Recollections of a Buck Private
"Somewhere in France"

The War Diary of Clarence L. Richmond

The observations of a young U.S. Marine in France in 1918, during the final months of World War I and the first few months of the Armistice.

Richmond was a stretcher-bearer with the 43rd Company, part of the 2nd Battalion, 5th Marines. He was a member of the American Expeditionary Force that joined the war in the summer of 1918, and helped to bring it to a conclusion that fall. He was promoted to corporal and stationed in Germany for a portion of the occupation. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, the Navy Cross, and the French Croix De Guerre for his battlefield actions. After the war, he returned home to Cleveland, Tennessee, where he lived until January 25, 1981.

Table of Contents
    Introduction
 1. University of Tennessee Student Joins MarinesJanuary - June
 2. To the FrontEarly June
 3. Face to Face with the GermansMid June
 4. German Artillery Fire BeginsLate June
 5. Fourth Of July In ParisJuly 2-11
 6. Long, Tiring March BeginsJuly 12-18
 7. Reunited With 43rd, Under German FireJuly 19-21
 8. Villages in Ruins, March ContinuesJuly 23-25
 9. Soldiers are Homesick; First Paycheck ArrivesJuly 26 - August 4th
10. Troops March Toward LinesAugust 5-7
11. Night Watch Duty; Planes Soar OverheadAugust 8-16
12. Marines Anticipate Front Line Action; Troops MarchAugust 16 - September 11
13. Enemy Firing Lights Up Skies on BattlefrontSeptember 11-18
14. Hiking And Firing ContinuesSeptember 18 - October 1
15. In the Midst of a Fierce BattleOctober 1-6
16. Move Toward Blanc MontOctober 6-12
17. Troops March into Argonne ForestOctober 13-30
18. Fighting Continues: German Shells Fly OverheadOctober 30 - November 3
19. Moving the Front ForwardNovember 3-7
20. Crossing the Meuse in the FogNovember 7-10
21. The Shooting StopsNovember 11-16
22. The Watch on the Rhine November 17 - June 1919

The War Diary of Clarence Richmond
Posted April 16, 1997 by Robin Richmond (his grandson)