Raynors HCA 2017-09
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 9/7/2017
A group of 74 letters and cards sent to Captain J.W. (William, “Bill”) Golding during his service in the U.S. Army during World War I. He is mostly in Arzheim, Germany, serving as a dentist in the American Expeditionary Force. His address is also sometimes the 108th Ammunition Train. Majority of the letters are from his brother, Pvt. Wallace Golding, who was in the 308th Engineers, Army of Occupation. The letters span the years 1918 and 1919, most after the armistice was signed. They talk of men who died of the flu, trips they have made around Europe, mostly France and Germany, and how much they want to get home. Brother Wallace writes of building pontoon bridges and have to suffer “swell headed” Marines who guard prisoners and fought the war single-handed. During this period Capt. Golding’s daughter was born stateside, so there are some other family letters and congratulations passed through the mail. Capt. Golding is also apparently a censor, so none of his letters are clipped or cut. A dozen or so letters are from Pvt. V.L. Kermit to his mother, who is apparently the Golding boys’ aunt. One of their cousins, Bud, was signed to pitch for the Detroit Tigers according to one newspaper clipping they exchanged. Mostly camp news, no “war” content to speak of, still an interesting insight into these “Doughboys.”
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