Gunner Depew Portrays U S Navy Gunnery and War Tales
Albert N. Depew recounts his rise to chief petty officer and first class gunner in the U S Navy. He describes wartime service in Spezia and Dixmude, a French quarantine, prize markings for gunner skill, and vivid front line experiences with trenches, danger, and a guide system amid shellfire and mud.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Depew
U. S. Navy
Foreign Legion of France
Cassard
Albert N. Depew
United States Navy
Navy
France
Enlistment in the Foreign Legion and life aboard the Cassard
The narrator, lacking a passport, joins the French Foreign Legion after passing an English examination, receiving a gunner commission dated January 1, 1915. He chronicles initial hostility from officials, the Legion’s vast decline since 1914, and his transfer to the dreadnought Cassard at Brest. He contrasts French and American naval life, notes camaraderie with Murray, Brown, and Italian port calls at Spezia, and describes hammocks, discipline, and meals aboard.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Spezia
St. Nazaire
America
Berlin
Foreign Legion
En Mer
Murray
Brown
la Legion
Legionnaires
Limeys
Legion
Brest
Dreadnanight
Cassard
Navy
Italy
On the Firing Line With the Legion in Flanders Front
After fourteen days on leave I join a legion detachment for the Flanders front. We travel by rail from Brest to Bergues then truck to Dixmude, relying on noon meals at station booths staffed by French girls who tailor aid to each man, including the legionnaires labeled as strangers.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Legion
France
Dixmude
Pat
Flanders Front
Brest
la Havre
St. Pol
Bergues
Polly
Depew Reports First Front-Line Trench Experience
Depew describes his initial exposure to front-line trenches at Sixmude and learns how the British Tommies carry on. He shares impressions in the next installment.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Depew
Sixmude
Penny Earned by Child After Rumble Over Pocket Change
A child reports earning a penny after a confrontation with a boy named Carter who insulted her. She planned to fight but offered to forgo the fight if he shared a penny, indicating the coins caused a truce.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Carter
Bad Girl
Half and Half Rent System Studied for Dairy Farms
A USDA study of 143 farms in Green County Wisconsin and Kane County Illinois analyzes the half-and-half rent system where landlord provides land and most inputs while tenant supplies labor and half the stock. It notes lease lengths, income shares, taxes, and cow-raising practices, showing regional similarities and differences.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
United States Department of Agriculture
Chicago
Green County
Wisconsin
Kane County
Elgin
Illinois
North Central States
Ilinois
Few "Don'ts" for Dairymen in Calf Rearing
Dairy guidance warns against overfeeding and sudden milk changes. Calves suffer more from excess milk than shortage. keep barns dry and ventilated. feed clean milk and regular times. avoid alfalfa before three months. separate calves to prevent cross-sucking. ensure access to water and starter grain in stanchions.
Little War Injury Girl In London Hospital
Eyewitness description of a severely wounded girl in a London hospital after a German air raid. One hand lost, the other badly damaged, she smiles faintly while clutching a china doll and singing as staff note her endurance amid the chaos of war.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
London
Prussia
Irvin
Cobb
Animals as sentinels in wartime warnings and tales
A wounded soldier recalls a robin nest in an empty shell case as a striking memory of war. The piece argues birds and other animals are sensitive to approaching danger, noting parrots at the Eiffel Tower, restless pheasants at Zeppelins, pigs and hens reacting to silent balloons, and pets sensing raids.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Animal Kingdom
Eifel
Ples
Tommy Sizes Up Chickens at School Yard
Tommy observes a hen with a brood of fancy incubator chicks. He distinguishes mother from chicks and, after thinking, declares the hen is “only the purse girl” in a moment of classroom humor.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Tommy
Tom
Does Not Understand Pole's Grip On Street Car
Suzette laments she cannot grasp how a small trolley pole can prevent a large street car from running off the track, illustrating confusion over the mechanism. The line hints at a simple engineering principle behind the railway safety feature.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Suzette
Shears Pass Through Generations in Pittsfield Bank
George H. Tucker, president of a Pittsfield bank, uses shears once owned by his grandfather at the courthouse. The shears, never sharpened, remain keen after a century of daily use.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
George H. Tucker
Pittsfield
Mass
French at a Glance How to pronounce vivandliere
A brief tip on pronouncing the word vivandliere with guidance to place the emphasis on the final syllable for a polished finish. The note suggests pairing the sound with a pretty intonation to improve overall pronunciation.
Also Mentioned on This Page
Reilly and Britton Co
George Matthew Adams
Gunner Depew
States
Lfe
Fritz
CAC
Makers OF
Salt Lake City
Randall-Dodd Auto Co
Salt Lake Cir
Beast of Berlin
London Hospital
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