James E. Henschel letter to Mrs. Leopold H. Henschel - November 7, 1918
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2nd Lt. J.E. Henschel M.T.C. M.T.C. School #1 A.P.O. 772 - Decize (Nievre) - France - Am. Ex. Forces - November 7th/1918 Dearest Mother - My little friend Jean is sick! Last night Tad and I went to the little cafe of which I have written before and heard the news. Immediately - we hastened across the street to the school which is chez Jean and there he was - in a small room by himself - seated at the table - not looking at all well. You should have seen the expression on his face as he saw us in the door! It made me think of Mary when I
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returned home suddenly after being away for some time. I held the poor little fellow on my lap for some time - to his great delight. His Mother came in a few minutes after our arrival - and seemed as pleased as Jean. We left him with a bit of chocolate that his Mother would not let him eat (after the fashion of Mothers - eh?) - and tonight I feel awfully glad that we paid him the little visit. According to his Mother - who thanked us very prettily - the little laddie slept all night long and is much better this evening - because, as she would have us believe, we went to see him.
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The "new" feeling has not worn off yet. In short - insignia being unaccustomed sensations. For example - I am always astonished for a second when I am hurrying (yes it's true!) along the street and see a groupe of soldiers come to a salute. Unconsciously - I look around for the officer - to find that it is myself. This afternoon - by request of one Robertson - the enclosed bit of typeing was brought forth on an unsuspecting world. It's horrible but I am sending it along for it applies to quite a number of fel-
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lows - especially Coburn - as well as Tad. Also - therein you will find my history in the warring bunch - "expressed in Henschel's inimitable style". Military data - requested a long time ago - June 20th 1916 - enlisted in Co. F. 4th [Missouri] [March] 1st 1917 - mustered out of federal service. June 25th Sailed for France with the Field Service - July 4th landed at Bordeaux July 5th Enlisted in the Field Service for camion work - Note - I never have been certain whether I enlisted in the A.F.S. in France or the States. Signed a lot of papers both in New York & Paris! About 2 weeks later in active service - which was better than a training camp.
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[October] 1st Enlisted in the Q.M.C. U.S. army at Jouaignes-France - doing exactly the same work with the same trucks and with the same army as before [November]? Ate too much Thanksgiving dinner [December] 24 to about [January] 1. Received Xmas packages and a bushel of [Kansas City] Stars - ? Blessei par un camion - ? Put on one gold bar - service chevron 2 mos. later - Took it off - for the A.F.S. time did not county. About 3/1 Acting Sgt. in Co. "A". later [Acting ]Mess [Sergeant in Company A] (Much mourning by a number of [New York] gentleman. June 8th To officers' school at the Centre d'Instruction Automobile a Meaux
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later - Back to Co "A" - as staff car artist - lots of excitement - (You have remarked on my careful - intelligent driving?) ? 1918 Retired from the war to become an instructor at M.T.C. School #1. [October] 26th Appointed 2nd Lt. M.T.C. U.S.A. [November] 2nd Accepted [2nd Lieutenant M.T.C. U.S.A.] [November] 3rd Borrowed two gold bars - 3rd Returned first salute. Which brings the tale up to date. An important date - two - in fact. [August] 15th - my one and only permission and the Montdidier trip. Am enclosing also my certificate from the French school. There are four grades - failed - almost failed - passed - and passed well - that are
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given to the students. I might say in passing that this school is based fundamentally on the old French one. Every instructor - save three - are old Reserve Mallet and Field Service men - so you can derive some idea of the value of the A.F.S. is becoming to the U.S. Army. All officers and as many non-coms as possible in the M.T.C. must go through this school some time or other. We feel quite proud of the old Reserve for that reason - for it training now the entire American automobile service - either directly or indirectly,
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but at the same time - we all feel mighty disconsolate at the prospect of being out of the game ourselves. However we are all soldiers - more or less. Have a class - must go - My love as ever - Ned.
Details
| Title | James E. Henschel letter to Mrs. Leopold H. Henschel - November 7, 1918 |
| Creator | Henschel, James E. |
| Source | Henschel, James E. Letter to Mrs. Leopold H. Henschel. 7 November 1918. James Edward Henschel Collection, 1917-1919. 1996.51. The National World War I Museum, Kansas City, Missouri. |
| Description | In this letter dated November 7, 1918, Henschel wrote his mother about the illness of his child friend, Jean. Henschel also gave a brief description of where he had been overseas and what he had been doing. He also noted his appointment to 2nd Lieutenant. |
| Subject LCSH | American Field Service; Missouri. National Guard; United States. Army. Motor Transport Corps; United States. Army--Promotions. |
| Subject Local | WWI; World War I |
| Site Accession Number | 1996.51 |
| Contributing Institution | National World War I Museum and Memorial |
| Copy Request | Transmission or reproduction of items on these pages beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the National World War I Museum and Memorial: (816) 888-8100. |
| Rights | The text and images contained in this collection are intended for research and educational use only. Duplication of any of these images for commercial use without express written consent is expressly prohibited. |
| Date Original | November 7, 1918 |
| Language | English |