Yanks in British Commonwealth Forces in the Great War

[Sir William]

Does anyone know of any Americans who served in the British, Canadian or Australian Forces during the FIRST World War?

I know that a small number of Americans joined the British Forces, usually via Canada, in the Second World War:

17 served as officers in the King's Royal Rifle Corps (the old 60th Royal Americans)

Probably 100 or so in the RAF or RCAF (and not just in the Eagle Squadrons - I knew someone who was in Fairey Battles and Vicker Wellingtons).

Perhaps 6 or so in the Royal Navy.

I know of at least one man, Arthur Empey who served in the ranks in the Royal Fusiliers during the First World War, but I'm not aware of any other Americans who served in British (or Canadian or Australian) uniform during the Great War.

[PatG]

I am currently listening to Kitchener’s Mob Adventures of an American in the British Army by James Norman Hall, available in free audio book from Librivox or in various free print forms from Project Gutenberg.

Unfortunately Mr. Hall volunteered with a World War One London regiment and not a Highland one. Three or four chapters in it is an interesting tale. I will warn you that the audio version reader's attempts at cockney accents are right down there with Dick Van Dyke's Mary Poppins performance.

[Riverkilt]

Not sure which war you're focused on here. If its 2, my father enlisted direct with the RAF ( not RCAF) in Spokane, Washington. He trained in southern California, then took a train to Nova Scotia and shipped over to England. He was serving as a Flying Sgt with the RAF in 59 OTU when the Army Air Corps finally got organized in England in Sept '42 and took most of the Americans from the RAF. He was one of many and there are many books about them.

[macwilkin]

Does anyone know of any Americans who served in the British, Canadian or Australian Forces during WWI?

I know that a small number of Americans joined the British Forces, usually via Canada, in WWII:

17 served as officers in the King's Royal Rifle Corps (the old 60th Royal Americans)

Probably 100 or so in the RAF or RCAF (and not just in the Eagle Squadrons - I knew someone who was in Fairey Battles and Vicker Wellingtons).

Perhaps 6 or so in the Royal Navy.

I know of at least one man, Arthur Empey who served in the ranks in the Royal Fusiliers, but I'm not aware of any other Americans who served in British (or Canadian or Australian) uniform during the Great War.

There was an American Company of the Home Guard; the Company of Military Historians featured it in on one of the uniform plates a number of years ago. I think I may have that particular issue; let me check. If not, I know where to get it.

T.

[macwilkin]

Also, check our Scott Gilmore's "A Connecticut Yankee in the 8th Gurkha Rifles". Gilmore started off as an ambulance driver with the American Field Service (AFS) in North Africa before accepting a commission in the Indian Army with 8th Gurkha Rifles. Gilmore spent the rest of the war in Burma. AFS, which started in the First World War before the Americans entered the conflict, later became a student exchange organisation. My wife lived in Venezuela as an AFS exchange student. There is an excellent book about the AFS and other volunteer ambulance drives in WWI (including Hemingway's time with the Red Cross in Italy) called "Gentlemen Volunteers".

My advisor in university told me about Gilmore years ago; I re-read it every other year or so. I wish my grandfather could have read it, as I would have liked to discuss it with him, being the old CBI hand he was.

CMH also has a plate of AFS personnel seconded to the 8th Army.

T.

[macwilkin]

Oops!

Sorry, Sir William -- you wanted WWI. Look no further that Teddy Roosevelt's son Kermit, who served with the British in Mesopotamia as a Captain in the Machine Gun Corps. He wrote a memoir of his experiences entitled "War in the Garden of Eden", and was awarded the MC before transferring to the AEF in late 1918. In 1939, he received a commission in the Middlesex Regiment (with the help of Churchill) and was going to lead British volunteers in support of the Finns in their war with the Bolsheviks in 1939. He later served with British forces in Norway before being discharged from the British Army in 1941. He once again entered the US Army and was posted to Ft. Richardson, Alaska where he took his own life in 1943.

http://www.theodore-roosevelt.com/kermit.html
http://www.gutenberg.org/files/13665/13665-8.txt

T.

[Sir William]

Not sure which war you're focused on here. If its 2, my father enlisted direct with the RAF ( not RCAF) in Spokane, Washington. He trained in southern California, then took a train to Nova Scotia and shipped over to England. He was serving as a Flying Sgt with the RAF in 59 OTU when the Army Air Corps finally got organized in England in Sept '42 and took most of the Americans from the RAF. He was one of many and there are many books about them.

The Great War, World War I, the War to End all Wars.

I'm quite familiar with Americans who served in British uniform during the Second World War. I wanted to know if there was a similar representation in the First War.

I've quite a few books on Americans in the RAF and RCAF during WWII (and one on an American in the RN). By chance is your father listed in any of them?

The man I knew joined the RCAF, flew bombers, was shot down several times, captured and escaped several times, but didn't join the USAF until after the war. He was called back up during Korea but allowed to remain in the USAF. He was my Scoutmaster in the late 60s and one day I saw his RCAF wings on his USAF dress uniform, which is how I learned the story and got to read his logbook.

[Sir William]

Oops!

Sorry, Sir William -- you wanted WWI. Look no further that Teddy Roosevelt's son Kermit, who served with the British in Mesopotamia as a Captain in the Machine Gun Corps. He wrote a memoir of his experiences entitled "War in the Garden of Eden", and was awarded the MC before transferring to the AEF in late 1918. In 1939, he received a commission in the Middlesex Regiment (with the help of Churchill) and was going to lead British volunteers in support of the Finns in their war with the Bolsheviks in 1939. He later served with British forces in Norway before being discharged from the British Army in 1941. He once again entered the US Army and was posted to Ft. Richardson, Alaska where he took his own life in 1943.

http://www.theodore-roosevelt.com/kermit.html
http://www.gutenberg.org/files/13665/13665-8.txt

T.

Outstanding! I never knew that (but then I'm only now delving into that conflict).

[Sir William]

There was an American Company of the Home Guard; the Company of Military Historians featured it in on one of the uniform plates a number of years ago. I think I may have that particular issue; let me check. If not, I know where to get it.

T.

I'm in the CMH. I'll see if I can find it. Thanks.

[Sir William]

I am currently listening to Kitchener’s Mob Adventures of an American in the British Army by James Norman Hall, available in free audio book from Librivox or in various free print forms from Project Gutenberg.

Unfortunately Mr. Hall volunteered with a World War One London regiment and not a Highland one. Three or four chapters in it is an interesting tale. I will warn you that the audio version reader's attempts at cockney accents are right down there with Dick Van Dyke's Mary Poppins performance.

THanks. I'll look for the book and not the audio version.