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WW1 troop ship mess card


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Here is a mess card from a troop ship in WWI. Both front and back are shown.

 

Intrestingly I found a lot of information on a James L Spotts. Here are the highlights. He

enlisted 2/26/18 in Mound City, KS; was trained at Camp Funston, KS; shipped overseas on 6/4/18;

was appointed Waggoner on 8/15/18 (notice "wag" in front of his name); was gassed on 9/25/18 and

later hospitalized; returned to the US on the SS Aquitania on 3/23/19; and was discharged on

4/12/19.

 

Based upon that information the troop ship mess card shown here must be for his voyage home since

he was not appointed Waggoner until he was already in France.

 

But one big problem arises. The James L Spotts that I have all that info on was in the 353rd

Infantry Regiment of the 89th. Division, NOT the 145 Inf 37 Div written on the back of the mess

card.

 

I do not know how to explain the 145 Inf 37 Div notation. It is highly unlikely that there was

another James L Spotts who was a Waggoner, trained at Camp Funston, sent overseas who was in the

145th. If so, I can find no record of him.

 

Can anyone explain why he might have written 145 Inf 37 Div on the back of his mess card?

 

Paul

 

post-2319-0-30920700-1459087188.jpg

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July1, 1916-HLI17SB

I think his gassing may be the key to this. The 353rd stayed in Germany around Waxweiler, Prum, Niederprum, etc. until May of 1919. At that time, they came home on the USS Leviathan. So, your soldier definitely wasn't still physically with the 89th when he left France. Interestingly enough, the 37th came home in March of 1919. The HQ units of the 37th show an exact date of arrival..... 3/23/1919. This matches your James Spott's arrival to the day! I bet if we researched it, we would find some of the 37th coming home on the Aquitania. The documentation that I can find on the 37th's units shows them going to Camp Sherman in Ohio to be discharged. So it appears your Wag. Spotts was not slated to stay with them by the Camp Funston note on his billet. Here is my guess. It is very possible that once Wag. Spotts condition improved enough to leave the hospital (in France), he may have been temporarily assigned to the 145th for his transport to the US. Once stateside, he was sent to the cantonment nearest to his home, hence Camp Funston being on his card. My Grandfather and his cousin were in the 353rd. His cousin came home early too due to gassing (April I think)....and he too was sent to Camp Funston to be discharged. Hope this gives you some leads.

Shannon

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Shannon,

 

That seems like a reasonable explanation. Thanks.

 

Incidently Spotts lived until 2/20/1979 and had, at least, one son.

 

Paul

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