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LeRoy Feay Thompson in uniform at time of service [ca. 1918]

Veterans History Project Service Summary:

  • War or Conflict: World War, 1914-1918
  • Branch of Service: Army
  • Service Unit/Ship: Company A, 303rd Field Support Battalion, 78th Division
  • Location of Service: France; Fort Leavenworth, Kansas
  • Highest Rank: Private
  • Collection Number: AFC/2001/001/79821

View full service history

"I think it will be impossible to vanquish these pesky cooties until everyone in the room has every single thing decootied." (Letter to Mother and Dad, 1/3/1919)

As part of a field support unit, Private Leroy Feay Thompson (known as "Feay" to his family) worked with the relatively new technology of radio. After training in trench radio, he departed for France, where he worked as a radio operator attached to the 78th Division. As he explains in a letter home, "We have only a small outfit, but with our antenna on top of the rocks we can copy boats in both the Atlantic and Mediterranean waters." Most of his time was spent away from the front, though he saw action at Verdun. However, there was no escape from some elements of the trench experience--namely, lice.

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More Resources

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[ Letter to Mother from Leroy F. Thompson [5/29/1918] ]
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[ Letter to Dad from Leroy F. Thompson [6/5/1918] ]
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[ Letter to Mother from Leroy F. Thompson [6/10/1918] ]
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[ Letter to Mother from Leroy F. Thompson [6/14/1918] ]
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[ Letter to Dad from Leroy F. Thompson [6/13/1918] ]
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[ Letter to Mother from Leroy F. Thompson [6/16/1918] ]

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[ Letter to Mother from Leroy F. Thompson [6/25/1918] ]
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[ Letter to Mother from Leroy F. Thompson [7/30/1918] ]
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[ Letter to Dad from Leroy F. Thompson [6/21/1918] ]
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[ Letter to Mother from Leroy F. Thompson [6/29/1918] ]
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[ Letter to Mother from Leroy F. Thompson [7/6/1918] ]
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[ Letter to Mother from Leroy F. Thompson [7/10/1918] ]
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[ Letter to Mother and Dad from Leroy F. Thompson [7/15/1918] ]
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[ Letter to Mother and Dad from Leroy F. Thompson [7/21/1918] ]
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[ Letter to Mother and Dad from Leroy F. Thompson [7/22/1918] ]
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[ Letter to Mother from Leroy F. Thompson [7/23/1918] ]
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[ Letter to Mother from Leroy F. Thompson [8/9/1918] ]
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[ Letter to Mother from Leroy F. Thompson [8/16/1918] ]
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[ Letter to Mother from Leroy F. Thompson [8/22/1918] ]
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[ Letter to Mother from Leroy F. Thompson [8/23/1918] ]
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[ Letter to Mother from Leroy F. Thompson [8/28/1918] ]
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[ Letter to Mother from Leroy F. Thompson [9/9/1918] ]
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[ Letter to Mother from Leroy F. Thompson [9/18/1918] ]
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[ Letter to Mother and Dad from Leroy F. Thompson [9/28/1918] ]
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[ Letter to "Armour Men with the Colors" by R. S. Oxley [10/17/1918] ]
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[ Letter to Mother from Leroy F. Thompson [10/16/1918] ]
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[ Letter to Mother and Dad from Leroy F. Thompson [10/27/1918] ]
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[ Letter to Mother from Leroy F. Thompson [10/31/1918] ]
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[ Letter to Mother and Father from Leroy F. Thompson [12/8/1918] ]
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[ Letter to Mother and Dad from Leroy F. Thompson [12/15/1918] ]
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[ Letter to Mother and Dad from Leroy F. Thompson [12/29/1918] ]
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[ Letter to Mother and Dad from Leroy F. Thompson [1/3/1919] ]
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[ Letter to Mother from Leroy F. Thompson [1/20/1919] ]
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[ Letter to Mother from Leroy F. Thompson [1/22/1919] ]
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[ Letter to Mother from Leroy F. Thompson [1/23/1919] ]
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[ Letter to Mother and Dad from Leroy F. Thompson [1/31/1919] ]
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[ Letter to Mother from Leroy F. Thompson [1/27/1919] ]
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[ Letter to Mother and Dad from Leroy F. Thompson [2/14/1919] ]
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[ Letter to Mother and Dad from Leroy F. Thompson [2/9/1919] ]
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[ Letter to Mother and Dad from Leroy F. Thompson [3/16/1919] ]
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[ Letter to Mother from Leroy F. Thompson [2/23/1919] ]
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[ Letter to Mother and Dad from Leroy F. Thompson [3/2/1919] ]
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[ Letter to Mother and Dad from Leroy F. Thompson [3/6/1919] ]
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[ Letter to Mother and Dad from Leroy F. Thompson [3/23/1919] ]
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[ Letter to Mother from Leroy F. Thompson [2/4/1919] ]
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[ Letter to Mother and Dad from Leroy F. Thompson [3/11/1919] ]
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[ Letter to Mother and Dad from Leroy F. Thompson [3/30/1919] ]
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[ Letter to Mother and Dad from Leroy F. Thompson [4/12/1919] ]
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[ Letter to Mother and Dad from Leroy F. Thompson [4/7/1919] ]
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[ Letter to Thompson's mother from E. H. Campbell [8/9/1918] ]
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[ Letter to Thompson's mother from Blanche Fowler [?] [8/6/1918] ]
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[ Transcription of the letters of Leroy F. Thompson [1918 - 1919] ]
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[ Blank postcard: View of the Château d'Époisses, France, from its courtyard. Text on card: "7 - Époisses - Collection du Château Vue sur la Cour h'Honneur, côté droit". ]
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[ Blank postcard: Memorial postcard for the Ré d'Italia, an Italian ironclad sunk at the Battle of Lissa in 1866. Text on card: "Ricordo Ré d'Italia In Cativo Tempo". ]
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[ Blank postcard: View from the courtyard of the entryway to the château d'Époisses, France. Text on card: "6 - Époisses - Porte d'Entrée de la Cour du Château". ]
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[ Blank postcard: Street scene in Vieux-Chateau, a French commune in the Côte-d'Or. ]
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[ Blank postcard: Époisses, France; birthplace of Lieutenant-General Jean Baptiste Simon Firmin Marie ]
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[ Blank postcard: Street scene in Époisses, France. Text on card: "Époisses - La route d'Avallon". ]
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[ Blank postcard: City hall and main street in Époisses, France. Text on card: "Époisses - La Mairie et Rue Principale". ]
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[ Blank postcard: view of Semur-en-Auxois, France. ]
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[ Blank postcard: View of the ruins of the castle and the Pinard bridge. Text on card: "Le Donjon et le Pont Pinard". ]
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[ Blank postcard: Époisses, France, and the road to Semur-en-Auxois ]
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[ Blank postcard: View of the moat (ditch) and main entryway to the château d'Époisses, France. Text on card: "14 - Époisses Le Château Porte d'Entrée principale Vue sur les Fossés". ]
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[ Blank postcard: Semur-en-Auxois, France, view of the castle from the Armançon river. Text on card: "Semur - Vue sur l'Armançon et le Donjon". ]
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[ Blank postcard: Semur-en-Auxois, France, view of the castle from the Armançon river. Text on card: "Semur - Vue sur l'Armançon et le Donjon". ]
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[ Blank postcard: Statue of French hero Vercingétorix by sculptor Aimé Millet in the village of Alise-Sainte-Reine, Côte-d'Or ]
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[ Blank postcard: Entryway of the château de Rochefort, Asnières-en-Montagne, France. ]
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[ Blank postcard: Château de Chastellux and viaduct ]
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[ Blank postcard: "Les Sites Pittoresques" [scenic places] in the Cure river valley, Bourgogne, France ]
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[ Blank postcard: View of Flavigny, Côte-d'Or, France ]
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[ Blank postcard: Street scene in Flavigny, Côte-d'Or, France. Text on card: "Rue de l'Eglise et de l'Ancien Marché". ]
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[ Blank postcard: View of the walls of "La Petite Porte", Village of Avallon, Burgundy, France ]
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[ Blank postcard: View of a bridge over the Cousin river, Avallon, France. Text on card: "Cousin-le-Pont. Pont du Gour Vallon". ]
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[ Blank postcard: View of the Château de Bourbilly, Côte-d'Or, France. ]
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[ Blank postcard: Ruined fireplace of the Château de Beauvoir, Vieux-Chateau, France ]
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[ Blank postcard: Château de Pisy, Burgundy, France ]
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[ Blank postcard: Inside the Château de Pisy, Burgundy, France ]
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[ Blank postcard: View of St. Bonnet square and the covered market, Bourges, France ]
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[ Blank postcard: Governor's Cottage, Gibraltor. ]
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[ Blank postcard: Marseille, Joliette Docks ]
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[ Blank postcard: "Station Electrique de Montberthault". ]

About this Item

Title

  • LeRoy Feay Thompson Collection

Names

  • Stern, Sawyer
  • Thompson, LeRoy Feay

Home State

  • Minnesota

Headings

  • -  Thompson, LeRoy Feay
  • -  World War, 1914-1918 -- Personal Narratives
  • -  United States. Army.

Repository

  • Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

Gender

  • Male

Status

  • veteran

Service History

  • World War, 1914-1918

    • Branch of Service: Army
    • Service Unit/Ship: Company A, 303rd Field Support Battalion, 78th Division
    • Location of Service: France; Fort Leavenworth, Kansas
    • Highest Rank: Private
    • Dates of Service: 1918-1919
    • Entrance into Service: Enlisted
    • Military Status: veteran
    • Service History Note: The veteran served as a radio operator.

Materials

  • Manuscript: Correspondence [50 items] -- Handwritten document (collected 1918-1919)
  • Manuscript: Transcript [1 item] -- Typewritten document (collected 1918-1919)
  • Manuscript: Printed matter [29 items] -- (collected 1918)
  • Computer File: CD [1 item] -- Multiple types of electronic files (collected 1918-1919; 2011-08-05)
  • Photograph: Digital print [2 items] -- Photographs (collected unknown)
  • Computer File: CD [1 item] -- Electronic file of photograph (collected 2017-09-01)
  • Photograph: Photocopy of Photographic Print [1 item] -- Photographs (collected unknown)

Collection Number

  • AFC/2001/001/79821

Online Format

  • image

Additional Metadata Formats

IIIF Presentation Manifest

Rights & Access

Using VHP Material in Publication or Exhibition

The Veterans History Project (VHP) at the Library of Congress collects, preserves and makes accessible the firsthand recollections of U.S. military veterans who served from World War I through more recent conflicts and peacekeeping missions, so that future generations may hear directly from veterans and better understand what they saw, did and felt during their service. The Veterans History Project Collection includes oral histories along with documentary materials such as original letters, diaries, photographs, and memoirs.

Veterans and interviewers contribute these materials to the Library for scholarly and educational purposes, retaining any copyright they may hold. Therefore, permission must be obtained before using the interview or other materials in exhibition or publication. Researchers or others who would like to make further use of these materials should contact the Veterans History Project for assistance.

As a publicly supported institution, the Library generally does not own rights to material in its collections. Therefore, it does not charge permission fees for use of such material and cannot give or deny permission to publish or otherwise distribute material in its collections. Responsibility for making an independent legal assessment of an item from the Library’s collections and for securing any necessary permissions rests with persons desiring to use the item.

Please contact us with questions.

Obtaining Copies of VHP Materials

In order for VHP materials to be duplicated, we must receive written permission from the interviewee for you to obtain a copy of the recording unless the proposed use is limited to personal use, research, or other uses permissible by copyright law. If the interviewee is deceased, their next-of-kin may grant written permission.

Please contact VHP for assistance if you need to contact a veteran for permission to use their materials in exhibition or publication, or if you have received permission from the veteran and need access to high-resolution copies of VHP collection materials.

Citing VHP Materials

Please use the following formats when citing Veterans History Project materials (substituting the appropriate name and collection ID number).

Materials as a whole:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Manuscript material:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Memoirs (MS02), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Transcript (MS04), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Correspondence (MS01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Recording:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Audio recording (SR01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Video recording (MV01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Photograph:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Photographs (PH01), photographer unknown, Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Photographs (PH03-PH14), Ralph Williams photographer, Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Computer file:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Computer file (CF01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Artifact:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Artifact (AR01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Stern, Sawyer, and Leroy Feay Thompson. LeRoy Feay Thompson Collection. 1918. Personal Narrative. https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.79821/.

APA citation style:

Stern, S. & Thompson, L. F. (1918) LeRoy Feay Thompson Collection. [Personal Narrative] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.79821/.

MLA citation style:

Stern, Sawyer, and Leroy Feay Thompson. LeRoy Feay Thompson Collection. 1918. Personal Narrative. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.79821/>.