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Without a doubt the GAS ATTACK was the finest and most complete weekly periodical published by any unit during the Great War. Publication started as the RIO GRANDE RATTLER when the units that would later become the 27th Division served on the Mexican Border. The first issue of the WADSWORTH GAS ATTACK AND RIO GRANDE RATTLER was published at Camp Wadsworth, S.C. and is dated November 23, 1917. It continued under this name until Issue Number 14 (February 23, 1918) when it was renamed the GAS ATTACK OF THE NEW YORK DIVISION.
Published under the direction and authority of the Camp Wadsworth Y.M.C.A., its first editor was Lieutenant Percy T. Edrop of the old 47th Infanrty but his duties were soon taken over by Private Richard E. Connell, Co. A, 102nd Military Police. Private Connell was the editor of all but the last two issues.
Stateside publication seems to have run from November 23, 1917 to May 4, 1918 (Issue 24). I have seen no issues dated after Issue 24 and it is assumed that publication was suspended after the division left for France. There are two post-war issues; "France, Christmas 1918" and the "Home Again" issue which was published after the division returned to New York.
Everything that one would expect in a professionally done periodical could be found in its pages: news from home, the battle front and local as well as reports from camp and the units of the division; sports; humor, satire, art and cartoons. Several features appeared in all but the first few issues. Favorites were "DERE MABLE" by Lieutenant Edward Streeter and the "IDEAS OF ETHELBURT JELLYBACK, PRIVATE" written by Private Charles Devine, Ambulance Co. 108. Cartoons by Corp. Bill Breck and Private Dick Kennedy, 102nd Supply Train, were very popular and appeared several times in each issue. Streeter, Devine, Breck and Kennedy all provide a humorous yet highly informative look at the trials and tribulations of the World War One Doughboy. The artwork of Raeburn Van Buren, newspaperman and magazine illustrator is featured on the covers of several issues (No. 9, 11, 12, 19, 21 and 22). It would appear that the 27th Division had a vast pool of literary and artistic talent and put it to good use on the pages of the GAS ATTACK
I regret that website size limitations prevent me from posting a sizable sample of what's inside each issue. Click on the hypertext links above for samples of their work.
Click on the thumbnails of the covers for a larger view. If you are running a recent version of Internet Explorer leave your cursor over the lower righthand corner of the image that appears and click on the resizing icon when it pops up for an even larger view.
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