by Brett Snyder

Ira F. Shenk came from a Mennonite background. His grandfather, Jeremiah Shenk, had been the last Shenk on the family homestead, south of Conestoga and near Safe Harbor, Pennsylvania. This parcel was originally settled on by Jeremiah’s great-grandfather, Michael Shenk, around 1730, when he emigrated from Switzerland.  Jeremiah died in 1916. The family homestead was sold.

Jeremiahs wife, Delilah Kendig Shenk, and their four children relocated to Lancaster. The second son, George Kendig Shenk, went into the shoe trade and by 1910 had a shop at 53 West King Street and a family of four children. Ira was the eldest of these children and by the time the United States entered the war in 1917, he was ready to enlist. To do so, he lied about his age since he was not yet 18. To placate his Mennonite relations, he compromised and joined an Ambulance Company. Ira did not start his diary until September 1, 1918, but did give a capsule history of the period before.

I enlisted in Ambulance Co. #111 N.G.P on the 18th day of May, 1917 at Lancaster, Pa. We were called out July 15 and drilled in Lancaster until the 10th day of September. On that day we left for Camp Hancock, Augusta, Ga. We arrived the 13th of September and stayed there until May 10th, 1918 when we left for Camp Mills, New York. We left there on May 18th and went abroad on a British boat named the S. S. Britton. We landed in Liverpool, England where we boarded a train and went to Southampton, arriving there on the 3rd of June. [The next day] we boarded a boat and started for France across the English Channel. We landed in Le Havre and stayed there [four days.] We were transferred into the British Army and [then] back into the American Army. We went by train to Fayl Billot where we stayed until July 6th. We left on a box car train for the Marne front (Chateau Thierry). We set up a dressing station one-half day after the Dutch pulled out of Chateau Thierry. We moved to La Channel and set up another dressing station. We stayed there 7 days where I acted as relief driver. Then we moved to Dravegny and I was put on Haslinger's car as orderly. We worked there 8 days and nights and then moved into Courville where we were shelled 5 or 6 times a day. On August 17th at 6 PM, Harvey Hottenstein was killed. He was loved by everyone and we lost a very dear friend and comrade. The night before, Fritz came over and dropped 16 tons of bombs near us. Two of them dropped 14 feet away from our dressing station. We were relieved by the 112th A.C. when we moved back to Cohan.

Ira wrote in his diary every day from September 1,1918 until April 15, 1919 when he indicated they expected to sail for home in a day or two. For each entry, he wrote the date, the day of the week and described the weather. What follows is an unedited selection from those entries.

Sept. 3, Tuesday.

Clear & Mild. I talked to a French aviator that I seen fall. He had a machine gun wound in the shoulder. He brought down a German observation balloon. Coming back, he run into 2 more French planes and they run into 9 German planes. This Frenchman brought down one of the Bosch planes and then he was wounded and forced to land himself. He was 27 years old and could talk English fluently, and had 9 German planes to his credit. We made one trip to Chateau Thierry.

Sept. 6, Friday.

Clear. We were up at Fismes and Fismette today. We were coming back with four litter and eight sitting patients when Fritz spied us. He shot ten shells at us. We passed through safely. I got a small piece of shrapnel through the sole of my shoe. [...] I did not mind it till I got back to Cohan, then my nerves just dropped down. Then they bombed us all night.

Sept. 20, Friday.

Clear. We layed in the hospital all day. It is an immense place. We relieved the French. Two American nurses and the motor section made some fudge. We never knew there was a war. We. loaded up a measle case at 8 PM and took him to 647 Evacuation Hospital and they would not accept him so we went about 20 Kilom. further. It was a beautiful night. We passed many camps and heavy guns. We had some bread and cheese and put a litter up and crawled in bed.

Sept. 23, Monday.

Rain. We drove all night (Sunday-Monday AM) in a downpour of rain. Traffic was very heavy. We evacuated the hospital. Then we drove back to the company and layed there all day and went in the pit at 6 PM. Two young Frogs came up to us and we were talking from 7 to 9. We gave them some chewing tobacco. The big fellow took two big bites and swallowed. Then he drank some water. He was some mess. The fellow doubled all up, I never laughed so much in all my life. There started action here. Shells were dropping all around. They shelled a bridge I went over.

Oct. 4, Friday.

Clear. We were called at 2 AM and ordered to the front. There were about 40 machines in line and each had to make two trips. I was one of the first and made my two trips. Then I went to Rouchlieux and evacuated 3 loads from F.H. 109. I returned to F.H. 111 and made another trip. I was at the wheel from 2 AM to 9 PM. I only had one meal all day, and that was supper. I am very tired.

Oct. 7, Monday.

Clear. Rumors of the 28th Division coming out. We had 800 killed and 11,000 causalities in the Chateau Thierry drive.

Oct. 8, Tuesday.

Rain. We made 2 trips to Vaubecourt today. It was raining hard most of the day. It hailed a little. I took a bath tonight in a bucket of hot water and put on all new clothes.

Oct. 12, Saturday.

Clear. We arrived at our destination safely. I slept all night on the front seat. We passed through St. Mihiel. It was another ruin. Some more of the Huns at work. I have been cooking my own meals so far. I put some gas in a tin can and used it as a stove. I made a soup out of tomatoes, corned beef, butter and crackers. We traveled 67 miles.

October 13, Sunday.

Rain. We are laying in a small town (Bivoran). I am cooking my own meals. I was in church this morning for the first time since I was in France. I felt sort of homesick today.

October 28, Monday.

Clear. I returned to the company this morning. I then filled all the grease cups and differential, etc. I also fix [sic] the brakes. Tonight a call came in, “A patient at Anti-Aircraft Co. #2, 1/2 kilo from the lines". I had a wild ride but got there and back safely with God's help. I was officially notified that I was promoted to Wagoner.

Oct. 30, Wednesday.

Clear. I cleaned the car this morning and then I took a little walk. I got a German helmet and two German signs. Max sewed them up. I am going to send it home this afternoon. I took a bath in the evening. I took a patient to Essey. The machine runs like a clock.

Nov. 3, Sunday.

Clear. I went over to the 103rd Engineers this morning. I was driving the best part of the morning. Jerry shelled all of these towns around here this morning. I think he has a gun on the rail which he hauls up to the lines. I also seen him burn one of our balloons. Tonight I received a bundle of comic papers and magazines from Kendig. I sure did appreciate them.

Nov. 5, Tuesday.

Clear. I was sent to the 109th Infantry M.C. for 48 hours. I was kept busy the best part of the day. I seen several Allied planes bring down a Bosch this morning. It was a great fight. According to today's papers, Austria has given up. I think the war will be over within a few weeks. Let's hope so anyway.

Nov. 11, Monday.

Clear. I was driving from the lines to the farm last night and this morning. The last barrage went over at 10 to 11 this morning. Well, the war is over.

Nov. 15, Friday.

Clear. I worked on the machine till 4:30, then I took a patient to the Field Hospital at Nonsard. Rumors are that we hike to Nancy or Toul, take a train to a barracks camp 2 miles south of Paris. We prepared for the grand review for the field of honor, where we will be decorated, decorated, decorated and decorated. We probably will parade in Paris (maybe). We will then stay in a barracks camp for a short time. We will then be sent as one division or part of a division to England where we will participate in a grand celebration to be reviewed by His Majesty King George VII. We will then [sail] for God's country where we will participate in the greatest demonstration of them all to take place Jan. 1, 1919 at Washington. This feature will be reviewed by President Wilson to celebrate the crushing of militarism and Prussianism. We will probably parade in Philadelphia or Harrisburg and then go to a cantonment where we will be held as a parade division in order that any city that has a demonstration may have troops. We will then be about 1 year from the date of the ending of the war and be mustered into civilian life.

Signed by the honorable members of the ancient order of Kha Ki:

President C. Campbell

Vice-president G. Koch

Secretary Ira F. Shenk

Treasurer/Official Gloom Max Beyer.

Dec. 17, Tuesday.

Rain. I made the Engineer calls this morning through Vigneulles, Heudicourt, Nonsard, and LaMarche this afternoon. I washed and greased the machine.

Dec. 18, Wednesday.

Rain. I went to four field hospitals today located at Esse, Nonsard and Buxerulles. The roads are very muddy.

Dec. 25, Saturday.

Snow. The ground was white when we got up this morning. It snowed the best part of the day. We had goose for dinner. I was reading the Dec. Cosmopolitan.

Jan. 2, Thursday.

Rain. I returned to the company this morning. We had a little party and talked about organizing a club at home out of the motor section. I received my Xmas box tonight.

Jan. 6, Monday.

Clear. I am detached with the 111th Inf. I am following them back. I think this is our first hop on our homeward journey

Apr. 15.

Located at Le Mans. Expect to sail within a few days

Ira F. Shenk came back to Lancaster from the war in 1919. In 1920, he married my grandmother, Winifred Bown. They initially settled in New Jersey, and later moved to Flushing, New York. After managing a shoe store in New Jersey he started to work for an orthopedic shoe chain in New York, eventually managing their Brooklyn Store. My mother, Betty, was born in 1923 and her brother, George, followed in 1925. After spending his early retirement in Florida, Ira moved back to Lancaster with my grandmother where he died in 1970.

As I was only 10 when he died, I never got to talk with him about his experiences in the Great War. But he left each of us something from that conflict. My older brothers were given the German helmet (as mentioned in the October 30th entry) and his canteen, and I received a miniature military cap fashioned from the end of a bomb shell and an insignia from a uniform button.

Recently while helping my mother to pack for a move into an apartment, we came across a white cloth bag with a red cross on it. Inside I found some of my grandfather's World War I “artifacts" including the Welcome Home Medal, a medal from the Pennsylvania National Guard, some ribbons, buttons from his uniform, his round dog tag, a German helmet medallion and an ignition key to one of the ambulances. But the real prize was his diary written while in France, part of which is included here.

We also found a booklet for the 111th Ambulance Company, 103rd Sanitary Train, 28th Division Monument unveiling program which occurred in Buchanan Park on May 21, 1939. I remember going with my grandparents to see this monument in the late 1960s. It contained the names of the veterans of that group and by each of the deceased was a gold star. Last year I visited the monument again and was greatly saddened but not surprised to see that every name had a star beside it.

This article first appeared in the Winter 1999 issue of the “Journal of the Lancaster County Historical Society”.