William Holmes Dyer memoirs 1917-1918

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William Holmes Dyer memoirs 1917-1918

http://archives.nypl.org/scm/20865

The memoirs are written in a narrative form, and begin at the point that Dyer decided to enlist in the Army, through the Armistice, his return to the States and discharge from the Army. Dyer briefly discusses the period spent at Ft. Des Moines and Camp Funston and the voyage to France. He gives his impressions of the people and his surroundings in Brest, France where his Division landed, and other cities and towns where they traveled as they made their way to the Western Front. Once at the front he describes some of his experiences there, which are also impressionistic. There are no descriptions of battles, only of the death and destruction caused by the bombings and battles. He barely discusses his medical duties, makes some mention of racial incidents and the existence of segregation and racism in the Army.

.2 lin. ft. (1 volume)

Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. Rare Books, Manuscripts, and Archives Section

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SNAC Resource ID: 6317148

Related Entities

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United States. Army

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6km312r (corporateBody)

The United States Army is the largest branch of the United States Armed Forces and performs land-based military operations. It is one of the seven uniformed services of the United States and is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution, Article 2, Section 2, Clause 1 and United States Code, Title 10, Subtitle B, Chapter 301, Section 3001. As the largest and senior branch of the U.S. military, the modern U.S. Army has its roots in the Continental Army, which wa...

Dyer, William Holmes

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6bs1d8s (person)

William Holmes Dyer was an African-American physician in Kansas who served in World War I. While in Kansas he was a member of the staff at Old General Hospital and was the medical examiner for Standard Life Insurance Company. Dyer was appointed a First Lieutenant in the Medical Reserve Corps of the 92nd Division, which saw action in France. He was trained at the special training camp for black officers at Ft. Des Moines, Iowa and was later assigned to the 317th Sanitary Train at Camp Funston, Ka...