[ NOTE: IF YOU ARE READING THIS SERIES FOR THR FIRST TIME, IT'S BEST TO START AT THE BEGINNING]

More diary entries -

Jan. 17, 1918, Thur., Fair, Cool wind

Had hike, bayonet drill and Co. in C.O. [close order] Drill this a.m. Had lecture on musketry and auto rifle school this p.m. Bombing school also in progress. Very windy out.

Jan. 18, 1918, Frid., Cool. Cold wind. Fair.

Had hike and C.O. Drill this a.m. Drill long and very snappy. Fellows out for detail & bombing school this p.m. Went to auto rifle school. Got ready for inspection this evening. Wrote Yates & Claude. Bed early. Very cold night.

Jan. 19, 1918, Sat., Cool. Partly cloudy.

Reg. inspection this a.m. which went fine - the 4th platoon carrying off honors of the day! O.K. Then I went to barber shop - then prepared for guard duty. Had charge of post 9, including all quartermaster depot. Went on at 4 p.m. with 42 men, 6 corps. & 1 Junior Sgt. - Turner.

Jan. 20, 1918, Sun., Cloudy in a.m. Snow. Fair p.m.

Slept from 12:30 - 4 a.m. only. Inspect posts at night. Snow in early morning. We have 3 tons of T.N.T. besides amm., dynamite, hay, gasoline, ordnance, q.m. [quartermaster] and commissary stores to guard. Everything O.K. Had to reorganize fire system, etc. Very successful tour. Relieved by L. Co. at 4. Wrote. Bed at 8:30. Dead tired.

Jan. 21, 1918, Mon., Cold. Cloudy. 

Had 2 hour hike to (?) forest this a.m. - and then bayonet drill & physical (?) until recall. Had lecture period on military courtesy & regular auto rifle school this p.m. Cold rain tonight. Reg. school. Wrote mother & twins. Bed early.

Jan. 22, 1918, Tues., Fair. Cold. Sloppy.

It snowed last night and being a soft sleet - was frozen so it was very slippery this a.m. No drill. Men on guard tonight. Went to rifle school. Wrote Anna. Bed early. Feel like coming down with la grippe. Letter from Margaret today. Now platoon Sgt. of 3rd platoon. 4th in seniority in the Co.

Jan. 23, 1918, Wed., Fair. Thawing.

Very sick all last night. Did not eat any breakfast this morning. Feel very sick. Slept almost continuously until 4:30. Have la grippe, stomach off too. Made bed after supper & back asleep again. Wrote Anna. Felt slightly better at 6:30 p.m.

Jan. 24, 1918, Thur., Cold. Partly cloudy.

Co. didn't work very hard today. Quite a few down. Pretty sick - abed all day. My grippe has developed into German measles. Feel bum. Wrote couple letters. Bed early.

Jan. 25, 1918, Frid., Fair. In Regt'l hosp.

Taken to hospital today. Have measles. Am pretty sick. Am in room all by myself. Read and slept all day. Wrote few letters. Bed early.

Jan. 26, 1918, Sat., Fair. Clouded up - rain.

Moved from Regt'l to Base Hosp. this morning. Marcoux's bklt was so very poor that I sent it back to him. Walked to base. In ward 26. Burksom here too. This is a quarantine ward. No writing letters. Have easy bed. Warm room. Expect to be here a week. Very nice Red Cross Nurses here. Good supper.

[Despite Clyde's diary entry 'no writing letters' he must have been mistaken because he has stationery with which he wrote to Aunt Nell]

Clyde's letter to Aunt Nell from Camp Wadsworth Base Hospital

Base Hospital

27th Division

January 26, 1918

Dear Aunt Nell -

Just a few lines in reply to your letter of the 20th, which I've just read. Before admonishing me for my procrastination in reading it - please lend a sympathetic ear for a few minutes. "Yours truly" is a pretty sick youngster! Last Tuesday night I went to bed about 6 p.m. thinking I had the grippe - and all day Wed. & Thursday laid in my tent, thinking I could sleep & sweat said grippe off. It seems however that some time during those two days the German measles had come out on me and in becoming uncovered in my sleep, or in dragging myself to about one meal a day, had driven said measles back in, through becoming chilled. Yesterday morning the doctor called, as a matter of form, and (?) to both his & my surprise, that I was a very sick man. He looked me over, ordered a stretcher and sent me to the regimental infirmary with an admittance card - marked "Influenza!" Can you beat it? Well, I had been in the ward about 2 hours, near a big, hot stove, on a cot, pretty weak & sound asleep, when I awoke and a couple attendants were (?) me out of the ward post haste. It seems friend measles had again come to the surface - very strong! So I was isolated until this morning, and am now in the "contagious" building at the base hospital in a nice little room all by myself. It seems Lieut. Charlie Hoyer, my new platoon commander, put in a good word for me, getting, cleverly for me, this nice little room, intended for officers. It's about 13 feet square, has a large, pleasant window, overlooking one of the main roads, a piece of parade ground, and in the back ground a beautiful patch of evergreen, directly in the west - so, I'm promised some very beautiful sunsets from my window - while here. I have a real iron cot, with honest to gosh wire springs, lots of bedding, real sheets, and am sleeping in real pajamas once more, with a nice Red Cross bathrobe to put on while writing, etc. I've brought my pipes, writing materials, Field & Streams - Forest & Streams, The Republic & Digest and though pretty weak and much disposed to sleep, most of the time - will eventually enjoy my waking hours. There's a corking little coal stove in my room, the attendants are exceedingly obliging, the food is excellent, my breakfast was oatmeal with sugar & milk, toast with peach jam on it & lots of good sweet cocoa! So, while I'll miss quite a lot of my auto rifle work & get behind in my platoon instruction - I'm going to enjoy this being sick - even if I am pretty much all in. I've been quite a while writing this as I seem to tire very easily - but it seems good to sit up nevertheless.

I enjoyed your letter a lot - just reread it. The verse - well - it was dog-goned sensible at that!

Now - I perceive you're trying to get a rise out of me about my girl - but - well - as long as I am positively sure of all her virtues, charms, characteristics, and so forth, I don't believe I'll waste good paper by proclaiming same to - well, - would you call it? - "unhearing ears"! Ha!Ha!

I enjoyed immensely your clarification of your latest plays - and regret to say that it has been over six weeks since I've even seen a movie - in fact - outside of reading the four or five different publications I habitually read - I've read no fiction in over a month - so - my mental recreation has about nil.

The date of our departure has now almost become a certainty - and - so accurate has been our latest information - that is - the information to us whose associations with the officers is more intimate, that we cannot remark on the subject at all. All I can say is - that when you receive word from me that I am in France - you will be very surprised - as we are now surprised on knowing the date of our departure. I can say nothing further on the subject.

Well - I'm pretty much all in - there's no news, except that new clothing & equipment is pouring into the Regiment's supply house very fast, that the weather is still - rain, shine, cold and - colder - mostly cold nights & muddy days.

Hoping to hear from you soon, I'll close, as ever

With much love, / Clyde

P. S. Address me same as usual at 107th. My mail is brought over by some of my pals every day. CGB

Observations - It's reassuring that medical care and facilities are up to par and that Clyde is responding well.

Up next - A few more diary entries and another letter to Aunt Nell from Clyde - still in the hospital.