A 5.5x3.5" vintage half tone photo postcard from a large collection of postcards brought back from WW1 by a Pvt John F Farrell of Battery B, 11th Field Artillery.

Photo Overview

A compelling WW1-era postcard showing a large formation of U.S. Army soldiers assembled in front of the Post Exchange building at Camp Devens, Massachusetts, circa 1917-1918. The men are wearing the distinctive wide-brimmed campaign hats and standard Army field uniforms of the period, standing at ease in multiple rows on the open grounds of the camp. A sign reading 'POST EXCHANGE' is clearly visible on the two-story wooden building behind them. The word 'CENSORED' is stamped in the lower right corner of the image, a reminder of the wartime controls placed on information leaving military facilities.

This postcard comes from the personal collection of Pvt. John F. Farrell, Battery B, 11th Field Artillery, a soldier who served during World War 1 and preserved this group of postcards as a memento of his service.

Historical Notes

Camp Devens (later Fort Devens) was established in 1917 in Ayer, Massachusetts, as a major mobilization and training center for the U.S. Army during World War 1. The Depot Brigade shown here was responsible for receiving, processing, and preparing newly inducted soldiers for assignment to combat units. Tens of thousands of men passed through its gates during the war.

Camp Devens became tragically famous in September 1918 when one of the earliest and deadliest outbreaks of the 1918 influenza pandemic erupted there. The camp's crowded conditions allowed the virus to spread with devastating speed - over 100 soldiers died in a single week at the height of the outbreak, and the camp's experience became one of the first documented major outbreaks that would eventually kill an estimated 50 million people worldwide.

Pvt. Farrell's unit, the 11th Field Artillery, was part of the 2nd Division, which saw significant action on the Western Front. The regiment participated in key engagements including the Battle of Belleau Wood and the Meuse-Argonne Offensive. After the Armistice in November 1918, Camp Devens continued as a demobilization center. The site was later redesignated Fort Devens and served the U.S. military through the Cold War era before being converted to Devens, a civic community, in 1996.

Text Present

Front caption (bottom): "IN FRONT OF THE POST EXCHANGE. DEPOT BRIGADE, CAMP DEVENS, MASS."
Front lower right: "CENSORED"
Back upper left: "THIS SPACE FOR WRITING MESSAGES"
Back center top: "Post Card" (decorative script)
Back right: "PLACE STAMP HERE" (in stamp box)
Back center: "THIS SPACE FOR ADDRESS ONLY"

Print analysis

This is a halftone photo postcard, not an RPPC. Zooming into the image reveals the characteristic dot pattern of halftone printing rather than a continuous-tone photographic surface. The back layout - with its printed green ink 'Post Card' script and standard divided-back format - is consistent with commercial postcard printing of the 1917-1918 era. The postcard was likely printed commercially during or shortly after World War 1, making this a period-contemporary item. Classified as a Type 1 equivalent for postcards - printed at the time of the image.

Condition

Please see scans of the image we have provided for the most accurate and complete state of the postcard.