James E. Henschel letter to Mrs. Leopold H. Henschel - October 30, 1918
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J.E. Henschel - M.T.C. School #1 - A.P.O. 772 - Decize - Nievre - France - October 30th/1918 - Dear Mother - To finish the letter Madame so rudely interrupted the other night - We came back from convoy and to my great embarassment ever since found that company "C" had been transferred to company "E" entire - except myself. It took me the best part of a couple of days to find what had become of them - my thirteen cherished hommes. Now that is all straightened out and I am the first mate of a crew of eighty odd - all learning
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how to be non-coms. To be sure - most of them are sergeants already in all the strange ranks - (there are more varieties of sergeants than there are masonic officer - true!) and all but a few have non-com warrants of some sort of other - but that makes no difference. It's a queer war at best and all sorts of strange things happen. Everything looks a lot more sun-shiny now than the prospects last spring and summer. Yet - do you know - somehow I felt a great deal happier - personally - then about the hardest thing that came my way in the guerre was
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the breaking up of the Henschel-Herndon combine. Still - that's about the way things work out - isn't it. What works in under the skin more than anything else is the fact that here I am - with a possibility of a commission in the offing - and old Ci - about three times as capable as I - is left - as we say - still "holding the sack". There's no false modesty about that neither. Don't know whether Lucile received my address or not. You - see - it's hardly time for her annual yet - and Lucile favors me usually about once every year. I fear that they've all deserted
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me - even friend Marian. It's doleful - but tres tres true. No one writes except Mother. (I neglected the giddy youngster of 47 in Kansas, who has sent four letters all with "If not found - hand to another" on the envelope. How's that for consistency - when I have not acknowledged her kindness at all?) Save that I continue well and hungry (and that's not news) there is nothing to write. Have been hoping for a leave - but - ah well - c'est la guerre. My to you and Dad. Ned. Just heard that a lieutenant in my old outfit was killed - Bomb - I suppose. It's very sad.
Details
| Title | James E. Henschel letter to Mrs. Leopold H. Henschel - October 30, 1918 |
| Creator | Henschel, James E. |
| Source | Henschel, James E. Letter to Mrs. Leopold H. Henschel. 30 October 1918. James Edward Henschel Collection, 1917-1919. 1996.51. The National World War I Museum, Kansas City, Missouri. |
| Description | In this letter dated October 30, 1918, Henschel wrote his mother concerning the transfer of his company without him. |
| Subject LCSH | American Field Service; Missouri. National Guard; United States. Army. Motor Transport Corps |
| 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 | October 30, 1918 |
| Language | English |