In 1917 Harry was working as a fireman at Pennsylvania Railroad in Canton Ohio when on October 7, 1917, he enlisted in the army from Canton, Stark County, Ohio. World War I was in full swing and he was sent to France to serve on a hospital train in the war zone. Prior to going oversees, Harry attended the Training School for Sanitary Troops, of the First Depot Division to receive his training as army cook.

Harry’s regiment was initially called Train Number 27, than changed by April 1918 to Train Number 63. Harry was appointed Cook from Private, on January 14, 1919 and was one of three cooks on this train. Hospital Train 63 spent its entire time in France, moving from town to town to pick up soldiers and prisoners of war who were injured or sick. Logs indicated they regularly went to the following towns: Cronat, Souilly, Beau Desert, Jates, Bordeaux, Savenay, Alleroy, St. Nazaire, Vittel, Bazoilles, Cannes, Joue Los Tours, Toulon, Joue, Chaumont, Langres, Dijon, Bassens, Beaune, Allerey and Brest.

In March, 1919, Train 63 arrived at Joue-les-Tours with 88 German prisoner patients. The memo indicated there was a problem with long delays in unloading prisoners and that the delay caused hardship to the train crews, upset the railroad schedules, and caused misunderstanding and disputes with the French railroad officials.

Harry ended his tour of duty and returned to the states, arriving with his regiment at 3:00 p.m., on July 19, 1919, at Hoboken, New Jersey, on the U.S.S. Panaman. They were than transported by train to Camp Merritt, New Jersey arriving at 5:00 p.m. On 23 July, 1919, they were debriefed and after breakfast officially discharged from the army.

Harry Webster Morgan