Here's a small leather-bound diary from 1918 kept by Paul Kemp Sr. while he was in the Navy in San Pedro and San Francisco. He doesn't write in it every day. But when he does write, even though it's only just a few lines, it really paints a picture of his life in the service - hair cuts, shots, mess, leave, mail, visits, baseball. He starts the diary when he's 21 years old and turns 22 on August 23rd. The last diary entry is Tuesday October 29th, two weeks before the end of the war. I've interspersed the diary entries with photos of Paul Sr., friends, and family during his term of service. It all takes place during the massive influenza epidemic, which is why you see the masks in some of the photos. And I suspect the girl standing beside him in a couple of photos may be the "Millie" or "Mill" mentioned in the diary. [Click on photos and diary pages to enlarge.]
1 comment:
This is fantastic! What an adventure just to read through all of this
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