Information
Sheet
R Dyer, Walter W.
41 Letters,
1918.
14 items.
These are photocopies of fourteen letters
from Walter W. Dyer during his military service in World War I. Dyer was an Army teamster stationed at Camp
McArthur and Waco, Texas.
Walter Dyer left his home in Phelps
County, Missouri, to enlist in the United States Army in April 1918. He was sent to Camp McArthur, Texas, for
training, where he was assigned to Company I, Twelfth Battalion, at the
Infantry Replacement Camp. After his basic
training, Dyer was sent to Waco, Texas, where he was assigned to the base
hospital as a teamster. He spent the
remainder of his enlistment at Waco, hauling wagonloads of coal to the
barracks and the hospital.
The letters in this collection are addressed
to Bill and Jess Carney of Rolla, who were Dyer's relatives and neighbors. In addition to family news, the letters
mention the conditions and routine of camp life, including an influenza
epidemic, suicides of trainees, Dyer's duties as a teamster, and rumors of
overseas assignment in France.
Interestingly, Dyer reported coming across both men and horses in
military service that he had known in Rolla.
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