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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. Hume’s twenty four page diary, which is held by the State Historical Society of Missouri, includes his descriptions of medical facilities, the living conditions of the troops, being wounded, and his aversion to Pershing. 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. 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. For more information about Hume’s diary, refer to our blog post: Diary of a WWI Surgeon.
Collection Contributed by the State Historical Society of Missouri
