1918 Diary of a Wisconsin Doctor and Newlywed Serving in World War One and Shipping Out to France in a Medical Unit

On offer is an outstanding diary describing an American medical officer’s experiences in the final year of WWI.

This diary belonged to Hugh M Fogo (1886-1963). Fogo was born in Gillingham, Wisconsin to parents Caroline Morrow and Harvey Fogo. He was educated first at the University of Wisconsin, and then completed his medical training at Rush College in Chicago, Illinois, graduating in 1917. He enlisted in the army in July of 1917.  In May, 1918, Hugh, who was a Lieutenant in the Medical Reserve Corps at the time, married Isabel Young. He shipped out to France just a few days later as a part of the American Expeditionary Forces and served there from June 1918 to June 1919. After the war, Huge resided in Chicago with his Isabel and their daughter, Jeanette. He worked as an Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) doctor. 

Fogo identifies his unit as the 83rd Division at Camp Sherman, Ohio. On June 13th, he shipped out for France with the 83rd Division. They arrived in Britain on June 22nd  and were immediately re-embarked on a transport ship for France. He arrived in Le Havre on the 24th. For the next several months he was stationed at hospitals near the Western Front. 

Arriving after the Battle of Belleau Wood, he commented on a number of battle actions as the war ground on to its conclusion in November of that year. Following the armistice, he moved with his unit into Germany. At year’s end, he was still in Germany.

The 83rd Division was demobilized in April 1919. During the was, the 83rd was designated as the 2nd Depot Division. It supplied over 195,000 officers and enlisted men as replacements to other units in France but never saw action as a complete formation.

Trained as a doctor, Fogo brings a keen eye for detail and an ability to concisely describe what he sees around him. The following excerpts convey a flavour of his diary.

“83rd Div Camp Sherman, O. In B Hosp C, Sherman O. Tonsils out yesterday PM. Feeling very comfortable. Weather cold. About 6 inches of snow…” [Jan 1]. 

“Regular schedule. Dancing party by Bae Hosp. Surgeons at YMCA. Miss Curtis” [Feb 1]. 

“Packing and checking up at camp. Married at 5PM. Wedding supper at 6PM. 50 guests present. Some nice presents. Everybody very kind. Very glad it is settled. Both happy. Changed room to 177 W. 2nd” [May 28]. 

“Left Camp at 2:00 PM. Glad of change and that we’re on our way to the front. Men all happy and singing. Stopped at a good many stations. People waving farewell everywhere” [June 4]. 

“Left camp at 3:30AM and boarded ship at 7AM. [Addendum Fogo added on August 27, 1932 right below this entry]: This was the White Star Liner Olympic used to transport HMF” [June 12]. 

“Attacks successful on British, French and Amer.fronts along sectors Ch Thierry to Cambrai and Arras. Began in mid-July following a Hun attack on July 15 at Ch Thierry on Franco-Arras front” [Aug 8]. 

“Capt J.E. McNeel Amb Co 329 had heard of brother killed in action at Soissons in the first big drive” [Aug 10]. 

“...Rainy most of time. St. Mihiel sector wiped out by French and Amer on Sept [ ]. Big attack from Rhiems to Verdun. Started Sept 25. 7 mile advance 1st day” [Sept 27].

“Cloudy A.M. Clear P.M. Train slow. Reached Vierzonat 3:00 P.M.. Went on to Saincaize to change cars for Lyon. Reached Saincaize at midnight. Train out for Lyon at 6:00 A.M. Stayed in Depot. ARMISTICE SIGNED by HUNS 5:30 A.M”. [Nov 11]. 

Shortly after the war, it appears that he returned to visit. There are photographs of Belleau Wood which was a major battle fought in 1918. Belleau Wood saw significant action by the U.S. Marine Corps and occupies a significant place in the lore of the Corps. One of the pictures shows an ammunition dump. Others are street scenes of several cities.

For a historian, this is an excellent description of one officer’s experiences with the American Expeditionary Force. It adds to the body of information about the 83rd Divisions movements The photographs add a real sense of immediacy to his diary.

This diary measures 4.75x3.25 inches and contains 184 pages plus memoranda and is about 65% complete. The cover is canvas with leather trim on the edges. The trim is worn off in areas. There is some staining on the cover. The binding is completely intact as are all of the pages. The small pencil that came with the diary is still in its loop There is a small pocket on the inside of the back cover and it contains 10 annotated black & white photographs plus other ephemera. The diary carries 4 stamps from Army Censors indicating it has been passed. Overall Good.