100 Years Ago: Thanksgiving, 1918

Thanksgiving Day came, and with it came a very good time. Everyone was feeling in very high spirits, and there seemed to be so much to be thankful for this year. Turkey, with all the trimmings, was served to all, and it was indeed a very enjoyable meal.¹

With the war finally over, and the stream of wounded beginning to slow, the men and women of Base Hospital 50 were finally in a position to relax and enjoy the Thanksgiving holiday which took place on Thursday, November 28, 1918.

In just three short months, since the first patients arrived on August 15, the unit had seen thousands of patients pass through its wards. Five of its men had died as a result of hard work, making them susceptible to diseases such as diphtheria, influenza, and pneumonia. The most recent death, that of Bruce White, came just days before the war ended.

The work of the unit would continue into the new year, but for this Thanksgiving, the unit had much to be grateful for as the men and women, in their respective mess halls, cut into their holiday meal.

Base Hospital 50 Nurses in Mess Hall, Mesves, France, ca. 1918-1919.

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References:

1. United States. Army. Base Hospital No. 50. The History of Base Hospital Fifty: A Portrayal of the Work Done by This Unit While Serving in the United States and with the American Expeditionary Forces in France. Seattle, Wash. : The Committee, 1922. Page 75.

100 Years Ago: On the Eleventh Hour of the Eleventh Day of the Eleventh Month

At 11 a. m. on November 11 a French flyer alighted at the convalescent camp and brought the word that the armistice had been signed early that morning. A number of our men were away on short passes, and four of our men felt so good that when they got on the train to return from Nevers they forgot to get off until the train reached Paris. After spending several days in that gay city celebrating, they returned to camp and were brought up for being A. W. O. L. They were given slight sentences and fined, and then put to work in the incinerator.¹

Today marks the 1ooth anniversary since the guns of war were silenced, signaling an end to the Great War. The news didn't reach the men and women of Base Hospital 50, and the rest of the hospital center at Mesves, France, until several hours after the agreement was signed. The hope that the steady stream of wounded would slow after the war ended was short-lived as more forward hospitals began evacuating their wounded to the rear and the grueling work continued.

Meanwhile back home, Seattleites streamed into the streets in jubilation, despite the influenza ban in effect against public gatherings. The Great War would soon become known as World War I because it wasn't the War to End all Wars after all. A generation later an even great conflict would grip the world.

But one hundred years ago today, war-weary men on both sides of  No Man's Land laid down their weapons and came out of the trenches. And America celebrated its part in bringing this great conflict to an end. This pivotal event of the 20th-century would mark the beginning of America's emergence as one of the world's superpowers.

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References:

1. United States. Army. Base Hospital No. 50. The History of Base Hospital Fifty: A Portrayal of the Work Done by This Unit While Serving in the United States and with the American Expeditionary Forces in France. Seattle, Wash. : The Committee, 1922. Page 75.