1916 - 1917 ORIGINAL ARCHIVE OF FOUR [4] MANUSCRIPT WORLD WAR I HANDWRITTEN DIARIES [2] AND CHECK BOOKS [2] FOLLOWING THE CHIEF SURGEON OF THE AMERICAN EXPEDITIONARY FORCES FIRST AS MILITARY OBSERVER IN ENGLAND BEFORE THE ENTRY OF AMERICA UNTIL THE END

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On offer is an original small archive of four [4] ephemeral items including: two [2] note pad style diaries and two [2] check books with stubs and unused checks all being handwritt en and having belonged to General Alfred E. Bradley (1864-1922), Chief Surgeon of the American Expeditionary Force in France during WW1. This archive relates to his serving as a military observer in England during 1916 and1917 just prior to U.S. entrance into war through to the War's end. Historians and collectors of the era will recognize the uniqueness of original material from high ranking officers. The first diary dated "Trip July-Aug. 1916, and has a French stamp on the cover. Bradley has signed his name in pencil on the cover "Bradley". It starts out seeming to be an accounting book, but morphs into cryptic notes made covering various subjects, including medicine dosages, prisoners, etc., perhaps notes to jog his memory later. Here are snippets from the first: "Off. auxiliary, part of 29th C.S. Georgina Court. 6 A. S. in operation _ to train 500 wounds received in previous, riding adjacent 18:20 and German prisoners. German Pris. working in road... camp latrine in oper(ation). Drop pits 14-20 feet with close ?? fly tight box... [signed] Col. B(radley).. bring in trucks not practicable, seen by enemy... Anti Gas G____ vacuum tried but not found a success, a mixt. of pyogenes & capsulates, 2000 cases... German wounded arrived? shot by own men... July 26 to Haig .. Sir Sloggett, .. soldiers in France... To Lt. Col. Hording for lunch... Coffin board touch litter op(erating) table with slots removable ext. from litter... Lt. Col. Goddard dinner... General Graham Thomson G.C.P.O., Capt. Prise R. E., ? of Camp. 60-70,000 troops, 15,000 beds, 10 Genl. Hospitals... Jaw cases Dr. Hoit. Dentist Powers Plastic not as good as Valendre and Koscasion(?) judging from what we saw... Darkins-[Alexis] Carrel- 5% parts are used: Camus notes too severe as originally intended? Mrs. W. R. Vanderbilt. Dinner Mrs. Brown, Lunch Col Cosby, Dinner Logan... Vaseline gauze 1st layer gone... Oct. 12, 1916, Visited Blandpool convalescent Hospital... spent 2 hours going about. Capacity 2,000 in 4 Divisions 500 each. Condition as a pool. Race course buildings, Offices, etc. in grand stand... hospital proper for serious cases and local aid, 120 beds... all work done in a.m. when finished men have liberty to go and come up to 9:30. Each has a ticket which he hands in when he goes out and reclaims in entering. Tickets left at 9:30 show delinquents. Punishment is meted as at any pool. See to Regs.... Lord Derby War Hospital in Warrington…." From book 2 dated: "Dec. Trip 1916.. Edinburgh Trip Jany. 7" and is on Note Pad of the Medical Dept. U.S. Army. This is similar to the other "note pad diary." In part: "Left Charing + (Cross) Station 11:30 .. left S. S. Victoria about 2 p.m.. arrived Balogue 3:30.. sleeper to Paris arrived Dec. 12, 9 a.m. went to A. Provost Marshal told would not have white pass until Sunday Dec. 17. 11 a.m. called at Embassy saw A.M. Sharpe (Sloope?). His Sur Commander Sayles (Sigbee?) U.S.N. Capt. Smith U.S. M.C., Col. Cosby Capt. Boyd... Dec. 13, Spent a.m. at Am. Amb. til 12. Luncheon with Capt. Churchill, at "Viel"... Dec. 14 Rothschild [took?] us to Val de Grace, the America School and museum. Then to Issy... then to Embassy: at Cafe Durand on Ave. Victor Hugo. Dec. 15 to Campigue by train.. at Horse Palace, visit to hospital... Dec. 18 left Paris by train for Armien at 10 a.m. met by officer who took us to H.Q. 4th Army at Quici?? Lt. Col. Faivens, James Lowe, Col. Dindoir , Genl. O'Keefe...in p.m. visited German Prison Camp at C.C. O. .. had tea.. back to Armine at Hotel Belfort for night... Dec. 19 to the front. Maj. Howe thought Alfort Frecous, Montuban, Breton Wood, Petit(?) At B. Wood saw a section of F(ield) A(rtillery). Also at Bagetine Petit an advanced station connected to front by narrow gauge r.r. with little trucks to bring in patients... returned to front and saw German dugout at ? station of F.A... returned to H.Q. 4th Army for tea and dinner. Officers met- Capt. Hightatoe, Maj. Howe, Lt. Col. Foncous, Col. Sinclair, Col. Howes [etc.]... Dec. 21. went with Col. Russell to S. Hosp. No. 3. . Col Heine, saw burns and trench feet, ox and ambionic ?.. Visited No. 11 S. Hospital in Shooting Club. Lt. Col., Tribacteay: using Carrel pariphin. No. 1 General venereal cases 1,500 or more.. P.M. visited No. 6 Gen. Col. Archer. More truck of knee injuries and head cases. ... at G. H. 6 saw Carrell cases just in from front; doing well .. Col. McCrea C.O., Maj. Groves surgeon also, Capt. Morrison. At G. H(ospital) 22 saw Col. Perry, Maj. Robinson [goes into detail about sanitary measures, wounds, etc.]... Blankets in most stations steamed every 2 weeks for men coming from front: every 2 weeks for troops going to front. Average are steamed 1,000 a day. Rest Camp for troops on hill huts and tents: 8 camps are under C.O. Same plans as stations... Field Bakery or Boulogue bakes 75,000 loaves a day, about 1,000 men employed sends bread to front by motor 20 loaves to a Culap sand?...July 15 arrived Edinburgh 8 a.m. . .. went to hospital. Col. Catterill O.C. .. a wood house taken over for war purposes.... met Prof. Ritchie... Jan. 16 went to Jamor Stiles at 9:30 in his motor to Banguor War Hospital . Dr. Jones in our company... work shops for orthopedic cases... [draws diagrams of splints he saw] ... Brain cases closing up cranial opening with celluloid plastic. 2 cases 20 ? standing... put into wounds and closed if possible... applied and left open as long as 4 weeks without change. If discharge appears it is simply cleaned up externally and outside dressing put over. Few cases of lead (food?) poisoning... patients in good condition... Left Newcastle at 4:54 arrived Leeds 7:35... message from Sir B. M. to ? operation infirmary...." As to the check books the first is from The Seaboard National Bank and contains some unused checks, including notations, all in Bradley's hand of checks he used and the purposes for the checks, the period is from March 1917 through Feb. 1918. An unused 2 cent stamp is taped in the front cover. The second check book is similar, covering the period from July 1917 through May 1918. Bradley apparently used these check in France and there are two unused checks from the Farmers Loan & Trust Co. located in Paris. Again, notations on the stubs of those checks he used, indicating their use including one "advance for uniform". BIO NOTES: Bradley was born in N.Y. and graduated from Jefferson Medical College in 1887. He entered the Army Medical Corps in 1888 as a 1st Lt., and Asst. Surgeon at Fort Slocum. He then spent most of his early career out West, at Fort Omaha, Nebraska and Fort Sully, South Dakota, and was involved in the Sioux uprising at the Rose Bud Indian Agency. As Captain in 1893, he served at Forts Custer and Yellowstone. During the Spanish-American War and the Philippine Insurrection, Bradley served on a hospital ship that traveled to Cuba, Puerto Rico, Gibraltar, Japan, and Hawaii. He was Attending Surgeon in the Philippines, and later, Commanding Officer of the Division Hospital in the Philippines. In May 1916, prior to America's entrance into WW1, then Colonel Bradley was sent to England as a Military Observer [while Wilson "kept us out of war" he was not stupid to think we would stay out of war, and wanted to be prepared in all aspects, including military medical]. When the U.S. finally entered the war in April 1917, Bradley was promoted to Brigadier General and became Chief Surgeon of the American Expeditionary Force in France. He became ill before the close of the war and returned stateside in 1918 (but was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal for his services abroad). He retired from the military in 1920, and died in 1922. His son, Major General Follett Bradley, was the Commanding General, First Air Force in 1942. Fifty or so pages between the diaries less in the financials, Overall VG. ; Manuscript; 16mo - over 5¾" - 6¾" tall; AEF, AMERICAN EXPEDITIONARY FORCES, AMERICA ENTERS WORLD WAR ONE, BRADLEY, WORLD WAR I, WWI, DOCTORS AT WAR, MEDICAL, MEDICINE, SURGERY, SURGEON, HANDWRITTEN, MANUSCRIPT, DOCUMENT, LETTER, AUTOGRAPH, DIARY, JOURNAL, LOG, KEEPSAKE, WRITER, HAND WRITTEN, DOCUMENTS, SIGNED, LETTERS, MANUSCRIPTS, HISTORICAL, HOLOGRAPH, WRITERS, DIARIES, JOURNALS, LOGS, AUTOGRAPHS, PERSONAL, MEMOIR, MEMORIAL, PERSONAL HISTORY, BRITAIN, BRITISH, BRITISH EMPIRE, RAF, World War I, WW I, TRAVEL, GERMANY, ANTIQUITÉ, CONTRAT, VÉLIN, MANUSCRIT, PAPIER ANTIKE, BRIEF, PERGAMENT, DOKUMENT, WESTERN FRONT, EUROPEAN THEATRE, EASTERN FRONT, Show more