In July 1973, a devastating fire at the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis, Missouri destroyed millions of military files, including service records for countless army and air force veterans.
Among the smoldering ashes was the personnel file for my great-grandfather, Samuel James Kirk (1892-1970). Though I knew he had enlisted, the details of his service - whether he served overseas or remained stateside - were a mystery. Piecing together his story from the First World War has been a painstaking, years-long journey.
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| Samuel James Kirk (1892-1970) |
Like crafting a patchwork quilt, I've carefully assembled a timeline of his service that draws on surviving government records, newspaper accounts, published histories, family photos, and recently digitized Morning Reports detailing the status of his military units.
Produced each day by a U.S. Army unit's clerk, a Morning Report documented personnel changes from the previous day. They recorded transfers, temporary assignments, promotions or demotions, and even grim details like soldiers wounded, missing, or killed in action. In the absence of a personnel file, these reports are an invaluable bridge, filling gaps left by the 1973 fire.
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| Company Morning Report instructions |
Thanks to these surviving fragments of history, I now have perhaps the most complete understanding of my great-grandfather's whereabouts during the Great War. I've traced his unit's movements over a nine month period from San Francisco to New York, across the Atlantic to England, and ultimately to war-torn France.
The great human lottery
In April 1917, just weeks after the United States declared war on Germany, Congress debated whether to implement a conscription measure to strengthen its armed forces. The legislative tussle dominated headlines nationwide. In the Rocky Mountain News, Joseph Leiter, president of the Army league, urged public support for the draft, declaring, "Every young man who is physically qualified and is of military age, will be regarded as a slacker if he does not respond to the call for volunteers." He called the draft "a sincere effort to equalize the burdens of the war" (Rocky Mountain News, April 23, 1917). By mid-May, the paper estimated that "Approximately 10,000,000 men between the ages of 21 and 30 inclusive will be required to register probably within the next fortnight for military service" (Rocky Mountain News, May 11, 1917).
On June 5, 1917, Samuel Kirk joined millions of American men in registering for the draft as war raged across Europe. Just 24 years old with light blue eyes and black hair, he was single, living with his parents in Edgewater, Colorado, and working as a beekeeper. He was assigned draft registration number 807.
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| Samuel James Kirk's draft registration card, signed June 5, 1917 |
Just over a month later, on July 20, 1917, Jefferson County held what the Colorado Transcript called "the great human lottery," drawing and ranking the registration numbers of 500 men for potential military service. Published in the newspaper on July 26, the results included Samuel's number (807), placing him among those called to serve.
Nearly seven months later, on February 14, 1918, the Colorado Transcript reported that Dr. L. A. Packard had examined and medically cleared 43 men for military service. Among them was Samuel Kirk, ready to take his place in the unfolding global conflict.
If you're going to San Francisco
According to a 1970 veteran's application for a government-furnished headstone, Samuel enlisted on March 18, 1918. He was stationed - either initially or at the conclusion of his service - at Fort David Allen Russell in Cheyenne, Wyoming, a key U.S. Army base of operations during World War I. The fort played a vital role in housing and training soldiers before they were assigned to posts across the country or deployed overseas. However, the specifics of Samuel's time at Fort Russell remain unclear, leaving questions about the length of his stay and the nature of his duties there.
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| Samuel Kirk's headstone application |
It's uncertain when he transferred to California, but his name first appeared in the Morning Reports for the 43rd Company of the Coast Artillery Corps (C.A.C.) on May 7, 1918. By then, he was stationed at
Fort Winfield Scott in San Francisco, a coast artillery post within the Presidio responsible for harbor defenses (
History of U.S. Army C.A.C. During WWI). A brief note in the report stated that Private Kirk was moved from active duty to sick leave in his quarters. Two days later, he returned to duty.
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| Morning Report: Private Kirk was on sick leave - May 7-9, 1918 |
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Samuel Kirk (right) pictured with an unknown man, possibly his commanding officer
William Louis Kenealy, in front of the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco |
Shortly after his recovery, on May 12, 1918, Samuel was among 30 men transferred to Truck Company E with the Army Artillery Park (A.A.P.). Formed in March 1918, the A.A.P. eventually included nearly 2,000 enlisted men and a motor section of six truck companies (
History of the 1st Army Artillery Park, C.A.C. During WWI). Each company consisted of three officers and 150 enlisted men, primarily drivers and mechanics tasked with transporting weapons and machinery to Europe's front lines (
History of Army Artillery Park).
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| Morning Report: Samuel J. Kirk transferred to Truck Co. E with A.A.P. |
Meanwhile, back in Colorado, Samuel's family earned recognition for their contributions to the war effort. On June 2, 1918, the Rocky Mountain News featured a full-page advertisement from the Denver Union Water Company, which celebrated its employees who had enlisted. The water company had "contributed many of its best men to war work." Among them was William F. Kirk, described as "an old employee, [who] has three sons in the service - William and Joseph in the army, and Samuel in the coast artillery." The ad included photographs of William and his sons, William and Joseph.
Journey to the great battle for human freedom
By August 15, 1918, basic training was complete, and orders to mobilize had arrived. Samuel, along with Truck Company E, embarked on a weeklong transcontinental motor convoy from San Francisco to New York.
The fleet of vehicles departed at 2:15 PM from the Santa Fe neighborhood in Richmond, California (along the eastern shore of San Francisco), traveling through Stockton and Bakersfield before heading south into Arizona and across New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, and Michigan. After crossing into Canada via a tunnel under the Detroit River, the group drove for six hours before re-entering the United States below Niagara Falls. They continued through New York and across the Hudson River into New Jersey. From Hoboken, they boarded a ferry to Long Island, then completed the final leg of the journey by train, arriving at Camp Albert L. Mills on August 21, 1918 (
History of Army Artillery Park, pg. 39).
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| An illustration of Truck Company E's cross-country trip |
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| A detailed look at the crossing from Hoboken, NJ to Camp Mills |
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A snapshot of life at Camp Mills. Picture courtesy of the Library of Congress
https://www.loc.gov/item/2014705434/
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Less than two days into the journey (and nearly five months to the day after he enlisted), at 12:42 AM on August 17, 1918, Samuel was promoted from Private to Private First Class.
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| Morning Report: Samuel Kirk was promoted to Private First Class |
On August 31, 1918, Samuel was enumerated on a list of men set to sail for Liverpool, England. Truck Company E boarded the S.S. Anchises at Pier 58 North River in New York City. After spending the night in harbor, the ship departed at 8:00 AM on September 1, 1918.
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S.S. Anchises passenger manifest details Samuel's service ID number and specific unit affiliation
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The
Anchises sailed north, skirting the Canadian coast, before turning east and narrowly missing Greenland by 30 miles. To avoid German submarines, the ship zig-zagged across the Atlantic. Nearing the British Isles, it cruised down the Irish Sea, passed the Isle of Man, and docked in Liverpool on September 12, 1918 (
History of Army Artillery Park, pg. 40).
From September 13 to 18, 1918, Samuel's company stayed at "Rest Camp No. 7" in Knotty Ash, a Liverpool suburb. The camp, established for American troops, offered amenities including a YMCA hut, musical entertainment at a nearby hospital, and baseball games at Port Sunlight. Between April 1917 and September 1918, over 800,000 American military personnel passed through Liverpool, including Samuel (
U.S. Embassy in the United Kingdom).
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Headquarters of the American Rest Camp at Knotty Ash near Liverpool
Photo taken August 9, 1918. Courtesy Imperial War Museums, Image: IWM (Q 69061) |
On September 18, 1918, Truck Company E departed Liverpool for Southampton on a nine-hour voyage. As they embarked, the troops received a letter from King George V, who welcomed them to "the great battle for human freedom" and expressed a desire to "shake the hand of each of you" while bidding them Godspeed on their mission in the Old World.
Vive la France
On September 20, 1918, the S.S. Harvard docked in the port of Le Havre, France, where Samuel's unit disembarked. Two days later, the men were loaded into train boxcars and traveled south to Angoulême, a town hosting several U.S. military units.
Five days later, Samuel's unit hiked 11 miles before completing their journey to the nearby town of Luxé by truck. It was here, on October 13, 1918, that Samuel was reassigned from "duty to special duty." The exact nature of his assignment remains unknown, but it may have involved replacing an ill soldier, taking on an advanced role, or assisting with a special project. His selection suggests he was regarded as particularly skilled, dependable, or capable.
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| Morning Report: PFC Kirk appointed to "special duty" |
On October 22, 1918, Company E loaded onto motor trucks and returned to Angoulême for 19 days of instruction in gas defense and preparations for active duty. By November 11, 1918 - the day the Armistice was signed, ending four years of bloodshed that claimed an estimated 40 million military and civilian casualties - Samuel's unit boarded boxcars bound for Récicourt, near the Belgian and Luxembourg borders. Headlines worldwide celebrated the end of the war, bringing relief to soldiers' families, including Samuel's back in Denver.
With the war over, arrangements began to return the Army Artillery Park to the United States. On November 29, 1918, Samuel's unit started an 18-mile hike with heavy packs. One soldier later wrote, "we packed everything on our backs, and when hiking along the road we looked like a bunch of pack mules" (
History of Army Artillery Park). They spent the night at Nubécourt before continuing the next day. By noon, trucks relieved them of their packs, and they reached Rosières-devant-Bar, where they stayed for the next few days. On December 4, 1918, they moved to the town of Billory.
On December 11, 1918, Truck Company E arrived in Sommevoire where it remained stationed for the rest of the year. On December 24, 1918, the Morning Report noted Samuel's return from special duty to his original role.
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| Morning Report: Samuel J. Kirk returned to regular duty |
In early 1919, the unit began a series of moves. On January 3, they settled in Vignory for most of the month before mobilizing again, stopping overnight in Arveyres on January 30 and arriving in Libourne the next day, where they stayed for two months.
On April 13, 1919, at 7:30 AM, Truck Company E joined other units and moved to an embarkation camp in Bordeaux. Over the next few days, they advanced closer to the port. On April 16, they left camp at 6:30 AM and hiked to Bassens, where they boarded a barge that carried them 30 miles down the Garonne River to Pauillac. There, they were housed in a large facility capable of accommodating 5,000 men.
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| A snapshot of Samuel Kirk's deployments across the UK and France |
News came on April 18, 1919, that the units should expect their ship the next day. A soldier recalled, "Sure enough, April 19 saw us lining up to await our turn to go aboard. The ship was loaded by 3:00 PM, and by 4:30 we started to pull away from land and out towards the middle of the river. We were on the good ship
S.S. Canonicus, which had a tonnage of 5,500, and was 410-feet long with a 49-foot beam" (
History of the 1st A.A.P., C.A.C. During WWI). The Canonicus took a southern route of 3,750 miles, passing out of the Bay of Biscay and 40 miles south of the Azores.
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| U.S.S. Canonicus passenger manifest details Samuel J. Kirk |
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Ancestry.com. U.S., WWI Troop Transport Ships, 1918-1919 [database online]
Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2017. |
The crossing was smooth and uneventful. On May 2, 1919, the ship docked in New York harbor amid a dense fog. The troops underwent customary quarantine inspections, and disembarked at 11:00 AM. They were served dinner by the Red Cross before boarding a ferry up the East River. Passing under the Brooklyn Bridge, they landed at a pier in Brooklyn and reached Camp Mills by 3:00 PM.
At Camp Mills, a soldier recounted, "We were located in tents, and were allowed passes every two days. We anxiously awaited the day of our demobilization, which at last arrived. The Regulars were the first to depart, leaving on May 10th. That was the start, and from then on, the regiment, composed of men from almost every state in the Union, and from every walk of life, gradually fell to pieces. May 11th saw the Camp Grant detachment on its way, while the largest of all, the California detachment, left on May 12, 1919, with Camp Dodge departing on the 13th. While sorry to part from so many friends, many of whom we would never see again, still we were glad to get home and be free once more and fulfilling the ambition we had cherished for five and a half months."
Epilogue: The war to end all wars
The search continues for records of Samuel's demobilization and departure from Camp Mills. His headstone application lists his discharge date as May 17, 1919 - 425 days after he enlisted. Perhaps he returned to Fort Russell, the base noted in the application.
Back in Colorado, Samuel left no written reflections on his military service. He lived a quiet, unassuming life. Perhaps his time in uniform helped him land work as a security guard at a water reservoir and later as a night supervisor at an industrial school. Yet, when his time came to an end, after a brief illness treated at the veterans hospital in Fort Lyons, his obituary made no mention of his time in France.
I can only imagine what thoughts crossed his mind 23 years later when a second global war required him to register for the draft once more. The war he supported - the war to end all wars - had failed to fulfill its promise. History had repeated itself and a new generation was called to serve.
