Additions will be checked before being published on the website and where possible will be forwarded to the person who submitted the original entries. Your contact details will not be forwarded, but they can send a reply via this messaging system.
please scroll down to send a message
Pte. George Wilhelm Fickeis
US Army 304th Infantry Regiment
from:Boston, MA
These are my great uncle George Fickeis's service memories.
Reported to the Draft Board at the Roxbury Courthouse on Sunday 28th of April 1918. Left for Camp Devens on the 1 p.m. train. Arrived in camp at 3 p.m. Placed in 26th Co. 7th Battalion 151st Depot Brigade. In quarantine for two weeks. On Saturday 25 May transferred to Medical Detachment 304th Infantry Regiment
Left Camp Devens at 2:30 a.m. on Monday 8th of July. Arrived at the Charleston Navy Yard at 6 p.m.. On board an English freight ship named Cardiganshire at 9 a.m. 1865 solders on board. At 1 p.m. on 8 July sailed from Charleston, Boston, MA. At 12 noon on Wednesday 10 July arrived at Halifax, Nova Scotia. Waited in the harbor until Thursday for 13 more ships. At 1 p.m. on Thursday 11 July eighteen ships sailed from Halifax. About 20 shots were fired at 8 p.m. on 16 July at some object which might have been a submarine. On Monday morning 22 July arrived at the mouth of the Thames River in England. Sailed up the Thames River to Tilbury about 30 miles from London. Left the boat at 6 p.m. and got on a train at 8 p.m. Arrived at Winchester Station at 1:30 a.m. and hiked to Camp Winnall Down. Arrived there at 3:30 a.m. on 23 July. Stayed in camp until 25 July. Left at 6 a.m. Hiked to Winchester Station and left on a train at 9:30 a.m. for Southampton station. Arrived Southampton 9:30 a.m. Sailed on the ship H.G. Miller E805 at 7 p.m.
At 4 a.m. on 26th of July 1918 arrived at Le Havre France. Docked at noon. Hiked up a hill to camp No. 1. Arrived there at 4:30 p.m. We remained in camp until noon the next day when we hiked back to the train yards at Le Havre. At 4 p.m. on 27 July started out of Le Havre in the cattle car.
Some of the largest cities that we passed through were Rouen, Mantes, Versailles and Orleans. At 6 p.m. on Sunday 28 July after twenty-six hours of riding we arrived in the town of Chateauneuf - Sur - Cher. Remained in Chateauneuf until Wednesday August 28th. Hiked 5 miles to Lapan. Remained in Lapan until 1 October and then moved to Levet.
This is one of the letters that my great uncle George sent from the front. He sent this letter to his sister Eva.
Miss Eva Fickeis, 855 Columbus Ave. Roxbury, Mass. United States of America 1918-10-09
Dear Eva,
This is my day on duty at the infirmary, and we have only a few patients at the present time, so I have time to write a letter. This infirmary is in a three room house. The kitchen we use to give out pills, the parlor and bedroom we use for a hospital. We keep sick men in the infirmary unless they develop some contagious disease. If we have a lot of patients it keeps us busy taking their temperatures and giving them pills at regular hours. I will miss my bunk in the loft tonight, not because the bunk is anything special, but because we have visitors during the night. The rats chew up our candles while we sleep. One afternoon a rat was playing leap-frog over our bunks. Nerveless we are lucky to have a loft to sleep in, instead of a field or a trench.
They set the clocks back an hour Sunday and also changed our working hours. Reveille used to blow at 5:30 a.m. and taps at 10 p.m. Now Reveille blows at 5 a.m. and taps at 21.50 o’clock. It is very dark in the town soon after sunset. It was so dark one night at eight o’clock that three of us out walking almost bumped into a house.
We had several varieties of weather yesterday. First it rained, then the sun came out, then it hailed for a few minutes after which the sun came out again and at night the wind started to blow. It is pretty cold eating our breakfast out in the open these mornings. Ever since we left the boat we have been eating our meals standing up, and I am getting so used to it that you may as well sell one chair at home. I won’t know what a chair is made for by the time I get back.
I am expecting some more mail very soon, which I will have to answer, so I will close now, wishing you all the best of health.
Your brother George
Pvt. Geo. W. Fickeis, Med. Det., 304 Inf. Army P.O. 773. American E.F.
