John Blackshoe Sends: Serendipity History - A Souvenir of the American North Russia Expeditionary Forces 1918-1919 (Part 1 of 2)

Soldier souvenirs sometimes have interesting stories, like this one, revealing a person, their unit and location, while others are anonymous tourist trinkets.  This is a British brass shell case for a 3 pounder naval gun, embellished with somewhat crude markings, often called “Trench Art.” In this case [pun intended] it was connected to an American soldier, whose WW1 service and combat was not in France, but in the Russian Arctic.

Author’s collection and photo.

“MECH” refers to John J. Joyce’s rank, “Mechanic” which was a WW1 Army way of designating troops with technical skills who got higher pay than their nominal military rank peers. Joyce was a Private First Class, and also “Mechanic” and both were used in his records.

 

This short video provides visual context for this whole story.  It starts with the 339th Infantry arriving at Archangel in September 1918, training in the local area, and their departure in June 1919. PVT Joyce is possibly one of the mortar crews shown from 1:03 to 1:29. 

Screen capture
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The brass case is from a British Navy 3 pounder Vickers gun, like the one below on a shipboard mount. In North Russia these were also mounted on armored trains and river boats as the Allies fought their way up and down those vital transportation routes. The Vickers’ muzzle velocity, range and trajectory were the best of several different 3 pounder guns of the era.  The case is 47 x 414mm rimmed (47 mm bore diameter by 414mm long, or 1.85” x 16.29”), and was made in 1918 by Royal Laboratories, bearing the naval inspector marking of the broad arrow over N. Although the Vickers 3 pounders were not used by U.S. forces, Joyce’s mortar job may have facilitated contacts with British artillery troops to get a few cases for souvenirs, likely in exchange for American tobacco or rations. The actual decoration may have been done by someone in the 339th infantry, or by a local civilian artisan entrepreneur, or perhaps by Joyce himself.

British Naval 3 pounder Vickers gun which used this type of case.
Source

John Joseph Joyce (1893-1964) lived in Delaware almost all his life. He was born in Wilmington on July 10, 1893 to a father from Ireland and mother from Sweden. At age 17, he and his 15 year old brother were both working in bridge construction.  In June 1917, when he registered for the draft at age 24, he was an asbestos worker in Detroit, described as medium height, stout build, blue eyes and light hair, and he was supporting his mother.

He entered the Army on November 20, 1917, and in June 1918 became part of the 339th Infantry Regiment, composed of draftees from the Detroit area and some from Wisconsin, training to fight the Huns on the Western Front in France. 

Joyce and most of the rest of the 339th Infantry sailed from New York on July 21st aboard the USS PLATTSBURG.  This was a former passenger ship built in Scotland in 1888 as a schooner rigged passenger steamship, with a hull more like a clipper ship, but with twin screws added, quite the classy ship when built. In 1893 she set a speed record for transatlantic crossing (later broken by other ships, and last set in 1958).  The ship was first called SS CITY OF NEW YORK, later SS NEW YORK, sailing for an American company. During the Spanish American War she was chartered as an auxiliary cruiser, renamed USS HARVARD, afterwards returning to commercial trade under her old name until chartered again in WW1 with the new name USS PLATTSBURG (SP-1645) where she made four voyages taking troops to Europe, and then seven bringing them home after the Armistice.

USS PLATTSBURG leaving drydock with new camouflage paint job, six weeks before PVT Joyce boarded.
(Public Domain)

When troops boarded USS Plattsburg, each was given a “Troop Billet Card” like the one below, assigning them to a specific bunk in a specific berthing compartment, along with washroom, latrine, and an abandon ship station. 

Source

Army passenger lists are a treasure for historians, listing every passenger, their unit, next of kin and their address. Ancestry.com or Fold3 websites provide access to these. The sailing list for USS PLATTSBURG departing New York on July 21, 1918 with the 339th Infantry included PVT 1st Class Joyce of the Headquarters Company, his service number and listed his mother at 524 Vandever Ave, Wilmington, DE.

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524 Vandever Avenue was the Joyce family home, which has changed little in the last 100 years. PVT Joyce returned there after the war, and after being a pipefitter for a while, spent the final 31 years of his life operating a tavern a few blocks away. 

 

(To be continued in Part 2 of 2)

Editor's Note: After I publish Part 2 of JB's latest interesting trek down yet another little known episode in our history, I'll get back to the tankers in the woods. This was too good to hold back, also, I ain't ready yet ...