1918 antique WWI SOLDIER DIARY indianapolis HR LAFOY AEF 40th Co 20th Engineers
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This description was prepared with the help of AI tools for transcription and historical context. Because handwriting can be difficult to interpret and some details may be unclear, please review all photographs carefully and rely on your own assessment.
This original World War I-era handwritten soldier diary contains approximately 100 pages of content, primarily documenting the experiences of H.R. Lafoy of Indianapolis, Indiana, who served with the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF), including the 40th Company, 20th Engineers. The notebook offers a vivid personal record of wartime life overseas, travel through France, and the long-awaited journey home at the close of the war.
A particularly notable section is titled “Sailing Day,” describing Lafoy’s departure from Europe and his Atlantic crossing back to the United States, with daily mile counts, weather observations, fog and storms, and shipboard routine. Several entries reflect deep emotion about returning home, including poetic and reflective passages, and the notebook concludes memorably with the line: “Finis — Long time gone!”
The diary also contains an outstanding discharge-era address page written to “Mr. William Turner, Yale Ave, Swarthmore, Pa.” in which Lafoy notes that he expected to be discharged on Friday, July 25, and provides his own contact information as “Casual Company 2267, Camp Mills.” Such personal correspondence details are rare and add significant genealogical and historical value.
A small number of additional pages include interesting lecture-style notes and diagrams on agriculture, animal husbandry, irrigation, and horticulture—an unusual educational glimpse alongside the wartime narrative, but the volume is overwhelmingly a soldier’s diary in content and character.
A rare identified WWI manuscript combining travel, service, homecoming, and personal reflection from an American engineer soldier returning from overseas.
Authentic period piece related to family, historyor local heritage - well-suited for historical collections, genealogical /genealogy research, or museum acquisition.Vintage or Antique.
CONDITION: See listing description and photos.
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LOC:
LOC2: BOOKBOX44-TMKTK-F241025BTA2BE0
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