WWI Centennial News - World War I Centennial (2024)

Four Questions for Brennan Gauthier

"The men and women captured in my portrait collection have unique stories that are all but lost to history"

By Chris Isleib
Director of Public Affairs, United States World War One Centennial Commission

Everyone in our community possesses an interest in World War I history. One of our favorite things at the Commission is to see the different, incredible, ways that this interest manifests itself. We recently came across Brennan Gauthier, who has a remarkable example of bringing his interest into unique format. For his regular job, Brennan is a Senior Archaeologist for the State of Vermont Transportation Department. Privately, he writes and manages PortraitofWar.com, a blog site that examines World War I photography - Specifically the photo portraiture of the time. Brennan looks at the styles, the milieu, the contexts for the pictures. But then, he takes things a step further. Brennan does deep-dive looks into the subjects — their uniforms, their decorations, their units, etc. Brennan will even track down their genealogy and their grave sites, all in the name of exploring/learning who these people were, and what their experiences were. We were thrilled that Brennan gave us some time to talk about his work with PortraitofWar.com.Brennan Gauthier

You have a remarkable blog site, dealing with WWI military portraits. Tell us about it, and what you are doing.

Thank you for the wonderful compliment. The main focus of Portraits of War is to present portrait photos of soldiers, marines and sailors of World War One (as well as other wars) that I’ve collected over the past ten years. Many of the men and women captured in my portrait collection have unique stories that are all but lost to history. The goal of my site it to retell these stories, to whatever extent possible, and make them available to a larger audience.

Tell us about your interest in this unique topic. How did you get started? How did it grow? When did it turn into a blog?

My interest in historic photography stems from a deep passion for family history. I can remember as a child going through my grandparents’ attic trunks wondering who the sepia-toned men and women in the images were. My specific interest in military history stemmed from discovering my grandfather’s snapshot collection from his time as a tank driver in WWII.

As a young teen I would buy old military photos at local yard sales and try to figure out who the soldiers were and what they did during their service. I carried this through college and eventually began buying similar shots on internet auction sites to feed my passion when yard sales weren’t enough. I decided to create the blog after graduate school as a way to continue my writing and research as well as to curate and document the images in a digital format.

Read more: Four Questions for Brennan Gauthier

By Stephen Staudigl
via the National Capital Planning Commission web site

Washington, DC—At its February 7 meeting the National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC) approved preliminary site development plans for the National World War I Memorial submitted by the National Park Service in collaboration with the World War I Centennial Commission. The memorial, proposed for downtown Washington’s Pershing Park, will honor the service of members of the United States Armed Forces in World War I. The primary memorial components are a freestanding memorial wall with a sculptural element on one side and an inscription on the other, and a pool with a central plaza.

The Commission found that the design of the memorial wall’s inscription side is improved and noted that is reminiscent to the park’s original fountain. NCPC requested a lighting scheme for both sides to be part of its next review stage. The Commission supported the applicant’s preferred design for the central plaza with a single pedestrian connection. It recommended that the applicant consider different types and colors for the plaza’s paving materials to help reduce solar heat gain, in particular. NCPC also supported simple, horizontal signage at the park’s southeast and southwest corners to assist those seeking to enter the park. The Commission anticipates considering final development plans, the last stage in its review process, in late spring or early summer.

Read more: NCPC Approves Preliminary Plans for National World War I Memorial

National Park Service Seeks Public Input on National World War I Memorial

By Mike Litterist, National Park Service
Special to the United States World War One Centennial Commission web site

WASHINGTON– The National Park Service (NPS) is seekingcommentson the proposed enhancements to Pershing Park for the nationalWorldWarI Memorial. The project, including a comparison of the two alternatives, is available online athttp://go.nps.gov/WWI-DEA. Thepublic commentperiod is open February 6 - 27, 2019. Thecommentperiod, which originally ended on January 18, has been extended due to the partial government shutdown.

The Draft Environmental Assessment describes how the proposed nationalWorldWarI Memorial will enhance Pershing Park (located on Pennsylvania Avenue, between 14th Street NW & 15th Street NW) by constructing appropriate sculptural and commemorative elements, including landscaping. The memorial is meant to further honor the service members of the U.S. Armed Forces inWorldWarI. The memorial design and construction is being managed by the United StatesWorldWarOne Centennial Commission (www.worldwar1centennial.org).

How toComment:

Thepubliccancommentonline through the NPS Planning, Environment, andPublic Comment(PEPC) website. From the project website (http://go.nps.gov/WWI-DEA), navigate the menu on the left hand side of the page to “Open forComment,” then open the “WorldWarI Memorial Environmental Assessment” folder. The green “CommentNow” button will take you to the online form.

Commentsmay also be submitted in writing to:

National Mall and Memorial Parks
900 Ohio Drive, SW
Washington, DC 20024
ATTN:WorldWarI Memorial

Commentsmust be posted on the website or postmarked byFebruary 27, 2019to receive consideration.

Please be aware that the entirecomment submitted– including personal identifying information such as address, phone number, and email address – may be made publicly available. Requests to withhold such personal identifying information frompublicrelease will be considered, but there is no guarantee that they will be withheld.

Read more: National Park Service Seeks Public Input on Proposed World War I Memorial

By Rhys Bowen
via the CrimeReads web site

Rhys BowenI have written novels set during the Second World War, but the recent centennial of World War I made me aware of the horrors of that great conflict—such a senseless war, directed by generals used to cavalry charges, who sent men “over the top” to face tanks, grenades, and mustard gas. More men were killed in World War I than in any other war. Those who came home were broken in body and mind. And so many didn’t come home at all that England faced life without a generation of young men.

This is a national predicament that helped inspire my latest novel, The Victory Garden, which tells the story of a young woman who joins the Women’s Land Army and forms bonds with other women who are forced to take over tasks they never expected to perform.

But particularly when compared to World War II, World War I has been largely overlooked in literature, possibly because so many of the stories tend to be dark and tragic. And yet, there are standouts in the genre, and some of my favorites are the books that show the horror, the bravery, and the difficult aftermath of what was called “The War to End All Wars.”

Read more: The Fictions of World War I: 7 Novels Inspired by The Great War

New exhibition seeks to connect WWI’s “staggering losses” with modern medicine

By Parker Schorr
via the University of Wisconsin-Madison web site

Drawing on Ebling Library’s vast collection of health sciences materials, including early 20th century nursing journals and medical books, as well as UW’s archives, a new exhibition seeks to tell the story of WWI, its impact on modern medicine, and the forgotten people who fought in it. “Staggering Losses: World War 1 & the Influenza Pandemic of 1918” officially opens Thursday, February 7 and runs through May. We talked with Micaela Sullivan-Fowler, a librarian at Ebling who curated the exhibition, about what she learned and why people should still care about WWI.

What inspired you to put together this exhibition?

Micaela Sullivan-FowlerPart of it was the embarrassment of being one of the few health sciences libraries in the WORLD that had not yet done an exhibition to celebrate the Centennial of WW1 (1914-1918). I got the bulk of the exhibition done in December, coming just under the 1918 wire. Also, the Ebling Library has notable collections from that era, especially in its early 20th century clinical and nursing journals and its books on military medicine, and I wanted to highlight those collections. We also have a remarkable WW1 stamp and postcard collection from donors Gerald Estes and Annette Yonke that complements the other material.

Personally, I had two scenarios stuck in my head from that era. I heard one over 30 years ago from historian Lester King, M.D., who was 10 when the 1918 influenza epidemic hit Boston. He told me that as a young boy he and his friends stepped over and played near corpses piled on the sidewalks because the death toll was so swift and appreciable that there were not enough coffins or grave sites to handle the mounting body count. And then my husband, whose British grandfather had been through WW1 and been mustard gassed, had made it home but “was never quite right.” Other than History Channel fare and some reading knowledge of the pandemic, as a historian mainly familiar with the 17th century, the Civil War, and late 20th century, I actually knew (it turns out) very little about WW1. I came up with the title, at the very beginning – Staggering Losses: World War 1 & the Influenza Pandemic of 1918 – essentially hoping to make some sense of the tens of millions that died or were wounded in the War and the tens of millions who sickened or died in the pandemic.

What were the most interesting things you learned in the process of putting the exhibition together?

That it is, perhaps, one of the most crucial world events that ever happened, that it continues to have lessons for the modern world, and that the losses were not simply in the lives, limbs, animals, creative or intellectual opportunities and relationships to those that died, but also in the lost opportunities for improved race relations, peaceful agreements and women’s inclusion in the body politic following the war.

Read more: New exhibition seeks to connect WWI’s “staggering losses” with modern medicine

From the World War I Centennial NewsPodcast

On February 1st's edition of the WWI Centennial News Podcast, Episode 108, host Theo Mayer spoke with Professor Jennifer Keene about the experience of the African American community during the Great War. The following is a transcript of the interview, edited for clarity:

Theo Mayer: February is Black History Month, so we'll be bringing you perspectives and stories about how World War I and its aftermath deeply affected the African American community and led directly to the Civil Rights Movement some decades later. So this week, we've asked Dr. Jennifer Keene to join us to explore the subject.

Dr. Keene is the former Department of History Chair at California's Chapman University. Her list of publications, accolades and recognitions are, well, simply put, impressive. And with a heavy emphasis not only on World War I, but also on the teaching of the subject. And appropriate to this month's theme, some of her publications include The Long Journey Home, African American World War I Veterans and Veteran's Policies,The Memory of the Great War in the African American Community,A comparative study of White and Black American Soldiers during the First World War, Wilson and Race Relations, among others. Dr. Keene, it's really great to have you on the program.

Jennifer Keene: Very pleased to be here. Thank you.

Read more: Podcast Article - Dr. Jennifer Keene

From the World War I Centennial NewsPodcast

From January 25th's edition of the World War I Centennial News Podcast, Episode 107, we bring you some headlines from the U.S. Government's official wartime publication, The Official Bulletin, published 100 years ago this week. The following is a transcript, edited for clarity:

Theo Mayer: Welcome to In The News 100 years ago this week. Now, before we get going, I want to tell you about a special publication called The Official Bulletin. Right after America declared war in 1917, President Wilson asked a gentleman named George Creel to set up and publish a daily newspaper in which the Administration could inform America about its news, policies, programs and initiatives for the war effort. In other words, it is the Administration's daily propaganda gazette.

As part of the Centennial, we faithfully republished every issue, six issues a week on the Centennial of its original publication date. You'll find the whole collection at www.1cc.org/bulletin, all lower case. It is a really amazing primary source of information for what the U.S. Government was doing, thinking, proposing, promoting, and instructing during the war years. A lot of the Commission's web visitors have become avid daily readers.

Well, we're just about out of issues to share to with you. In fact, we thought we were going to run out next week, but one of our intrepid researchers, Dave Kramer, found another month's worth of issues which we're going to get published at www.1cc.org/bulletin, and you can follow that in the link in the podcast notes. Let's jump into our Centennial Time Machine, and go back to the closing days of January 1919, and read some headlines from the Official US Bulletin.

Date line, Monday, January 27, 1919:Headline, President Wilson's speech to the Paris Conference for a League of Nations. Necessary he says, to maintain peace. Continuous watch vital to protect all mankind from war and threats of war. "Must set up machinery to render conferences work complete." Describes ideal of American people, speaking as their servant.

Read more: Podcast Article - Official Bulletin

National World War I Museum and Memorial's2018 Symposium Now Available on YouTube

By Mike Vietti
Director of Marketing, Communications and Guest Services, National World War I Museum and Memorial

Last November, scholars and attendees from across the world gathered to explore the irrevocable changes years of cataclysmic conflict wrought on the global stage at our Symposium - 1918: Crucible of War.

If you weren't present, you can now view the incredible presentations from Mike Hankins, James Holmes, David Kennedy, Robert Laplander, Adriane Lentz-Smith, Brian Steed, Graydon Tunstall, Kara Vuic and Geoffrey Wawro via the Museum and Memorial YouTube channel.

Discover the complex impact on familiar structures as war was fought on three diverse continents of battlefields and the waters that connected them to the American homefront. As borders were literally and figuratively redrawn, Allies celebrated a victory and the world came to terms with the irreparable devastation and losses of the “war to end all wars.”

Full list of Presenters and Abstracts is available at https://www.theworldwar.org/learn/2018-symposium/presentations

Members of the American 369th Infantry Regiment Band known as the 'Harlem Hellfighters'

By By Nigel Thompson
via the AL DÍA NEWS web site

When considering the contributions of African-Americans to the U.S. armed forces, there are few individuals or groups more renowned than the 369th Infantry Regiment. Also known as the Harlem Hellfighters, it was one of the first predominantly African-American regiments to serve with the American Expeditionary Forces during World War I. The troop served under French Command because the U.S. Army refused to recognize it, and spent six months on the front line, losing approximately 1,500 men. Their heroics earned them a regimental Croix de Guerre from the French Army.

But while the regiment’s heroics in the face of discrimination are an integral part of national African-American history, their cultural impact on Europe isn’t as recognized. The Hellfighters’ band, which performed all over France during the regiment’s deployment, is credited for bringing jazz to Europe. Even less known is the Afro-Puerto Rican heritage that many of the regiment’s members also shared and expressed in their time in Europe.

Formed in 1915, the Harlem Hellfighters didn’t include Puerto Ricans until 1917, when the President Woodrow Wilson signed the Jones-Shafroth Act in March of that year. The act recognized Puerto Ricans as U.S. citizens, though the island still remained a colony.

It was around this time that James Reese Europe visited Puerto Rico looking for musical talent. Europe was a star in Harlem’s music scene who signed up for service and received the duty of military band leader in addition to lieutenant.

Of the 44 members of the Hellfighters’ band, 18 were recruited from Puerto Rico. The island was a haven for musical talent, with a tradition of municipal bands that resembled military ones. Puerto Ricans’ unhindered access to instruments also meant they could learn more of a range of instruments,unlike their African-American bandmates, who were subject to Jim Crow laws, which forbid music education and access to more expensive brass instruments.

Read more: Puerto Rico's Harlem Hellfighters

The WWI German grenade, believed to have been dug up accidentally in France during the potato harvest, is detonated by Hong Kong police. No casualties were reported.

via theAustralian Broadcasting Corporation web site

Hong Kong police have reportedly detonated a grenade they say was sent to a chip factory in a batch of French-grown potatoes.

The WWI German grenade seen here in Hong Kong is believed to have been left in a trench in France during World War I and accidentally gathered up with potatoes planted a century later in the former battlefield.The German-made World War I grenade was found in a batch of fresh potatoes shipped from France, according to the South China Morning Post.

The news outlet reported that the explosive was believed to have been buried in a field before accidentally being unearthed, along with harvested potatoes.

It was packed in with them and sent to Hong Kong, the report said.

It was discovered while going through one of the factory's potato processing machines.

It was the second grenade to be found in Hong Kong within a week.

Bomb disposal officers and firefighters cordoned off the area before detonating the grenade on Saturday morning.

The Hong Kong Police Force tweeted that the detonation took place at the TKO Industrial Estate in eastern Sai Kung district on Saturday.

Read more: WWI grenade found in French potato shipment to Hong Kong

American troops parade in Vladivostok, Siberia in August 1918.

AEF troops continued fighting in Russia after Armistice on Western Front

By Chris Isleib
Director of Public Affairs, United States World War One Centennial Commission

Did you know that American troops of the AEF continued fighting LONG AFTER the 11 NOV Armistice? They did so, as part of the AEF's incursion to Russia.

Did you know that there were actually TWO American incursions into Russia? They were separated by thousands of miles, as well as a significantly different mission.

There was a 5,000-member force (the Polar Bears) sent to Archangel, in North Russia, as part of a multi-nation Allied combat/stabilization force. Their story was well-told to us by historian Mike Grobbel, in our October 2017 DISPATCH

https://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/communicate/press-media/wwi-centennial-news/4652-honoring-detroit-s-own-polar-bear-memorial-association-s-world-war-i-centennial-commemoration.html

Separately, there was also a 3,000 member AEF force (the Wolfhounds) sent to Vladivostok, in far eastern Siberia, to take control of war stockpiles that were originally sent from America, and to protect the trans-Siberian railway.

Each expedition cost hundreds of American lives. Their participants faced enormous hardships -- especially during the harsh Russian winter months. And, their troops continued in combat operations long after the 11 NOV Armistice. The troops from each were among the very last to return to America, after war's end.

The Wolfhounds story is the first segment of a remarkable two-part series written by Gibson Bell Smith, a noted historian, author, and archivist who worked at the U.S. National Archives.

Read more: AEF troops continued fighting in Russia after Armistice on Western Front

By MAJ Jessica S. Armstrong, Mr. Bruce Huffman, and Mr. Chuck Sweeney
Special to the United States World War One Centennial Commission web site

Captain Ely Miller is an American World War I aviation hero whose story of valor and sacrifice is truly unique.

Captain James Ely Miller He posthumously received the very first Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) ever being presented to a recipient from World War I, for which the award was originally intended.

Additionally, Miller, by his sacrifice, became the first U.S. airman, eligible for the Purple Heart, to die in air-to-air combat against any enemy, while serving in the Armed Forces of the United States.

Captain Miller lost his life in the worldwide fight for humanity and civilization. He unhesitatingly and fearlessly exposed himself to enemy planes and heroically volunteered his efforts to defend this great nation.

Childhood photo of Ely MillerJames Ely Miller was born in New York City on March 14, 1883, to a prominent merchant and banking family. He attended Yale University as a legacy, where he participated in the University crew and football teams. After graduating from Yale in 1904, Miller began working for the Knickerbocker Trust Company, one of the largest banks in American history in the 1900s, serving as a secretary of the company. In 1912, Miller took over as vice-president of the Columbia Trust Company.

Miller volunteered for service to fight in World War I, shortly before the United States declared war with Germany. He learned to fly in 1915 at the U.S. Army's Plattsburgh, New York Training Camp, successively qualifying as a pilot, fighter, and an instructor. Shortly thereafter, Captain Miller helped organize the First Airplane Company of New York National Guard, which was commanded by Colonel Raynal C. Bolling (the first high-ranking officer of the U.S. Army to be killed in combat in World War I). Captain Miller was mustered into federal service on July 14, 1916.

On July 23, 1917, Captain Miller received orders to deploy overseas to command the 1st Reserve Aero Squadron. There, he joined General John J. Pershing’s staff, whom led the American Expeditionary Force in Paris, France. Soon after, in August 1917, Colonel Bolling appointed Captain Miller as the first Commander of the 3rd Aviation Instruction Center (3rd AIC) in Issoudun, France. The 3rd AIC was one of the largest most important flight training centers during World War I. Captain Miller was charged with the creating, building, and organizing of the American flying school and was directed to have the school established in 60 days, which he successfully accomplished.

After standing up Issoudun training center, Captain Miller went to the French Aerial Gunnery School in Cazaux and took a course to qualify himself for aerial combat.

Read more: Captain James Ely Miller, first recipient of the Distinguished Flying Cross

Nurses and wounded Doughboys at a base hospital in France, 1918. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division

By Chris Isleib
Director of Public Affairs, United States World War One Centennial Commission

The following article comes to us from our friend, historian, author, and tour guide, Ed Lengel. Ed has a special interest and expertise in World War I, and he maintains a great blog site on the topic, that can be found here: http://www.edwardlengel.com

Sarah Sand was a professional. When the United States entered World War I, she was Director of Nursing at Evangelical Hospital in Bismarck, North Dakota. Like many other nurses, she immediately volunteered for service overseas. It took a year, however, for what would become her service organization, Base Hospital #60, to be organized. After extensive training at Camp Jackson, South Carolina, Sand departed the United States in September, 1918. She arrived at the front in time to help care for the massive wave of perhaps 100,000 casualties resulting from the Meuse-Argonne offensive. Her life would never be the same again.

Caring for “Our Boys”

Because of her supervisory experience, Sarah Sand was placed in charge of a surgical ward, where she, one other nurse and two corpsmen had to care for around 100 patients at any given time. Many of them were badly mangled. Because of the sheer volume of casualties, the men passed through her ward so quickly–and some of them died there–that she barely got to know them. Still, her heart filled with compassion for the wounded doughboys who, she observed, endured their suffering with stoicism, dignity and often good cheer.

At the time of the Armistice on November 11, 1918, Sand was in charge of a pneumonia ward, supervising care for many gravely ill patients. There was little time to rejoice at war’s end–everyone was either too sick, or too busy. At Christmas, though, Sand and her fellow nurses did everything they could to bring some joy and hope to the men they had come to call “our boys.” They hung festive decorations, prepared a feast, and gave each patient a basket filled with treats like fruit and candy.

Read more: Sarah Sand: A Nurse Faces War's Legacy