Category: Army Bases

Background:  In September 1917 My grandfather, John Rodney Jamieson, who we later called ‘Poppa’, joined the 20th Engineers regiment of the United States Army.  In November they sailed to St. Nazaire, France aboard a troop transport ship.  After spending some time at a camp outside St. Nazaire they observed Christmas at a camp set up inside a bull ring in Dax, France.

From the Journal of John Rodney Jamieson

Sunday Dec 30, 1917– First Sunday in sometime.  Made a few blue-prints.  Balance of day rest.  Mail today 2 packages, and papers.  No letters.

Monday Dec 31– New Years Eve Party.  Supper for 10 of six courses.  Great feed. Later  joined by Canadian and French solider.  Hope to be in USA in 1919.

Tuesday Jan 1, 1918– Some of the boys had bad hangovers today.  Snowing all day but weather is not cold.

Wednesday Jan 2– We are told this is the worst cold spell Dax has ever seen.  3 Christmas packages today.

Thursday Jan 3– Packages came from 1-home 1 Aunt may and 1 Ora.  Pair of mittens are great.

Friday Jan 4– Nights are very cold sleeping in tents.  Keep warm during day by fire.

Saturday Jan 5– Present allowance of bread per capita in France is about 10 ounce per day.  Sugar allowance about 1 lb per month

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January 5, 1917 – Poppa commented on food rationing for the citizens of France. According to an article on the internet  the previous winter of 1916-17 was harsh and resulted in shortages of food available for the French citizens.  Ironically, the  meat rationing cards, meant to distribute available meat fairly resulted in the poorest Frenchmen having access to types of food they couldn’t afford before the war.

Here is a translation from French describing food rationing in France during and after WWI.

“So terrible had the food shortage there become that the daily rations had been cut to the minimum that would sustain life and strength. The peasant population of continental Europe, which means a large part of the people, lives principally upon wheat in one form or another. In France bread is literally the staff of life, normally constituting 52 per cent. of the Frenchman’s food. Yet the French bread ration was successively lowered until at one time it reached seven ounces a day per capita…. even the bread ration of the soldier was sharply reduced – a measure to which resort it had only in situations of direst necessity. Indeed, many well-informed persons attribute the disaster of 1917 on the Italian front to the lowering of morale consequent upon the cutting of the bread ration. The soldier well knew that if his food was cut his family must be well-nigh starving to death.”

A portion of the rationing instruction sheet above was translated by Google to –

“each ticket corresponds to 100 grams of bread and presents it sheet is established for daily consumption of 500 grams, or 5 tickets for a day. Each slice of 5 bread coupons has, at the left end, a ticket valid for 25 grams of sugar, which corresponds to the daily ration of this commodity. The soldier on leave of absence of 10 days will have the Faculte, by vertically cutting all the sugar tickets to obtain in one go the 250 grams of this commodity represented by 10 tickets of 25 grams each.”

Posters were also distributed here at home to encourage Americans to support the effort to feed the French population.

Next Week: President Wilson’s Conditions of Peace 

Sources:

Log Cabin Memorial – Veterans 314th Infantry Regiment A.E.F. – French Bread and Sugar Ration Tickets. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Dec. 2017.

“World War 1 Propaganda Posters.” Examples of Propaganda from WW1 | Will You Help the Women of France? Save Wheat. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Dec. 2017.

Background:  In September 1917 My grandfather, John Rodney Jamieson, who we later called ‘Poppa’, joined the 20th Engineers regiment of the United States Army.  After training at Jefferson Barracks in Missouri and on the grounds of the American University in Washington, D.C. he sailed to St. Nazaire, France aboard a troop transport ship.  After spending some time at a camp outside St. Nazaire they have now set up camp inside a bull ring in Dax, France.

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From the Journal of John Rodney Jamieson

Sunday Dec 23, 1917 –Very busy day getting supplies from Depot.  Building tent floors and erecting tents.  Have two tents with stoves.

Monday Dec 24 – Working hard to get tents up and arranged.  Spent Christmas eve in city at picture show and in seeing town.

Tuesday Dec 25– “Christmas day in the “Bull Pen”  Had a fine dinner of turkey, dates, nuts.  No work today.

Wednesday Dec 26– Mail today 1-home 1-Marion 2-Uncle Will 1 Ora.  Had travellers checks cashed at Banque de Franca.

Thursday Dec 27– Today was payday.  Nearly everyone has been broke for some time.

Friday Dec 28 – There is plenty of hot water here as hot springs are found all over town.  Big night tonight.

Saturday Dec 29 – Ground covered with snow. Very cold (about 23 degrees above)  for this place.  Dinner party this night  First “grand eats” for some time

Here is a description of contemporary Dax, France from the editors of the Encyclopedia Britannica:

“Dax is in the Landes District of southwestern France. It lies on the left bank of the Adour River, 88 miles (142 km) southwest of Bordeaux and 50 miles (80 km) north of the Pyrenees frontier with Spain. The town is a spa resort whose thermal springs and mud baths have been noted for the cure of rheumatism since Roman times, when it was known as Aquae Tarbellicae. Situated on the edge of the Landes Forest, it is also a tourist centre. The remains of its Gallo-Roman walls have been made into a promenade. At the Place de la Fontaine Chaude, near the Roman wall, there are hot springs, the waters of which gush out at a temperature of 147 °F (64 °C). Near the river is a park with a bull ring. Small-scale woodworking and leatherworking are local industries. Pop. (1999) 19,515; (2014 est.) 20,485.”

Sunday, December 23, 1917- As the week begins Poppa and the other soldiers of the Headquarters unit have been in Dax, France for only 36 hours and they are working to set up camp inside a bull fighting ring.  I don’t think many veterans can say they were stationed in a bull ring!

The existence of a bull ring, not a typical feature in France, was due to the close proximity of Dax to the Spanish border.

Major Edward Hartwick was Poppa’s commanding officer.  Here is how he described the bull ring camp in a letter to his family in Michigan:

“The headquarters detachment about forty men are encamped- where do you think- well I got permission to pitch our tents in the Arena a Spanish bull ring surrounded with raised seats all constructed of concrete similar to our ball park except the diameter of the ring is only about 150 feet but is the best camping place we will ever get.  Under the concrete raised benches are rooms where we store our baggage.  Also toilet rooms and where they kept the bulls and horses we are going to keep our horses, pigs, auto trucks, automobile and the best of all one of the hot springs is but a few feet from the entrance.  A circular concrete wall with only two entrances encloses the place. A most admirable place for a little camp. When we shut the big door we are hidden from the curious though friendly public which has been flocking to look at us so much that I had the mayor put up a notice that it was forbidden to enter the arena without permission from him.  Soon we shall have the arena connected with electric light and our own telephone to the two camps and then we will be settled.”

20th Engineers– The 20th Engineers battalion was established to mill and provide lumber products for the army’s use in building bridges, roads buildings, etc.  Poppa, like most of the other soldiers of the 20th had experience in the lumber business.  Before (and after) his service in the army he worked for his father and uncles at Jamieson Brothers lumber yard in Poynette, Wisconsin.

Dax was chosen as one of the camps of the 20th Engineers because of the areas abundance of forests.  Major Hartwick wrote the following about the trees in the area:

“One hundred or so years ago this country was a wide expanse of sand and sandy moraiss a desert but about that time experiments were made with a view of growing a forest of pine and after years of trial and discouragement the successful methods were found so that the woods are of trees from fifty to seventy years a species of pine resembling in appearance our jack pine but growing fifty to sixty feet high and with limbs about thirty feet from the ground.”

Christmas Day 1917– Poppa reported that he had the day off and had a nice meal.

December 26– Poppa received mail from Marion Brown (who would become his wife and my grandmother) and Ora Hopkins, who was his cousin, daughter of his aunt Samantha Janet (Jamieson) and Uncle Edgar Hinkson.

Next Week:  Starting the New Year in France

Sources:

Background:  In September 1917 My grandfather, John Rodney Jamieson, who we later called ‘Poppa’, joined the 20th Engineers regiment of the United States Army.  After training at Jefferson Barracks in Missouri and on the grounds of the American University in Washington, D.C. he sailed to St. Nazaire, France aboard a troop transport ship.  Some soldiers have recently been sent to northeastern France near the front line.  However, Poppa and other soldiers of the first battalion of the 20th Engineers remain at the American camp 2 miles outside of St. Nazaire.

From the Journal of John Rodney Jamieson

Sunday Dec 16, 1917 – Have not had a Sunday for a long time.  Every day is the same in the army.  Spent day at warehouse in St. Nazaire

Monday Dec 17– Nearly every day the band of the 116th Engineers at neighboring  camp plays “On Wisconsin”.

Tuesday Dec 18– Through Hourgines (?) good work I succeeded in Getting a pass up town and “took in” St. Nazaire. Sent souvenirs to family.

Wednesday Dec 19- Very quiet day but mighty noisy night.   Hill and Lloyd have much wedding and raise h-l till Midnight.  (?)

Thursday Dec 20– Arose at 4:00 A.M. packed and left St. Nazaire at noon.  Rode in box car with no heat.  Very crowded night.

Friday Dec 21– Rode South all day in boxcar.  Arrived at 4:00 PM Dax all marched out but slept in car.

Saturday Dec 22– We are assigned quarters in an arena previously used for bull fighting.  Spent night under grandstand.

Dax France –  At the start of the week Poppa and the rest of the first battalion of the 20th engineers were living and working  in the US Army camp outside of St. Nazaire, France.  By the end of the week they had travelled about 350 miles south by train to Dax.  They must have been surprised to find that their new living quarters were inside a bull ring.

The bull ring was built in 1913.

According to the internet bull fighting is not a common activity in France.  However,  Dax, France is only about 50 miles from the border with Spain so it appears that the bullfighting tradition spills over the Spanish border.

Major Edward E. Hartwick was Poppa’s commanding officer.  According to Gordon K. Miller, author of a biography of Hartwick here is what Hartwick wrote to his family regarding their new camp:

I have my headquarters in the town and one company on one side about four miles away and the other on another side about five miles distant The headquarters detachment about forty men are encamped- where do you think- well I got permission to pitch our tents in the “Arena”- a Spanish bull ring surrounded with raised seats all constructed of concrete similar to our ball park except the diameter of the ring is only about 150 feet but is the best camping place we will ever get.  Under the concrete raised benches are rooms where we store our baggage, also toilet rooms; and where they kept the bulls and horses we are going to keep our horses, pigs, auto, trucks automobile and the best of all- one of the hot springs is but a few feet from the entrance. A circular concrete wall with only two entrances encloses the place – a most admirable place for a little camp. When we shut the big door we are hidden from the curious, though friendly, public which has been flocking to look at us so much that I had the mayor put up a notice that it was forbidden to enter the arena without permission from him. Soon we shall have the arena connected with electric light and our own telephone to the two camps and then we will be settled.

December 17th, 1917  – “On Wisconsin” was written in 1909 and is both the state song of Wisconsin and the fight song for the University of Wisconsin.  For a young American man stationed in a country at war hearing the song of his alma mater must have provided some comfort.

Meanwhile, back in America–  On December 18, 1917 The United States congress passed the ‘Prohibition amendment’ It was then sent to the states for ratification.  In a previous episode of this blog Poppa reported that he had experienced the beginning of prohibition in Washington, D.C.  Prohibition was implemented as a result of the 18th amendment which didn’t pass until 1919.  However, state governments were encouraged to implement their own laws outlawing alcohol prior to the amendment passing.  Washington, D.C, was not a state and was governed by Congress.  So Congress decided that the city would be dry choosing November, 1st 1917 as the day that alcohol became illegal.

December 19th- Sometimes I have trouble reading Poppa’s handwritten journal.  I don’t understand what he meant by Hill and Lloyd have much wedding and raise h-l till Midnight.  What do you think he actually wrote for December 19th, 1917? 

In the back of Poppa’s journal there is a list of names with dollar amounts after them.  One entry said Lloyd $10.00.  Poppa’s father and grandfather were bankers.  Do you think this is how Poppa kept track of who he lent money to?  Or maybe who he borrowed money from?  Is the Lloyd listed here the same one who, along with Hill “raised h–l all night”?

Next Week: Christmas in the Bull Pen!

Sources:

“The Song and Controversies.” UW Archives and Records Management. N.p., 23 June 2015. Web. 13 Dec. 2017.

https://www.britannica.com/place/Dax

“A Biographical Sketch of Major Edward E. Hartwick.” Google Books. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Dec. 2017.