"It is remarkable how the birds still sing in the war-swept forest." (Diary, 3/2/1918)

Quincy Claude Ayres

Portrait of Quincy C. Ayres in uniform in a studio, France [1918] War: World War, 1914-1918; World War, 1939-1945 Branch: Army; Navy Unit: 1st Engineers, 2nd Division (RA); 2nd Engineers, 2nd Division (RA); Civil Engineer Corps; Bureau of Yards and Docks, US Navy Department; 13th Naval District; Reserves Service Location: France; Germany; also: Washington, DC; Seattle, Washington Rank: First Lieutenant; Captain

Boarding the USS Pocahontas on December 3, 1917, for the trip overseas, First Lieutenant Quincy Ayres made daily entries in his diary for the next eighteen months, narrating his arrival in France and his journeys and experiences throughout. He was sustained by letters from his wife, Mary, whom he addresses in his diary as "honey presc," an abbreviated term of endearment. Quoting a comrade, he writes that "letters from home are like the heavens breaking through depressing clouds."