The Clyde Family Letter Collection documents the lives of Leslie Clyde and Robert A. Clyde as they served in France during the First World War. The letters date from 1916 to 1919 and describe the men's experiences as they trained at Fort Monroe, Virginia and served with the 2nd Trench Mortar Battery, 2nd Division throughout France. Most of the letters were written by Leslie and Robert to their mother, Jane "Jennie" Clyde, and their father, Robert S. Clyde, as well as their younger siblings: Margaret, Alexander "Sander," Jennie, and Marion. While most of the correspondence contains details about daily life, some mention national and worldwide events such as the Spanish influenza epidemic, Daylight Savings Time in the US, prohibition, the Chicago race riot of 1919, unions and the Railroad Brotherhood, and Charlie Chaplin. Some of the letters include racist slurs and sentiments.

The Clyde Family

Robert Stevens Clyde (1866-1923) was born in Boston, Massachusetts to Scottish parents, Robert W. Clyde and Marian Stevens. “Bob” became a bookkeeper and married Jane Leslie “Jennie” Falconer (1872-1974) on January 12, 1893 in Peterborough, New Hampshire. Jennie Falconer was born in Elgin, Moray, Scotland and moved with her parents and siblings to the United States in 1889. Robert and Jennie moved around throughout their life together including New Hampshire, New Jersey, Massachusetts, and Missouri. The couple had at least six children who survived to adulthood: Leslie M. Clyde (1894); Robert Alexander Clyde (1895-1934); Margaret Falconer Clyde (1901-1988); Alexander Falconer Clyde (1903-1989); Jennie Clyde (1907-1996); and Marion Elizabeth Clyde (1911-2000). At the start of the First World War, the family was living in St. Louis, Missouri. Robert worked for Armour & Company, a prominent meat packing company, as a bookkeeper and Jennie attended the household. The family moved to Boston, Massachusetts in July 1918. Robert died in Cambridge in 1923. Jennie lived with her children in Massachusetts until her death in 1974.

Leslie M. Clyde

Leslie M. Clyde was the oldest child of Robert A. and Jennie Clyde. Born on January 25, 1895, Leslie attended Harvard University and earned his Engineering Sciences Bachelor of Science in 1914. He remained in Cambridge after he graduated and joined the military as a 1st Sergeant with the 6th Company, Massachusetts Coastal Artillery on May 12, 1917. He attended officers training in Plattsburg, New York until he was transferred to the Coast Artillery Officers Training Camp at Fort Monroe, Virginia. He arrived at Fort Monroe on June 17.

On August 15, Leslie was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Coastal Artillery and headed for active duty abroad. On September 12, 1917, he sailed across the Atlantic to France where he attended French and British trench mortar schools. He was promoted to 1st Lieutenant in October and assigned to the 2nd Trench Mortar Battery, 2nd Division on January 1, 1918. Leslie spent most of his training and service with his brother, Robert, until he was reassigned as an instructor in June 1918. As he was returning to the United States, his ship, the President Lincoln, was torpedoed and sank. He and many of the other passengers made it to lifeboats, but the German submarine remained in the area. A report mentioned that when the German sub surfaced, one of the commanders was a Yale man. Having recognized another Yale graduate in the lifeboat, the soldiers were spared and the sub left. The soldiers were later rescued by the Warrenton.

After working as an instructor at Fort Monroe, Leslie was promoted to Captain on July 23, 1918 and reassigned to Battery C, 6th Trench Mortar Battery. He returned to France on September 15, 1918 and was transferred back to the 2nd Trench Mortar Battery on December 15, 1918 for service with the Army of Occupation in Germany. Two months later, on February 3, 1919, Leslie was sent to the Central Records Office, A.E.F. While still abroad, he met Ethel May Macfarquhar (1898-1983), a Scottish volunteer with the British Army. The two married in France on June 3, 1919. On October 28, 1919 Leslie (and most likely Ethel) returned to the United States. Leslie was discharged from service on December 22, 1919.

After the war, Leslie worked as an electrical engineer. The young couple had a son, Peter Leslie Clyde, who died five hours after his birth due to atelectasis of the lung in June 1920. They lived in Cambridge and Dedham, Massachusetts and Augusta, Maine where Leslie worked as a manager at Augusta Westinghouse Electric. After retirement, the couple moved to St. Petersburg, Florida where Leslie died on June 16, 1974 at the age of 80.

Robert A. Clyde

Robert Alexander Clyde was the second oldest child of Robert S. and Jennie Clyde. Born on September 13, 1895, Robert also attended Harvard University from 1911-1913 and 1914-1915, but did not receive a degree. Much like his brother Leslie, Robert enlisted in the military on May 12, 1917 as a Sergeant in the Coast Artillery, Massachusetts National Guard. He attended officers training in Plattsburg, New York and the brothers were reunited not only physically, but Robert was transferred to the same unit as Leslie and attended the Coast Artillery Officers Training Camp at Fort Monroe, Virginia.                

On August 15, 1917, Robert was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Coastal Artillery and sailed with Leslie to France on September 12, 1917. On October 26, 1917, he was commissioned as a provisional 2nd Lieutenant CAC, Regular Army. He was later promoted to 1st Lieutenant and assigned to the 2nd Trench mortar Battery, 2nd Division on January 7, 1918. While Leslie was sent back to the United States, Robert remained in France and saw combat at the Troyan sector, Château-Thierry, and the Second Battle of the Marne.

On September 7, 1918, Robert returned to the United States as an instructor at Camp Abraham Eustis, Virginia. While there he had an operation on his knee, but the reason remains unknown. Robert continued to serve as a temporary commander until his resignation was accepted on October 31, 1919.

Robert returned to his family in Boston, Massachusetts and worked as an engineer for the New England Telephone and Telegraph Company. He also joined a Masonic fraternity. Robert remained with his mother and siblings in Cambridge and Dedham, Massachusetts until his early death on August 19, 1934 after a short illness at the age of 39. He was buried at Cambridge Cemetery with his father and nephew.

The Clyde Family Letter Collection documents the lives of Leslie and Robert A. Clyde from 1916 to 1919. The two eldest sons of Jane and Robert S. Clyde of St. Louis, Missouri, Leslie and Robert S. served in the 2nd Trench Mortar Battery, 2nd Division, Coast Artillery Corps of the American Expeditionary Forces. Both men attended Harvard University and were living in Cambridge when they enlisted in the military. They sent letters to their mother and father, as well as their four younger siblings: Margaret, Sander (Alexander), Jennie, and Marion, from their training camp in Fort Monroe, Virginia, their boat across the Atlantic, and various places throughout France. The brothers remained in the same company until Leslie returned to the U.S. to be a military instructor. He later returned with the Army to Germany at the end of the war. Robert also returned to Camp Eustis, Virginia in October 1918 for a knee surgery and remained there until he resigned from his post in October 1919. Leslie and Robert both wrote about their own experiences from abroad, but readers can also learn about the family's activities through their comments and questions, and track the family's move from St. Louis, Missouri to Boston, Massachusetts in June 1918. The men also mention the devastation of the Spanish flu, discuss the possibility of the United States adopting Daylight Savings Time and prohibition, as well as mention the Chicago race riot of 1919, and the unionization of the railroads. Additionally, they make some racist comments and use racial slurs.

The collection is divided into three Series: 

Series 1: Leslie Clyde contains correspondence written by Leslie Clyde to his various family members.

Series 2: Robert A. Clyde contains correspondence written by Robert A. Clyde to his various famliy memebers.

Series 3: Clyde Family contains correspondence wiritten by Jane Leslie "Jennie" Clyde to her husband, Robert S. Clyde; and correspondence written by Ethel Clyde, Leslie Clyde's wife, to Jane Leslie "Jennie" Clyde.