Ernest Appleyard was born in England in 1895, and in 1905 moved to the United States with his parents, Thomas H. and Frances Appleyard, who settled in Methuen, Massachusetts. Appleyard worked at the Ridgewood, New Jersey, YMCA before leaving for France in July 1917. He served as a driver with the Norton-Harjes Ambulance Corps. While in Europe, he traveled to Italy and England. In 1918, he joined the French Foreign Legion and throughout the summer he served in the 32nd Artillery Regiment of the French Army at Fontainebleau. By the fall of 1918, Appleyard was a member of the 10th Artillery Regiment. He remained in Europe through 1919, and returned to New Jersey after the war.
From the guide to the Ernest Appleyard papers, Appleyard, Ernest papers, 1916-1919, (William L. Clements Library, University of Michigan)
