made another futile attempt to recover his Army pay by writing to his father.


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Thurs Eve Apr 11- 1918

Dear Father-:

I had no money when I wired infact I borrowed 65 cents to send the message

and had intended you to wire the money for as a rule now an outfit only stays 2 or 3 daysbut we have been here going on two weeks and are quarantined with diphtheria so ratherexpect to stay a while longer.

I have some money The Company Commander is a nicefellow and he allowed

me my barber money. $18 so I have that, only I am in debt to the Govt. 6.90insurance for March and will owe 6.90 for April plus $2.25 laundryfor March and only$15 allotmentfor April so I wont have any April pay will owe the Govt. 5 centsthe 1st ofMay. That is, ifthey allow the allotment ifnot the Govt. has $30 ofmy

money I wont have any laundry billfor April as we have to do our own washing here,but I have a barber bill to turn in for April and it will give me a lift so I wont worry for

money, I hope

Jonas flew into a rage when he finished reading Bills budget woes. The idea that his

son was making such a sacrifice for the country, yet still had to worry about laundry money!

His letters prompted Jonas to visit Ramsey's office in Hutchinson to expedite the matter of his

sons pay. Ramsey wrote to Bill after meeting with Jonas.


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TERMS OF COURT W. A. HUXMAN, DEPUTY COUNTY ATTORNEY

FIRST TUESDAYS IN JANUARY, APRILAND SEPTEMBER

OFFICE OF

HERBERT E. RAMSEYCOUNTYATTORNEY

RENOCOUNTY

HUTCHINSON, KANSAS.

.April 25, 1918.

Mr. W. G. Holmes,Co. C. 9th Field Bat.,Camp Merritt, New Jersey.

Friend Holmes:

Your father came in to see me and he told me that theGovernment had made some sort of an allotment of your pay.

I wish you would kindly let me know what it is, so that I can takethe matter up and see if I can not do something for you.

Thanking you, I remain

Yours very truly,

HR-RZ.

But by the time Jonas visited County Attorney Ramsey's office in Hutchinson, Bill had

already set sail. He did not receive Ramsey's letter in New Jersey. It would be more than a

month before he would receive his attorneys letter and write to him again.


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Chapter ElevenEmbarkation

Saturday evening, April 20, 1918

A dozen men sat on on their bunks contemplating their plans to depart the next morning

for the docks in Hoboken. They all smoked hand-rolled cigarettes or pipes; half of them played

cards, gambling the last pay they would receive in America. Bill looked over the situation and

took a final drag on his cigarette before dropping it to the bare unfinished wood floor. He

crushed the glowing stub into the smooth gray wood, leaving a black charcoal line that looked

like an angry eyebrow as he pulled his foot to one side.

Reaching into his kit box he withdrew what was left of the sheet of postage stamps his

mother had sent to him in LeonSprings. He took out several photographs, a pencil, a leaf of the

YMCA stationary and an envelope hed carried across country. Folding the pencil into the

paper, and then tucking everything into his pants pocket, he headed towards the heavy canvas

flaps that made a doorway out of the wood-framed tent he occupied with the other men. After


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three weeks the men could have recited each others first and last names and where they came

from. But he might as well have spoken to the cloud of smoke that filled the cupola above the

card table when he said Im going over to the mess hall for a little while. No one looked up to

acknowledge him and he was gone. Something about protective anonymity kept a certain

distance between them.

Stepping onto the narrow path in front of the tent, Bill was swept into the helter-skelter

movement of men going in every which way. He headed for the enlisted mens mess, Merritt

Hall, to get something to eat and a cup of Army coffee. It took him 15 minutes, dodging other

pedestrians, motorcycles, ambulances and troop transport vehicles, all of which had queued up

for the caravan into Hoboken slated for the next morning.

The dining hall, a sprawling, barn-like building put up suddenly on lodge poles and steel

beams, beckoned him as though he were a kid with fifty cents in his pocket. He found the

souvenir stand adjacent to the front door. Looking into the glass display case, a small lapel pin

caught his eye. It bore a single blue star on a white enamel field, framed in red. He traded three

postage stamps for the lapel pin and then found the coffee urn inside the hall. He took a fat slab

of apple pie and sat at a table where he could drink his coffee, eat, and think about the grand

adventure which lay just over the horizon, beginning in only hours.

His last letter from CampMerritt went out on April 21. He signaled his departure by

returning the stamps his mother had sent to him: Members of the American Expeditionary Forces

could write home free of charge, if not free of censorship. So while he could not write to tell

about his pending departure, he could return the stamps and send a letter laced with suggestion

about his upcoming mission. He took up his pencil to write.

CampMerrittSat Eve 4/20


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Dear Mother and all-:

Am sending you the stamps, as I wont need any for a while.

I just want to say hello and Goodbye and send you the balance ofthe photosforthey wont help me any over there and we are booked ready for a quiet little leaveOfcourse ifwe do sail it will be two or three days before we are out on the deep I willmail a card and as soon as we are located will send you a letter we dont knowwhere we will locate and ifwe go over we wont be able to say. I expect this to be my

last night in CampMerritt. I take great pleasure in sending you a little message sayingfarewell, notfor keeps butfor afew days and maybe weeks. So now you know we areready for the worst now it might happen that we won't go across but I will take nochances.

No I havent weakened at all. I am ready have everything ready but my pack

and I have to have my blankets to sleep under tonight. Can roll my pack infive minutes,so havent a worry.

I don't know what to write. I can't think ofmuch just now. Had a very nice

supper here at Merritt Hall, sofeelfine. I have to go and get my cigarettes. So wonttarry longfor we have to be close all the time. Now dont stop writingfor they will

follow.

I will give you all a fond goodbye and best wishes and will write when I can andGod bless you.

Your Son and Bro.William G.

Bill awoke the next morning before the bugle sounded. He made his way to the latrine,

found a bowl and drew water for a shave. Just a short distance away he could already hear the

drone of machines as they began the work of departure. Reveille sounded as Bill used the wet

towel to wipe his face. The noise level in the area increased as if a tightly wound alarm clock

had suddenly gone off. The area soon filled with uniformed and partially uniformed men in


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various states of undress. Bill managed his way back to the tent where he dressed and finished

packing his kit.

Twenty minutes later, Sergeant Hopkins ordered the men into formation and inspected

his troops. They stood down until it was time to move out for the transport trucks that would

take them on the short trip into town and then to the docks that overlooked the Hudson River to

the New York City skyline beyond. As the morning wore on, the congestion of humanity,

coupled with the din of voices and machinery, grew louder and louder, until Bill lost himself in

the cacophony of sights and sounds, and he became more an observer than a participant, like the

black-and-white terns and seagulls floating overhead, in circles, looking for food on the water

below.

Finally they reached the docks at Hoboken and marched in formation towards the waiting

steamships. Officials restricted almost everyone from the pier except the nearly 50,000 men in

uniform who waited for orders to board the troop ships that lay in the docks. The few civilians

permitted on the dock included women in Red Cross uniforms who offered the embarking troops

coffee and donuts for breakfast and ubiquitous missionaries with their tracts and prayers of

spiritual support. Bill observed the scene as a soul disembodied from the masses of humanity

that filled his range of vision across the half-mile stretch of pier. A dozen ships billowed coal

smoke and steam into the sky and filled a half dozen locks that had once hosted the finest cruise

ships to ever sail the Atlantic: the American Line steamers, the Anchor Donaldson Line,

Canadian Pacific Steamships, Cunard, White Star, and New Holland. The United States

government had already pressed all available ships of most domestic carriers into service,

stripping them of all amenities. Several ships of non-allied foreign fleets had also been seized

and turned over to the Navy for use.


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Ironically, German shipbuilders had christened Bills troop carrier, theFriedrich der

Grosse, in 1896. Built in Stettin, she sailed regularly as a luxurious transport and cargo ship

until August 1914, when the outbreak of hostilities caused the crew to hold up in safe American

waters. On April 6, 1917, U. S. customs agents boarded 30 ships held in New York harbors,

including theFriedrich der Grosse. They held the crews on Ellis Island for the duration of the

war, but not until after the foreign sailors had systematically destroyed the interiors of the ships

in ways they calculated would take the longest amounts of time to repair. The U.S. Navy

commissioned theFriedrich der Grosse in July and changed her name to the USSHuron in

September, 1917, when the Navy conscripted the foreign fleet to carry U.S. troops across the

Atlantic. On April 22, 1918 theHuron carried Bill and members of the 9th Field Battalion,

Company C Signal Corps past the Statue of Liberty and the New YorkHarbor out into the

Atlantic Ocean, bound for France.

No one could have imagined the former luxuries of theFriedrich der Grosse when the

men boarded the USSHuron. A CPO clad in a double breasted pea coat, wearing a cap with a

short, shiny black bill handed Bill and the others a ticket for passage and a warning not to lose it

as they crossed the gang plank. The ticket directed where they would sleep and eat, and the rules

each man had to observe. The soldiers marched on board in continuous lines. The ships sailors

wore dark blue bell bottomed pants, matching caps that Bill imagined looked like college-boy

beanies, and blouses with flamboyant scarves tied at their breastbones. They conducted the olive

drab infantrymen to their compartments and showed them their assigned bunks according to their

respectively numbered tickets. To avoid congestion while embarking, the soldiers had orders to

immediately climb into their bunks and remain in their compartments until further notice.


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Company C had the third deck below. Bill passed through the narrow gray passageways

to a claustrophobic interior cabin. Across either end of the cabin, he saw droopy hammocks

mounted four high, cocoon-like netted frameworks that ran from floor to ceiling. A bank of

eight lockers faced the entry door. It had been a chilly 40 degrees outside when the troops

boarded the ship, but the air within the cabins in the belly of the ship felt close and stifling. The

men waited impatiently for hours before the ship set sail, playing cards, reading or sleeping,

filling the cabins and hallways with the smells of perspiration, stale ashtrays and blue cigarette

smoke. Finally at 4:30 that afternoon, they were allowed back on deck to see the Statue of

Liberty and Ellis Island as they sailed out of port. They watched New York Citys skyline

recede into the horizon. Soon, the choppy waters of the Atlantic Ocean and the arrhythmic rise

and fall of the massive steamship brought dozens of the boys to the rails where they hung their

heads in disgrace, gagging and hurling with their first experience of seasickness. The seasoned

sailors of the U.S. Navy stationed throughout the ship laughed and poked fun at their wretched

passengers.

Life on board mirrored life at CampMerritt. Early morning reveille preceded calisthenics

on deck. Then lines of soldiers waited to get through mess. The days dragged out, punctuated

by meals and lines to get to meals. There was no mail and no way to send mail. One could

write, but there was little to tell. The passage would take two weeks. They spent most of the

hours on deck looking across the expanse of water hoping not to see the telltale periscope of an

enemy submarine.


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The Abandon Ship drill, or Drowning Drill as the men called it, became the highlight

of the day. With U Boats operating in American waters, the importance of the abandon ship drill

could not be overestimated, so the Navy crewmen staged the first drill as the ship headed into

open waters on Saturday afternoon, protected by faster-moving destroyers. At the sound of the

great Klaxon horns, the sailors lowered the lifeboats while the troops strapped on life vests and

made their way to pre-assigned positions throughout the ship where they would climb down rope

ladders to reach boats or other floats that would be waiting for them. To save lives, the Navy

knew that the passengers had to get into their lifeboats as quickly as possible and row away from

the sinking ship, lest they be sucked down with it.

Such was the routine until Thursday evening, five days out. Just after twilight a sudden

impact jarred everyone on board and something that sounded like an explosion made the whole

ship shudder. Panic seized the passengers. No one on board knew what had happened. Almost

immediately the Klaxon horns sounded alarm. Bills heart pounded as he leapt from his bunk

and scrambled to find his life vest. The cabin lights flickered and went dark, leaving the troops

who had only drilled once, just two nights ago, to abandon ship in the dark, groping their way to

the upper decks by dim emergency lights posted in the corners of hallways. Instead of forward

motion, the ship rose and fell like a teetering drunk, at the command of the waves and the rhythm

of the swells. Everyone knew that this was not a drill. Some men left quarters barefoot. Others

frantically tried to put on their boots, not bothering to finish lacing them, but tying them in

hurried double knots before careening out the doors of their cabin and pounding down hallways

and upstairs to their abandon ship posts.

When the men reached their assigned lifeboats they saw the lights and the hulking

presence of another ship in their convoy, just feet away from the USSHuron. A mistake in the


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course changing signals among the three ships traveling in the tightest formation resulted in a

ship called Siboney leaving her assigned position when her steering gear failed. Then another

vessel, theAeolus, changed course radically to avoid collision with the Siboney.Aeolus rammed

theHuron, leaving a large gaping hole amidships and several other smaller ones. The accident

precluded them from continuing towards Europe; they circled about and headed back to port in

Hoboken.

Bill felt like a man whose death sentence had unexpectedly, at the last moment, been

reprieved, but without the certainty that it would not be reinstated. He did not sleep well en route

back to Hoboken. His diarrhea returned. The trip back to port took nearly a week and the mood

on board was tense. As the ship steamed slowly westward to avoid swamping the lower decks,

the drowning drills continued, but less frequently. Bill adapted to sea travel like the Midwest

flatlander that he was; he often skipped meals and regularly fed the fish much of what he did eat.

By the time they reached port, he had lost ten pounds from stress and all his other physical

symptoms. Once in port, the troops were ordered to quarters and Bill decided to write another

letter home.

Hoboken N. J.Sun Eve, Apr 28

Dear Mother and all

Back to the dear old U.S.A. And say, you will never imagine all ofmyfeelings

anyway. We had been out on the open seas 5 days and were rammed about 800 milesout, Thursday night about 9 oclock, by our sister ship the Aeolus. We were on thetransport Huron.

I am giving this to a friend in the Navy forfear we wont get to go on shore. Butifwe do I will give you a detailed report ofour trip. You may talk oftreatment ofsoldiers

but I could and would be hung ifI spoke myfeelings. Everything was very calm the nightofthe wreck. I was prepared. We have our boat drills twice a day so there wasnt muchconfusion but I never care to go thru such again. We have just pulled up to the piers atHoboken and I am on the third deck below on my bunk in what is known as the hog pen.


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IfI ever live to see civilization. Oh well, I have been real seasick but am still ready todo my bit and have been on top and give old glory three lusty cheers. We expect to goright back, so bye bye. Love to all and say, I am still proud even though I did think mytime had come.

Bill

And then he added this postscript on a separate sheet of paper.

Just a linefor cautionNow, say, there isnt much said ofthis accident-- so

whatever you do be carefulforfear I might get in trouble. Dont repeat till you know it ismade public.

We are going right back again and hope it is tonight Am still O.K. I hope you

get this. I will mail you a card to tell ofmy arrival over there.Bill

Josie held the letter to her breast when she finished reading it. Tears swept down her

cheeks as her emotions overflowed. For the next several days she found occasions to read the

letter in a hushed voice only to members of the immediate family. Together they looked at each

other fearfully as the awesome nature of the events transpiring on the other side of the world

became a reality to them.

TheHuron arrived back in Hoboken on the night of April 28, and the troops finally

transferred to another refurbished German ship, theKroonland, and departed Hoboken at 8:00

p.m. the next evening. Not without more breakdowns and frights, theKroonlandsailed into the

Bay of Biscay on the Atlantic coast of France. The men disembarked at the Port of Saint Nazaire

on May 12. They had a few days of rest at a nearby military encampment before loading onto

troop trains bound northeast to the front at Armentieres where they trained in earnest for signal

work, the mission they had been sent to accomplish.

When military officials stateside confirmed the safe arrival of the troop ships at their port

in France, they released four postcards from Bill, one addressed to Mr. J.H. Holmes, another to


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Mrs. J. H. Holmes addressed to Langdon, Kansas, postmarked Hoboken, N.J. Bill used a 2

CENTS 2U.S. POSTAL CARDthat bore the engraved image of Thomas Jefferson printed in

red ink. On the opposite side, this message to his father back home:

Arrived--All O. K.

W. G. Holmes

The American Red Cross printed Vestas and his mothers cards. They carried the label

SOLDIERS MAIL. NO POSTAGE NECESSARY in the upper corners on the front of the

card. The one addressed to Miss Vesta Holmes, 608-B East, Hutchinson, Kan., bore a postmark,

May 17, 1918. The Red Cross printed the simple statement on both cards:I HAVE ARRIVED

SAFELY OVERSEAS, with a dotted line where Bill signed his name. In the lower left hand

corner Red Cross gave the boys this simple instruction:

This card will be held until safe arrival ofthe boat on which I sailed.

The fourth card went to Rosa Kelley and bore the following inscription on the back side.

Till we meet again whether here or way up yonderall my loveWGH

11 Those That Never Sing

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