November 10, 1917. Got up at 6:00. Took truck to Bordeaux. After shopping all morning we met Harry LeGore and Capt Fitz, who is Major now, for lunch. Chip, being sick, did not accompany us. At the hotel, there were a lot of high army officers, generals, etc., going back to U.S. I had my weekly bath before lunch. It was splendid. Left Bordeaux at about 4:00 in truck and arrived here at 6:15.
Sunday, November 11, 1917. Customary morning. After lunch we received some enlisted men in a camion who had orders for us to report to Moutchic at once. There were orders for Bob, Di and me to go to Paris—Ho for Dunkirk and some excitement. We leave Tuesday.113
Monday, November 12, 1917. Rode to Moutchic, persuaded the Paymaster to part with some money—it was an all moving job. Had lunch there and then rode back. Packed and had a big farewell dinner at the cafe.
Tuesday, November 13, 1917. Bob Lovett, Di Gates, and I received our orders to proceed to Paris, with Dunkirk on the horizon after some more training. Left Lacanau-Ocean at 6:30 for Moutchic. Took on board Di, Bob, O’Connor, Young, Hough, Velie, Parker.114 Were in Bordeaux about one hour to get truck, washed, and passes. We left at 11:05 for Paris. On board were lots of Y.W.C.A. fruits [derogatory term for young women]. They were an awful bunch and had the best of everything. Lunched in dining car and arrived in Paris at 8:45. Finding our baggage, etc., we got to the Chatham, had a bit of supper and Di and I went for a walk. Nothing doing.115
Wednesday, November 14, 1917. Reported at nine. Then wandered around with Di trying to find a dentist to replace a lost filling I missed. Met Lieut. Swazzy’s wife and took her to lunch, a French girl who speaks English infinitely better than the bunch of French and English we’ve seen lately. Reported again at two. Dinner at hotel on Rue Damon, Olympia, which was punk. Like the Folies Bergeres. Saw Ehrhart at dinner. May I be permitted to say there is nothing narrow about a Parisian education. Aside from a trip to the French field at Villa Coublay [sic],116 where we saw thousands of machines of every sort of make, our jobs were uninteresting, but not so our pleasures. And I saw lots of Americans I had known—Hunty Ehrhart, Elmendorf Carr, Tommy Hitchcock, Cord Meyer, Quentin Roosevelt, and a lot of others, and made an inspection tour of the Hanriot factory.117
Thursday, November 15, 1917. Reported at 9:00. Did odd jobs. Lunched at Café Parie, dined at Ritz with Fearing and Bob. Then went to a very good French show. Di went out on party.
Friday, November 16, 1917. Busy all day. Di got orders to go to Havre for six trucks and get them. 50 men came in from Havre and Di, McKay, and I met them, picked 25 for Dunkirk and sent them off. Dined at Maxims.118 Di was suddenly sent to Dunkirk. We were told we were waiting to get our training at the U.S. Army Field at Issoudun, and Ken MacLeish was appointed to take Di’s place.
Saturday, November 17, 1917. Di left at 6 A.M. I was put in charge of the men at office. All the new men got lost and were not rounded up till 2 P.M. Van der Veer, a snotty mean man, raised the devil about it. Lunched at Chinese Umbrella and dined at Maxims, then came home and went right to bed.
Sunday, November 18, 1917. Reported at 10:00. One man answered for another at roll call and was caught. I gave him hell and reported it. Van called him and the man he reported for up and was about as nasty as a slave driver. They got a deck court.119 Lunched with Elmendorf Carr and an English lieutenant. Then Bob, Griffin, Hull, and Doc, and I went to Villa Coublay, the French experimental station outside Paris. Here there are about 15000[?] machines in a tremendous field with hundreds of hangers. All sorts of machines and experiments were there. We saw only one flight as it was very foggy. Inspected the Hanriot, which is to be our machine. It looks fine and beats and out-climbs the SPAD and others.120 Also saw two German Rumpler’s 260 H.P. two-seater fighters.121 Noted clever gun mounts. Dined at Ciro’s.122
Monday, November 19, 1917. Frocked around the office. Shaw reporting for Archer, said he was going to desert and hadn’t reported. Later the M.P. brought him in. Sentenced to 20 days brig on water and bread. Poor devil. Lunch at Chinese Umbrella. Dined at Maxims.
Tuesday, November 20, 1917. Di, Bob and I and the pilots for Dunkirk were ordered to the Hanriot factory [at Billancourt, a suburb of Paris] to work while waiting the three weeks till they will be ready. It is a fine place. Turning out six or seven machines a day. Wonderful new machine [Hanriot HD.3], 260 hp with five guns and two men under construction.123 A lot of Sopwith machines are made there, two-seaters about three years old, but still good and a single pontoon not much.124 The machine we are to use [the Hanriot HD.2] carries one machine gun, makes 115, stagger about 1/2 cord, 3-1/2 hours range, lands about 40 and looks fine. It has 130 [hp] Clerget [rotary motor]. These are about the best motors, though slightly heavier than the other rotating motors. Most of the Hanriots are bound for Italy. They out-climb and beat the SPAD over 300. Learned that 10 were already at Dunkirk.125 Lunch at Chatham, excellent, went to H [headquarters] and dined at Henri’s and went to Follies. Pretty good. Letters from Dad and Mother.
Wednesday, November 21, 1917. Arrived at about 10:15 and looked around. Talked to the Sopwith inspector. Lunched at Ciro’s—the place to lunch, dropped in at Rumplemires [Rumplemeyer’s] and went to D’Iena to get pay and mail.126 One from Dad and Mother and Alice. Also . . . Di wrote Bob, he’s stuck at Havre no trucks and can’t get away. Dined at Maxim’s. Bob’s friend Sonia was there but left early.
Thursday, November 22, 1917. Saw Dichman at breakfast and Bartlett. There is a big conference here now all C.O.s of the stations came to Paris.127 Lunched at Ciro’s and saw Tom Hitchcock, Q[uentin] Roosevelt and Cord Meyer. They say that Issoudun is in bad shape with measles and mumps. Means we’ll probably be here another month. At factory noted wings of H.D. spar’s shape I covered to seem solid. All small parts of three-ply wood. Very strong but one wing can be lifted easily on one finger. Entering edge one pipe, trailing three, all together eight. Also noted new machine. The ailerons flippers are worked by hollow tubing of steel alloy very light and strong. Sampson motor 260—4 machine guns, 130–140 mph. Dined at Maxim’s. I could get food and liquor all right, but otherwise my French failed to improve. Before supper, engaged a French girl to teach us the damned language. Some say the proper way is to live with one of them. Maybe; I know I had enough with an hour a day.
Friday, November 23, 1917. Lunched at Ciro’s, stopped at office for mail and heard that Ken [Smith] had been lost at sea at 2 o’clock.128 Ken was out patrolling in a flying boat with a couple of observers and miles out the motor stopped and Ken landed in the sea. Although it was pretty rough the ship held together pretty well and the boys stuck up a distress signal and spent the time when not seasick bailing out water and gradually cutting off parts of the wings as their machine went to pieces. They had the radiator water and a couple of sandwiches. Sixty hours after they lit a destroyer found them and took them off. Before they were able to get a line from the boat to the destroyer, the damn thing sank. Finely figured, I’d say. No mail. Dinner at Madam Bonard.
Saturday, November 24, 1917. Out to factory and then came back here after lunch and there was Di back from Havre. He and I went to the D’Iena [headquarters] where he got his orders to Dunkirk immediately. Certainly am sorry he is not to fly avion de chasse with us. Ken MacLeish is coming instead. Then we met Griffin, Bartlett and Dichman and Bob, went to Villa Coublay. Arriving late we saw some flying.129 I had an early dinner and [French?] lesson. Di and Bob went to the Yale dinner.
Sunday, November 25, 1917. French lesson at 11:00, lunch at Ciro’s with Hull, Bartlett, Bob and Di. Then Di and I went to Villa Coublay and saw the Morain [sic] monoplane.130 It flew circles around a SPAD. Absolutely incredible speed—it must have been 20 mph faster than the SPAD. Light dinner and movies.
Monday, November 26, 1917. Cashed a check at Morgan Harjes and shopped. Di ordered magazines, etc. Last night Bob received a package of clothes etc., from U.S. Met Bishop and Mac Whitney at Chinese Umbrella at lunch.131
Tuesday, November 27, 1917. Dined with Evelyn Preston,132 father’s brother, Miss Stephens, and head of
