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Porter, Steward, Citizen: An African American's Memoir of World War I
In 1917, the year the United States entered the Great War, Colonel Moorhead C. Kennedy, one of the most powerful men in the state of Pennsylvania and now the Deputy Director General of Transportation for the American Expeditionary Force, asked his African American valet if he would like to accompany him on an overseas mission. The valet's reaction was "Yes, sir." And he, as he recounted years later, "at once had visions of France." So began Royal Christian's odyssey in Europe. After a tumultuous crossing of the Atlantic as a third class steward on board a British steamship, he survived London's aerial bombing and then celebrated the end of the war in that city's streets. At last, he reached the long anticipated Paris, where he could admire the Eiffel Tower and the astonishing windows of Notre Dame.
Royal Christian chronicled his extraordinary experiences in a memoir, Roy's Trip to the Battlefields of Europe, that was privately published in 1919. Rich in historical details, cultural observations, and political reflections, this book is a vital testimony to the history of African American men participating in World War I. After almost a century, Pellom McDaniels III has unearthed this gem, providing an elegantly annotated edition of Christian's memoir.
Porter, Steward, Citizen nods both directly and indirectly to the challenges that African Americans encountered in their efforts to serve the cause of freedom and democracy, even as they were denied access to those rights by Jim Crow laws at home. Christian's unique story vividly illustrates how the war helped African American men claim a sense of manhood tied to their military service, and their efforts to transform themselves and their families into full-fledged American citizens. While race often served as a barrier in the army, this book suggests that some black men managed to take advantage of their outsider-within status and thrive: elevating not only themselves but also their community within a society that maintained a deep and abiding attachment to the myth of white supremacy.
Royal Christian chronicled his extraordinary experiences in a memoir, Roy's Trip to the Battlefields of Europe, that was privately published in 1919. Rich in historical details, cultural observations, and political reflections, this book is a vital testimony to the history of African American men participating in World War I. After almost a century, Pellom McDaniels III has unearthed this gem, providing an elegantly annotated edition of Christian's memoir.
Porter, Steward, Citizen nods both directly and indirectly to the challenges that African Americans encountered in their efforts to serve the cause of freedom and democracy, even as they were denied access to those rights by Jim Crow laws at home. Christian's unique story vividly illustrates how the war helped African American men claim a sense of manhood tied to their military service, and their efforts to transform themselves and their families into full-fledged American citizens. While race often served as a barrier in the army, this book suggests that some black men managed to take advantage of their outsider-within status and thrive: elevating not only themselves but also their community within a society that maintained a deep and abiding attachment to the myth of white supremacy.
- GenresNonfiction
200 pages, Hardcover
Published May 1, 2017
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
April 10, 2017
A big thank you to Oxford University Press, Pellom McDaniels III, and Netgalley for the copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.
The editor begins with a drawn-out introduction on the stance of the black man in the early 1900s. Jim Crowe laws were enforced; white supremacy was society's belief. The position of African Americans in the South was precarious and the draft for WWI did not improve this. They had slipshod housing, were refused commanding positions, were given second rate supplies. Luckily Christian's employer, MC Kennedy, kept Christian on a his personal valet. That's the role he played throughout the war. His journal of his sojourn begins on October 5th, 1917.
The memoir reads as more of a travelogue of London than a journal of his thoughts and opinions. He catalogues his activity day-to-day, but never how he feels about his plight. He was a servant. He, as an African American, wasn't seen fit for active duty. And I have to wonder after having read this, if perhaps he was too soft for battle anyway-if he would have survived active duty. He seemed quite satisfied to serve at table, to be a sightseer, a gopher. It just didn't seem to occur to him that there could be a different life out there for him.
I'm not sure what the editor wishes to convey with the publishing of this book. Various photos included show the rough responsibilities of soldiery, which our subject had nothing to do with. Now that would make for an interesting book. This one was just 1900s English impressions.
The editor begins with a drawn-out introduction on the stance of the black man in the early 1900s. Jim Crowe laws were enforced; white supremacy was society's belief. The position of African Americans in the South was precarious and the draft for WWI did not improve this. They had slipshod housing, were refused commanding positions, were given second rate supplies. Luckily Christian's employer, MC Kennedy, kept Christian on a his personal valet. That's the role he played throughout the war. His journal of his sojourn begins on October 5th, 1917.
The memoir reads as more of a travelogue of London than a journal of his thoughts and opinions. He catalogues his activity day-to-day, but never how he feels about his plight. He was a servant. He, as an African American, wasn't seen fit for active duty. And I have to wonder after having read this, if perhaps he was too soft for battle anyway-if he would have survived active duty. He seemed quite satisfied to serve at table, to be a sightseer, a gopher. It just didn't seem to occur to him that there could be a different life out there for him.
I'm not sure what the editor wishes to convey with the publishing of this book. Various photos included show the rough responsibilities of soldiery, which our subject had nothing to do with. Now that would make for an interesting book. This one was just 1900s English impressions.
February 6, 2023
Great reading for African American History Month 2023,
by an unknown person you will wish you could have met!
Royal A. Christian's diary is the definitive eyewitness description of the life of American military transportation officers in London at the end of World War I.
The pleasant and affable "Roy" somehow found time to write a book-length text, while simultaneously working as a personal messenger and valet for Colonel Moorhead C. Kennedy, Deputy Director General of Transportation for the American Expeditionary Force.
Despite Colonel Kennedy's clout, it proved quite challenging to get Royal A. Christian assigned to London. The workarounds that Kennedy had to use in order to get a 43 year old African American man enlisted and into uniform, and the ongoing challenges of getting Mr. Christian onto transportation and across borders serve as practical examples of the obstacles which African Americans faced.
It is worthwhile to spend the extra money for the Oxford University Press edition instead of the free edition at the Internet Archive. The Oxford edition adds an informative introduction, footnotes explaining the dates and positions of people mentioned in the text, and photographs of people, military units, and events from the National Archives.
For those not familiar with the geography of London or France, or curious about the routes of the various train trips, this book could be fun to read with a tablet or iPad nearby, stopping to pull up facts and images on Wikipedia, Google maps, and image search. The trip to the battlefields of France at the end is brief, but contained some unexpected details.
Royal A. Christian had highly developed social skills. He was determined to enhance his personal travelogue with a basic outline of who did what during the war, in a way that would not give offense to anyone.
Mr. Christian also had a train porter's ability to set out a timeline down to the minute, and excellent powers of observation. Thus his diary would be great reading both for genealogists and for anyone interested in taking up detective work.
Near the end, Mr. Christian notes that he does not recollect all of the names and information that he could have added to his book. One wonders how much more he might have been able to tell us about WWI London, about African Americans, and about the world in general, if he had only been in a position to secure employment as a full-time working journalist.
Minor footnote: After much searching, it appears that "corn wooley" mentioned on page 122 is "Corn Willy", slang for corned beef hash.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dicti...
https://12tomatoes.com/corn-willy-hash/
by an unknown person you will wish you could have met!
Royal A. Christian's diary is the definitive eyewitness description of the life of American military transportation officers in London at the end of World War I.
The pleasant and affable "Roy" somehow found time to write a book-length text, while simultaneously working as a personal messenger and valet for Colonel Moorhead C. Kennedy, Deputy Director General of Transportation for the American Expeditionary Force.
Despite Colonel Kennedy's clout, it proved quite challenging to get Royal A. Christian assigned to London. The workarounds that Kennedy had to use in order to get a 43 year old African American man enlisted and into uniform, and the ongoing challenges of getting Mr. Christian onto transportation and across borders serve as practical examples of the obstacles which African Americans faced.
It is worthwhile to spend the extra money for the Oxford University Press edition instead of the free edition at the Internet Archive. The Oxford edition adds an informative introduction, footnotes explaining the dates and positions of people mentioned in the text, and photographs of people, military units, and events from the National Archives.
For those not familiar with the geography of London or France, or curious about the routes of the various train trips, this book could be fun to read with a tablet or iPad nearby, stopping to pull up facts and images on Wikipedia, Google maps, and image search. The trip to the battlefields of France at the end is brief, but contained some unexpected details.
Royal A. Christian had highly developed social skills. He was determined to enhance his personal travelogue with a basic outline of who did what during the war, in a way that would not give offense to anyone.
Mr. Christian also had a train porter's ability to set out a timeline down to the minute, and excellent powers of observation. Thus his diary would be great reading both for genealogists and for anyone interested in taking up detective work.
Near the end, Mr. Christian notes that he does not recollect all of the names and information that he could have added to his book. One wonders how much more he might have been able to tell us about WWI London, about African Americans, and about the world in general, if he had only been in a position to secure employment as a full-time working journalist.
Minor footnote: After much searching, it appears that "corn wooley" mentioned on page 122 is "Corn Willy", slang for corned beef hash.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dicti...
https://12tomatoes.com/corn-willy-hash/
April 8, 2017
Royal A. Christian's memoir is an account of his time spent in London and France towards the end of World War One, when he came over as a valet to the head of a US railway company who had joined the war effort. The book was originally self-published in 1919 and has now been republished with an introduction by historian Pellom McDaniels III, which gives more context to what he describes as the transformational effects of the Great War on the lives of many African Americans.
I wish that the introduction had been longer, as it contains some fascinating background on the beginning of the Jim Crow laws and details the racism experienced by black soldiers during the war (including an incredibly disturbing account of a soldier being lynched by fellow Americans because he was dating a white French woman.) However, this part of the book feels a little perfunctory; it could easily have been double the length.
Christian's memoir itself is written in a chatty, conversational style that's very easy to read. It made me like him a lot and wish that I could have met him. It's also fascinating and incredibly valuable to get this type of direct wartime account written by a working class black man, rather than from the perspective of his employer.
As a Londoner, I also loved Christian's curiosity and eye for detail during his time here. In the city's parks
London is obviously a little bit scandalous in comparison with his home in Chambersburg. After all in London,
In places the book is a little hard to parse because Christian is writing for a Chambersburg audience and it's occasionally dense with references to local people and allusions to events that he expects you to know about. There are also occasional whole passages which are markedly different in register from the rest of the book and which seem to be cribbed directly from a London guidebook.
This isn't a rush out and buy it immediately book, but as a look at life in 1918 told by an engaging narrator, it's definitely worth a look.
I wish that the introduction had been longer, as it contains some fascinating background on the beginning of the Jim Crow laws and details the racism experienced by black soldiers during the war (including an incredibly disturbing account of a soldier being lynched by fellow Americans because he was dating a white French woman.) However, this part of the book feels a little perfunctory; it could easily have been double the length.
Christian's memoir itself is written in a chatty, conversational style that's very easy to read. It made me like him a lot and wish that I could have met him. It's also fascinating and incredibly valuable to get this type of direct wartime account written by a working class black man, rather than from the perspective of his employer.
As a Londoner, I also loved Christian's curiosity and eye for detail during his time here. In the city's parks
'Most of the young ladies with their soldier boys prefer sitting on the grass and as for kissing that is common... I saw some queer things in different parts of the world, but Hyde Park has got it on all places I ever saw.'
London is obviously a little bit scandalous in comparison with his home in Chambersburg. After all in London,
'the women as well as the men are some drinkers. Nearly any time you pass a saloon you can see the women standing right at the bar drinking with the men.'
In places the book is a little hard to parse because Christian is writing for a Chambersburg audience and it's occasionally dense with references to local people and allusions to events that he expects you to know about. There are also occasional whole passages which are markedly different in register from the rest of the book and which seem to be cribbed directly from a London guidebook.
This isn't a rush out and buy it immediately book, but as a look at life in 1918 told by an engaging narrator, it's definitely worth a look.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews