William J. Phelan Diary
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1 [page] Diary. Regt Sgt Major Wm J Phelan 314th Regiment of Engineers. 89th Division alais Middle West Division U.S. Army American Exped. Forces
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2 [page] Preface. This diary is dedicated to my short army life as a recount of my experiences, in training camp, France, & Germany
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3 [page] Sept 22 – 1917 Left Union Station St Louis, MO. 7 AM intraining for Camp Funston, Kansas. Wept 23rd After a 19 hour disagreeable trip in a chair car arrived at Camp Funston at 130 AM. Herded thru stiles like a bunch of cattle by several self im-portant officers whom I later learned to be 2nd Lieut-Infantry. Given an ice cold shower bath and almost froze to death.
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4 [page] Civilian clothes taken away from men and given blue denim overalls. Called down to office by Company Commander who inquired into my experience in civilian life. An account of my commissary experience given position of mess Sergeant. Thankfully excepted. Immediately set to work with the assistance of 14 mess Hall. Secured three corks of experience and pre-pared supper on this day. Job [MS illegible: 1 wd]
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5 [page] Sept 25th Complimented by Camp Sanitary Inspector for Sanitation and cleanliness of Mess Hall. Oct 1st Promoted to 1st Sergeant 7th Co. 164th Depot Brigade Further thanks to 1st Lt. Wm J Butler Kansas City, Mo. Oct 2nd Studied Infantry Drill Regulations at night and drilled Company on same next days. Getty buy nicely.
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6 [page] Oct 6th - Tipped off that entire Company was to be transferred to National Guard Camp Doniphan, Okla. Suggested that I transfer to another organization to avoid transfer. Oct 10th - Requisition for qualified men to go to Engineers arrived. Recommended as a boatman & clerical worker. Reduced to private by transfer. Oct 16th Transferred to 314th Engineers.
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7 [page] Oct 16th Assigned to Company “C”, Capt Dennie in Command. Met Old Friends in Company as Phelim OToole [Toole] III. Matt Brazill. Berneard Mullholland. Oct 18th Stenographer called for and I stepped out. Took position of Company clerk. Oct 28th Received orders from Regt. Headquarters to report to Regimental Adjutant for duty. Did so - Position
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8 [page] as adjutant’s stenographer taken up. Capt Gurkan [Gurdon] G. Black formerly of St Louis Water Works was adjutant. Hound work to be simple and adjutant amiable for an officer Nov 5th Appointed Pvt - 1 cl Company “C” Nothering transpired of intersted during balance of November.
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9 [page] Dec 23rd Left Camp Funston on Friday above date at 530 p.m. for St Louis to play St Louis soccer teams. Arrived in Kansas City at 1010 PM. Half of restaurant reserved for soccer team. Mo Pac Ry attached special coach on mail train to St Louis as a compliment. Arrived St Louis at 11AM Dec 24th 6 hrs late.
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10 [page] Dec 27th Left St Louis after 4 days visist playing two games of football, losing both games. Resolved that my football days are over. Arrived K.C. at 5:30 P.M. same day. Spent evening in Kansas City. Supper at the Baltimore Hotel and Orpheum Theatre during the evening. Left for Funston at 430 P.M. arrived at Funston 300AM and went back to Engineers.
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11 [page] Decb 28th Appeared before Regimental Examining Board and was reconsidered for 3rd Officers Training Camp. Jan 1st Played The 314th ammunition Train and beat them 18 to 0. No body suffering from lack of sleep and John Barley Corn as in St Louis games. Jan 2nd - Appeared before Divisional Examining Board for the Training Camp
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12 [page] and reconsidered by them. [January] 3rd Passed Physical Examination for the training camp. [January] 5th Reported to 3rd O.T.C. and assigned to 1st Battery for artillery course. Jan 5th to April 29th The main theme of the course was to give all the important points given in West [Point]
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13 [page] [West] Point to the candidates in 4 months. Most of the candidates were college grad-uates just out of school. Competition very keen and snap and military bearing were abased to the border of ridiculousness. Instructors were 2nd Lieutanants from 2nd O.T. C. Candidates entirely outclassed their instructors in almost every sugject given. Each candidate required to write
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14 [page] a theme on the camp. Following criticisms embodied in my theme: That Instructors were not capable and in many instances knew absolutely nothing of subjects they were teaching. That - a half a day each Sunday was not enough liesure for men required to absorb as many subjects and under the mental and nervous strain the cadidates were subjected to.
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15 [page] That-regardless of commanding officers instructions too much favoritism was shown by instructors. That - course was entirely too short for the amount of subjects given and it was a mental & physical impossibility to absorb everything or even main points thoroughly of sugjects given? It was all are man could do to read over the assignments given each night, much less study them.
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16 [page] April 19th Major General Leonard Wood addressed the camp at the Y.M.C.A. auditorium as a graduation speech. No commissions were awarded at this time but a list of the present successful candidates published. I was not among those clapped as a successful candidate caught the 1205 train from Camp Funston to Kansas City for a 15 day furloush. Lieut Kelly accompanied me home.
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17 [page] April 20th to May 4th spent an furlough in St Louis. May 4th left St. Louis at 930 A.M. for Kansas City. Met several gentlemen in smoker and enjoyed their company very much. Bought my lunch an diner and supper in Kansas City. Name - Mr. Goldsmith of the St Louis fur & hat Co. Spent evening at Muebbach Hotel and Orpheum Theatre Kansas City.
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18 [page] May 5th Arrived at Funston at 500 A.M. and slept all day. Sunday recuperating May 6th Appointed Bn. Sgt. Major 1st Bn and reported to Capt. Black for duty. note: - nothing of interest from May 7th to 27th. daily camp routine and preparing to leave for Camp Mills.
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19 [page] May 28th Left Camp Funston at 430 for Camp Mills N.Y. [MS illegible] Pullman cars & service. Located in Smoker with the following boys- Cecil E Cather Ralph A Furgesen Henry Vaughn Jack Etter Garden Price Krun Kyuer Emery Olson Stanislav Powlaski, Arthur I Wissman Father Lathman, David Calleen Arthur Eggers
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20 [page] This was the original non. com. staff of the Regiment. Went thru Kansas City Chicago and made our first stop at Rock Island, Ill. where we had a parade for exercise. Our next stop was at Fort Wayne, Ind. where we hiked about town - kiss girls next stop Cleveland, Ohio, where we had a parade and saw beautiful girls - expecially good send off by people.
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21 [page] next stop - Scranton Pa - nice city - wise people and good beer. Next stop - Elmyra NY Nice town - ovation by entire high school body for whom we put on exhibition drill. Trip from Buffalo to Hoboken over the Lackawanna Railroad was a beautiful trip and much enjoyed by everyone. Arrived at Hoboken
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22 [page] May 30th at 900 P.M. and layed in Railroad yards, lights out and just 45 minutes from Broadway and impossible to leave train. This is certainly the height of [MS illegible: 1 wd]. May 31st Left train at 600 a m and passed on Ferry to Long Island. Arrived at Camp Mills at noon. June 1st got rid of the only undesirable member of nom com
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23 [page] staff and the only man with a yellow streak in the regiment - Ord. Segt. Orley Freeman - strings were pulled on Washington and he was transferred to Depot Detachment which has no overseas unit. Let us hope that we never meet him again. June 2nd Boys going up to New York on furloughs of 24 hours.
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24 [page] June 8th Rented a machine and 5 of the boys went to see Long Island Coney Island and New York. may this wild ride never be forgotten The man who said when you leave Broadway you are only camping out was right. Mr. Randolph, New York man, picked us up and took us for dinner and a ride along the Hudson.
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25 [page] June 11th Revielle at 400 A.M. Departed at 600 PM from Camp Mills and entrained for New York. Boarded Ferry and taken out to pier to Board the good old ship the S.S. Carpathia, God Bless her. Assigned 1st class rooms for the non-com staff and dined in the main saloon. My room mate is my brother Battalion Sergeant Major and that soldier–
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26 [page] of fortune the right honorable Cecil E Cather. June 12th Sailed at daybreak in convoy of 14 ships and are cruiser. Things were very nice for 5 hrs till the old tub started to rock. Office set up on smoking room on rear promenade deck. Capt. Black left office at 400 PM with his hand to his mouth and 4 of the boys failed to appear at dinner this evening.
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27 [page] I still hold my equilibrium - knock wood. June 13th after a good nights sleep I sat down to a breakfast including everything from soup to nuts. 8 of the hands failed to appear. Started roster of the personnel of the Regiments a long and disagreeable job. I will make her all O.K. if I can get the same movements as the ship.
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28 [page] June 14th It is sure a hard job to work with a life perserver round you for a bib. Boat drills sure make the boys come out of the hold. There are 18 men assigned to our life raft. I am second in command to Capt Black. The raft is 14 x 14 and if this boat goes down it will be [MS illegible: 1 wd] bar the door. My friend Mark Byrne is skipper of the good old raft y-3
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29 [page] 5’ x 5’ and has 8 assigned to it. Poor old Mark. June 15th This old tub has about 200 lbs steam and the convoy is out of sight. I don’t like it at all. We are putting our men in the fire box to get up stream. June 16th Convoy still out of sight. To date have not fed the fishes.
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30 [page] June 17th Smoke of the convoy on the horizon caught up with them at 6 pm today. Everybody is feeling easier and will sleep better. June 18th This is certainly a beautiful day and the sea is like a big lake. The white caps can be seen for miles on each side of the ship. June 19th Last night it was dark for one hour only. At
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31 [page] 10 P. M. I was out on deck and I could see for 2 miles on each side of the ship. We must certainly be awful far north as it is cold enough for an overcoat. June 20th Reached the danger zone at noon today. everybody has orders to keep thier clothes on till further notice. June 21st Rough today. Some awful sick men.
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32 [page] June 22nd - 16 destroyers & chasers came out to meet us, and are running around us all the time. June 23rd Sighted land the shores of Ireland at 300A M this morning. The good old Emerald Isle of Ira Ga Bran looks good to me. Expect to dock tonight. Everybody stood a physical examination today. We are going through the straits between
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33 [page] Ireland & Scotland. understand it is very dangerous as the “U” boats play in here. Ran the mined blockade and in the distance can see Liverpool. The Regimental band is playing and everyone is on deck singing. We are following a chaser thru the harbor and it is densely mined. The signal lights from the different boats are wonderful.
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34 [page] We are now anchored for the night in the harbor of Liverpool ready to dock in the morning. June 24th Docked at 430 AM and debarked at 700 AM. Entrained from Liverpool Station for Winchester England at 830 A.M. The Railroad cars are little compartments holding 8 men each. Traveled 2nd class. Country between Liverpool & Winchester very pretty and clean. Every available space
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35 [page] for farming is used. Roads are especially good for automobiling. Passed through Birmingham Stratford on [Avon] Oxford Arrived at Winchester late in the afternoon and marched out to Camp. During stay there visited the town in which 2 or 3 Kings are buried. The Cathedral, which is over 800 yrs old. The Castle in which kings were crowned etc.
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36 [page] June 28th left Winchester for Southhampton at 800 a.m. Left Southhampton at 1:30am June 29th for Cherbourg France. June 30th Landed in Cherbourg at 10:30 a.m. and marched to Camp. Ovation given troops by French inhabitants. Very impressive how old men, women, and soldiers bowed thier heads and tipped thier hats to the American flag.
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37 [page] July 1st Spent in English Camp. Non-com were allowed beer and club privileges Privates allowed no privileges. Here we all put on a beautiful [MS illegible] Left Camp at 745 and entrained. We nearly starved while at this camp as we got nothing but black coffee cheese and some sour English Jam. Train pulled out at 10:30 P. M. We had two days rations hard tack and jam.
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38 [page] There were 38 of us in a cattle car half the size of one of the U.S. cattle cars. We had to take turns sleeping, standing & sitting down. We rode this train for two days & one night we went within 6 miles of Paris and thru many French towns. French women served something that was supposed to be coffee at different stops. War virtually is hell. Left train at one town to get wine and just caught rear end as it was pulling out.
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39 [page] July 3rd Arrived at Marais, France and marched to Orquevaux. We are quartered in the grounds of a wonderful French chateau in the Keepers Lodge. There are two pretty French girls who live in the Chateau but they look at you and simply do not see you. Pretty tough? I say. During this stay we had a mess of our own and lived
Details
| Title | William J. Phelan Diary |
| Creator | Phelan, William J. |
| Source | Phelan, William J., Diary. 1917-1919. Phelan, William J., World War I Diary, 1917-1919. S0837. The State Historical Society of Missouri, Columbia, MO. |
| Description | William J. Phelan served as a Regimental Sergeant Major, 314th Engineer Regiment, 89th Division, U.S. Army. The diary follows his military service from September 22, 1917 to May 25, 1919, when his regiment returned to the United States for demobilization. It includes details of Phelan's basic training, shipment to France, combat on the Western Front, and occupation duty in Germany after the war ended. It includes some photographs and printed material related to the 89th Division’s combat service. |
| Subject LCSH | United States. Army. Division, 89th (1917-1942) Engineer Combat Battalion, 314th; |
| Subject Local | WWI; World War I |
| Site Accession Number | S0837 |
| Contributing Institution | The State Historical Society of Missouri |
| Copy Request | Transmission or reproduction of items on these pages beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the State Historical Society of Missouri: 1020 Lowry Street, Columbia, Missouri, 65201-7298. (573) 882-7083. |
| 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 | 1917-1919 |
| Language | English |