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| The State Historical Society of Missouri, C2084 |
During the war, Missourian John Hume was captain in 23rd U.S. Infantry Medical Detachment, which landed in France in September 1917. The unit served at Bourmont, Goncourt, and in the Verdun sector, attached to the French 77th Infantry Regiment, the 23rd U.S. Infantry Regiment and the 1st and 2nd U.S. Infantry Divisions.
Some of the highlights of Hume's diary include his descriptions of medical facilities, the living conditions of the troops, being wounded, and his aversion to Pershing. Additionally, unlike the starry-eyed soldier accounts that Over There staff frequently come across, Hume's narrative of his war experiences is pessimistic and unabashedly honest.
Some of the highlights of Hume's diary include his descriptions of medical facilities, the living conditions of the troops, being wounded, and his aversion to Pershing. Additionally, unlike the starry-eyed soldier accounts that Over There staff frequently come across, Hume's narrative of his war experiences is pessimistic and unabashedly honest.
The diary begins on 8 September 1917, as the medical detachment sailed for France, guarded by submarines through dangerous waters. The rest of the diary entries primarily concern Hume's experiences with the field hospital unit.
Hume describes in detail the hardships faced by himself and the men he was tending. According to Hume, A.E.F. soldiers were often without food, water, or proper clothing in extreme cold. In a particularly haunting portion of the diary, Hume tells the story of Northeastern Missourian soldier Joseph Boyce, who was sick and ordered to work in freezing conditions without proper clothing. He died of exposure, and his body was frozen into the mud. Hume blamed Boyce’s commanding officer and Pershing for neglect, and the case was sent to DC.
Hume describes in detail the hardships faced by himself and the men he was tending. According to Hume, A.E.F. soldiers were often without food, water, or proper clothing in extreme cold. In a particularly haunting portion of the diary, Hume tells the story of Northeastern Missourian soldier Joseph Boyce, who was sick and ordered to work in freezing conditions without proper clothing. He died of exposure, and his body was frozen into the mud. Hume blamed Boyce’s commanding officer and Pershing for neglect, and the case was sent to DC.
Readers of the diary will also get a clear portrayal of what life was like living and battling in the trenches, through both Hume’s own description and through Hume's recounting the stories that other men told him. Hume was wounded with artillery fire at Cambrai in November 1917 -- and injured his lungs from chlorine gas exposure in January 1918. The diary ends during his second hospital stay.
John R. Hume also served under John J. Pershing as a U.S. Army surgeon of the 7th U.S. Infantry Regiment during the Punitive Expedition in Texas and Mexico in 1916-1917, but his experiences on the Mexican border were not discussed in the diary.
Bibliography and Suggestions for Further Research
Ireland, M.W. The Medical Department of the United States Army in the World War. http://history.amedd.army.mil/booksdocs/wwi/fieldoperations/default.htm. Accessed 9/10/2013.
Hume, John Robert, World War I Diary, 1917-1918, (C2084). The State Historical Society of Missouri.
