World War:Corporal Albert Vernier

Chris Wulf — Sun, 04 May 2008 00:36:14 +0000

On July 15, 1917 the National Guard of Ohio was called into Federal Service. On 18 July 1917 National Guard troops from Ohio and West Virginia are directed to form the 37^th Division. On 25 August 1917, concentration begins at Camp Sherman, OH.

Movement overseas on 20 May 1918 and was completed by 18 July 1918 and Corporal Albert Vernier, a twenty year old from Stryker, Ohio was there. He wrote home to his father and mother and several of his letters survive and give us a glimpse of a infantry soldiers life in World War One.

Corporal Albert Vernier

37^th “Buckeye” Division

74^th Infantry Brigade

148^th Infantry Regiment Co. A

He writes from Camp Sheridan in Montgomery, Alabama on November 11,1917 to his mother in Stryker. “The regiment is figuring on going back to Ohio to do guard duty we are going to move out to make more room for the drafted men. So if we get back to Ohio perhaps I will get a chance to see you”. He then talks about buying Liberty Bonds. ” Well mother I have got four liberty bonds That means two hundred dollars and when I get out this army I will have a little mony”.

On February 22, 1918 he again writes to his mother. ” I believe that I have been doing pretty good and expect to do still better This is Washington birthday and we are off for the rest of the week except Saturdays inspection we never miss that”.

On March 17^th of that same year in a letter to his mother he writes, ” well it is Saturday night and all the boys have went up to town so things are pretty quite around camp tonight we have been pretty busy today cleaning up our things Scrubbing our tent floors out and cleaning our cloths So you can see that Saturday is a busy day for a soldier but on Sunday all we do is to go to church in the morning at 9oclock and stay until 10:30 then we have the rest of the day for our selves we are lazy soldiers boys on Sunday but when the first call of the bugle sounds on Monday morning every man is looking nice and fresh ready for business. We only drill six hours a day now on account of the hot weather. But I dont mind it a bit we have awful sand storms here. Some of the boys say that the sand is worse than down in Texas but there is one thing about the wind we like and that is it blows away all the mosquitos Ha Ha” .

On Easter, March 30, 1918 he again writes to his mother, ” The first rain we have had in two weeks But we are glad to see it come Because it is awful duty and the sand is blowing all the time after drilling for a whole day our clothes looks like white clothes. Just think mother we have got a half a bowel of Easter eggs Ha ha and for every meal today each man will get five eggs but I dont believe that I will be able to eat fifteen of them today. And today each man was given a brand new gun and we sure are proud of the new weapon.

On April 17^th he writes again to his mother. “Well mother you are probably wondering why I have not been home yet well I was going to start Saturday but I will not be able to come till we go to the rifle range again And that puts me back a couple weeks more we will go out to the rifle range Monday And stay eight days It is twenty miles out there but that is a small walk for us and I am going to try to make sharpshooter this time The other time we was out there I made a score of expert rifleman So I believe I can do better this time. I wish you and grandpa could see how the peach trees are loaded it sure would open your eyes”

On June 15, 1918 he writes his mother from Camp Lee, Virginia. The people here seem to be more civilized ( than Alabama) There are sure some swell farms down here of what I have see- while out drilling. Say have you any smoking tobacco by gosh Iam clean out and all I have left is the crust in the bowl of my pipe so I guess that is getting pretty low Is it not? Ha Ha. I have got four church men in my squad and believe me we sure have what I call a good time every night after supper sit down on our beds and tell stories till we laugh our selves to sleep.

The 148^th Infantry Regiment left the United States for France on June 22,1918 on the steamer Susquehana a seized German vessel from the Hamburg American Lines originally named the Rhein. Albert was promoted to corporal during this time as he begins to sign his letters Corporal Albert Vernier 148^th Infantry Regiment, AEF.

On July 31, 1918 he writes his mother from France. ” Dear mother, it has been a long time since I have wrote you and I suppose you are wondering what is the matter. I supposed that you received my letter stating that I had arrived safety in france And the trip was splendid only I had a little bit of sea sickness but that did not last very long. Do you remember when you used to tell me that some day that french would come in handy to me some day And I begin to believe that you are right because I have sure been doing a lot of talking in french since I have been here. We were at a place some where here in France and I got well acquainted with some fine old french people they used to give me milk and all the french wine I wanted to drink. There is sure some beautiful scenery around here that I ever looked at And the farmers have sure fine cattle. It makes the American Soldier laugh to see how the french thresh there wheat with a big long stick and a large club on the end of it then they pound the wheat till every grain of wheat is out of the stalks and another thing if the American women had to work like the french women do they would die The women here are out early in the morning till late at night.

In a letter dated August 21,1918 he writes,” The night are so cold here that one almost needs an overcoat well mother we have just come out of the front line trenches and are back at what is called unit billets. We got our clothes cleaned and also ourselves a few days rest goes pretty nice once and a while. When we are in the unit billets the good old french wine tastes fine The beer over here is not as good as ours because the french have not got the stuff to put in it It is mostly made of rice. I have only received one letter since I have been over here and that was from you”

On October 21, 1918 Albert writes to his uncle, Hue Vernier in Toledo, Ohio and appears to be a bit more frank about his regiments involvement in the war and tells him of being wounded by mustard gas but warns him not tell his mother. ” They are having lots of trouble with the Spanish grip among the civilians and a great few among the soldiers It a great wonder we dont get some thing like that because all we have done for the last month is lay in the water and dodge the Dutchmans shrapnel. It is raining here all the time and that is the way winter starts over here. You ought to have seen us when we made to great drive on the Verdun front you couldnt have told us from a pile of clay and mud but we traveled on the front the same. I guess you are hearing trails in the papers of what we are doing So on the third day of our drive I got a slight touch of Jerrys gas and I am now in the hospital Dont mention this to mother because you know how she is . It sure is great to go over the top laughing with shrapnel over our heads but this is of course that some goes over with tears in their eyes”.In a undated letter again to his mother Corporal Vernier writes,” well mother I suppose everybody is happy back home to here the good news about the war. I was in a little town in France the day the news broke out that the war was over And the people just about went crazy The french people sure did have some time Great dances and plenty of wine. They were so filled with joy that they would kiss the american soldiers. They know that if it hadntbeen for us that there would not have been very much left of France. But in this last drive we sure did give them a hot and bloody battle The drive started on the morning of Sept. 26^th at 6:15 what a dreary morning it was we could not see nothing because it was so foggy. And awful cold And as cold as we were we hade to wade through the river way over our knees. But just the same everybody seemed to have a smile on their faces No One seemed to fear any thing nor think of the danger ahead. Well we went along that morning it was nine oclock before we seen any Germans and the fight started but they did not last very long when they see their licked or caught in a trap they holler ( Comrade Comrade) and want to be taken prisoner. I could sit and write a hundred pages all about our experience up on the firing line but it will sound better when the day comes and be home and tell the whole story myself. I suppose that you still remember ( censored ) the fellow that came to our home ( censored) The one that was on( censored) . I was just five feet away from him when he was hit by a piece of shrapnel and killed.

News Years Day 1919 saw Corporal Vernier still in France and again writing home to his mother. “I heard people are having trouble there ( US) with influenza which is not as bad as influenza over here. One gets it over here it is impossible to recover at all. Well mother I am in the hospital but I have nothing serious all I have is the mumps ha ha. And believe me my face looks like a balloon. This camp we are in now is labeled Belgium Camp and also a embarkation camp.

On March 29, 1919 in a letter to his mother Vernier writes,” I suppose that you will be surprised to hear that I am back in the Dear old United States again we just landed here yesterday Mar. 28 and it was snowing. I never seen it snow so hard in my life. We were on the water eleven days and it was an awful long ride and we hade some pretty rough riding We came over on the Battle Ship St. Louis. The boat that I shall never forget in my life. We left France mar 17^th on St. Patricks Day And believe me when we landed the red cross was there with arms spread wide open with plenty to eat”.

Corporal Vernier was discharged from the army several months later a moved to Toledo, Ohio were he became a motorman for the Toledo Electric Rail Co.

Among the artifacts that remain of Corporal Verniers time as a doughboy in the AEF .

2- M1917 doughboy helmets with liners hand painted 37th Infantry Division
1- Prussian enlisted mans pickelhaube complete with strap and liner
1- ” hate belt with 15 separate collar brass disks from US, French and British units
1- canteen cup with trench art US eagle
2- M1917 gas masks with cardboard tags a dimmer sticks
1- M1917 gas mask bag hand painted with 37th Infantry Division and lettered by
Corporal Vernier- Corn Bill the pride of the army, great life if you dont weaken, Corporal Albert Vernier Co. A 148 US INF, Verdun Front SEPT 26, hand drawn US flags and shield, through France on hobnail express
1- US 1917 mess kit with knife, fork and spoon with trench art, USA 1918, Frace, America and flags on lid of kit.
1- post card picture of Corporal Albert Vernier
1- post card picture trench digging at Camp Sheridan
1- French post card from Corporal Vernier to his mother
1- Unused French postcard with French soldier
1- postcard labeled direct hit at Chatteau Thirry
1- post card upon discharge from camp morale officer
1- Us Employment Service card for discharged soldier
1- Just Got Back postcard Jewish Welfare Board

Written By: Rick Neeley

History Documented » World War I

World War:Corporal Albert Vernier