Forrest Leaves Barnard for Fort Devens - World War I

In 1917, when he was 22 years old, Forrest Aikens of Barnard followed in his grandfather Charles' footsteps and went to war. In April, President Woodrow Wilson went in front of a joint session of Congress to ask for a declaration of war against Germany as a result of German submarine warfare in the North Atlantic, and in response to Germany's attempts to allign with Mexico against the United States. On April 4^th, Congress declared war on Germany and several days later declared war on Austra-Hungary. In May, the Selective Service Act of 1917 authorized the American government to institute a draft, to raise an army to fight the Germans in Europe.

All males aged 21 – 30 were required to register for the draft. Unmarried registrants with no dependents were eligible to be conscripted. Married registrants with depended spouses or children with sufficient family income if drafted were deferred, but would be called if needed. Registrants who provided the sole income for dependent families or siblings, people employed in agriculture or a war industry, were exempted from the draft but would be called if needed. 4.8 million men served in the military during World War I, and half of them were draftees.

Forrest, being 22 and unmarried, was drafted. He was inducted into the army on September 18, 1917, in Woodstock. He was a member of Battery C in the 302^nd Field Artillery, part of the 76^th Division. His first experience in the army was at Fort Devens, in Ayer, Massachusetts. Draftees from throughout New England went to Camp Devens to be trained before being shipped out for Europe.

Camp Devens was built by the largest labor force ever assembled in the United States, at that time. In June, Camp Devens was a wilderness, and in September it was entire city ready for 30,000 inhabitants, including barracks, a water system, sewer system, heating plant, and training buildings. During the summer of 1917, workmen built 10 buildings a day in a rush to build the camp where the newly drafted New England soldiers would train for combat in Europe.

On September 19^th, the first soldiers arrived at the newly built camp – from New Haven, Connecticut - followed on the 20^th with men from Vermont, one of whom was Forrest Aikens.

 

                                           New arrivals getting off the train in Ayer, marching

                                                   through town to the camp

 

 By October 1, there were 1049 men at Camp Devens, and 60 officers. To proceed further in training the men to be soldiers, a school was set up for prospective non-commissioned officers. Everyone who thought they might be a viable candidate was encouraged to attend the school. The schooling lasted for four weeks. On October 28^th and 29^th all of the candidates took competitive tests, and the non-commissioned officers were picked according to their test scores. The men with the highest test scores became Sergeants and the next highest scores became Corporals. Battery C had 6 Sergeants and 15 Corporals. Forrest was one of the Corporals.

These officers continued to attend trainings, on anti-gas tactics, equestrian skills, court martial information, panoramic sketching and liason duties. They attended classes on the course of the war, and the military strategies involved in the fighting in Europe. Of course, they also helped lead the drills and marches for their batteries. The History of the 302^nd Field Artillery tells of hiking miles down icy roads in zero weather wearing gas masks, and of officers' meetings that lasted for hours during winter nights. “When adjournment was announced within an hour and a half, the evening was a success. Although necessary, the officers' meetings did not make the long winter evenings any shorter – with their hot, sleepy hours and confidential pamphlets without end”. Apparently the heating system at Camp Devens was efficient.

In December, the regiment received 1006 horses, and that winter, many of the soldiers' duties revolved around the horses – feeding, grooming and training them. 

 

This was fairly difficult in the snow, slush and ice of the winter. Then in the spring, when the weather was getting nicer, and it was more pleasant to work with the horses, the War Department decided the regiment should become a motorized unit. The horses left and the men started learning how to drive and repair motor vehicles.

 

Not a lot happened at Camp Devens over the winter, other than trainings, schools and meetings. The big news was the quarantines. Various barracks were quarantined for measles and mumps outbreaks. Over the fall and winter, the men had not received much in the way of weapons to practice with, but more equipment arrived with the coming of Spring. Target practice started on March 17^th. All kinds of other military exercizes began as well, with outdoor trainings involving cannoneering, telephone operation, range finding, wireless operating, truck driving and electric line installation, signaling, and grenade throwing.

 

signaling and semaphore training

 

 

Forest was selected for officer's candidate school, and was trained at Camp Taylor in Kentucky and Camp McClellan in Alabama, before the war ended and he was discharged.  He never saw overseas duty.