302nd Infantry at Camp Devens - 1918

The 302nd Infantry, Colonel C. C. Smith commanding, comes from the southeastern part of Massachusetts. Some of the men came from Quincy, Hingham and towns near Boston; others lived in Provincetown and the villages of Cape Cod, on Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket.

Bayonet Drills

Bayonet Drill Consisting of Men From Company H, 302nd Infantry, Supervised by 1st Lt. H. D. White. GGA Image ID # 13a2ff45fd

Here we have First Lieutenant H. D. White instructing his men in bayonet drill. In order to illustrate the many varieties of offensive and defensive positions, the lieutenant has ordered each pair to assume a different pose.

The men on the end are executing the preliminary movements, but in the center we can see a man who has come to close quarters with his adversary and is, so to speak, “after him tooth and nail.” This platoon is from H Company of the 302d Infantry, and the combatants formerly lived on Cape Cod.

SANITATION OF BLANKETS AND MATTRESSES

Sanitizing Blankets and Mattresses by Hanging Them out the Windows From the Barracks. GGA Image ID # 13a2f34fba

The sanitary officer of Camp Devens has decreed that as a health precaution all blankets and mattresses shall be suspended during the hours of morning drill from the windows of the barracks, and that every window in the building shall be open. That is the reason for the rather astounding display of sleeping accoutrements in this barracks of the 302d Light Artillery.

THE 302nd INFANTRY

The 302nd Infantry, Colonel C. C. Smith commanding, comes from the southeastern part of Massachusetts. Some of the men came from Quincy, Hingham and towns near Boston; others lived in Provincetown and the villages of Cape Cod, on Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket.

These are the men whose fathers and grandfathers sailed from New Bedford and Nantucket on long whaling voyages, or earned their subsistence by fishing trips to the banks of Newfoundland.

And their sons and grandsons, strong and sturdy young men who have spent their lives on the shores of Massachusetts, have forsaken the sea, and are preparing to fight by land the great war of democracy.

Street of the 302nd Infantry at Camp Devens. GGA Image ID #

The street in the picture runs through their barracks, and connects the regimental street in front with the highway in the rear. The latter encircles the barracks of the 301st and the 302nd. Looking down the hill, one can see the great parade ground, or drill field, which these two regiments overlook.

This picture illustrates the manner in which all the infantry sites are laid out. For instance, the barracks of A and E Companies are on the main street below, while B, C and D, and G, H and I, are situated in tiers behind them. One of the officers’ quarters is seen on the other side of the road at the bottom of the hill. The small buildings along the side of the barracks are latrines, which contain the toilets and shower baths.

RETURNING FROM THE TRENCHES

A Detail from the 302nd Infantry Returning from the Trenches. GGA Images ID # 13a6365f45

At seven-thirty this morning a detail from the 302nd Infantry was formed, and was ordered to don overalls and take picks and shovels, instead of rifles, for the morning drill. The unit had representatives of nearly every company in the regiment.

“Squads right, march,” commanded the officer in charge, and the column moved up the road. After ten minutes’ walk the men arrived at the trenches, and spent the morning in digging, and receiving instruction in the formation and construction of trenches from the Canadian and French officers.

It is Saturday noon and now they are returning to their barracks. For most of them, the week’s work is over, and a day and a half of rest is in prospect.

Members of Companies I and K, 302nd Infantry Form “The Prize Squad.” GGA Image ID # 13a954dd35

The picture shows a group of noncommissioned officers of the two companies indulging in a quiet, private drill, “far from the madding crowd.” The lieutenant in charge informed me that they were the “prize squad of the camp.”

When members of companies I and K, 302nd Infantry, came down with the measles, the other members of the unit were placed under strict quarantine. In order to prevent loss of valuable time while waiting for the quarantine to be lifted, the officers took groups to isolated parts of the camp and conducted the drills.

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