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The Minnesota Historical Society preserves and makes available a wide range of materials chronicling Minnesota's history and culture. The goals of the Collections Department are to collect and preserve; provide access and interpretation; and engage in education and outreach. This blog is a tool to share these stories and let people know what is happening in the department.
"World War Ends" and "Germany Surrenders All Her Rights and Signs the Armistice" - The Minneapolis Morning Tribune. November 11, 1918
Unfinished wooden noise maker has a ratchet wheel attached to a handle at one end, and a pawl extending the length of the noise maker. Printed in pencil on one side of pawl is "Lucia May Worrall / November 11 1918 War Ends."
Raymon Bowers was an Army soldier from Minnesota stationed in France in the Ordnance Repair Department. In this letter from December 1st, 1918, Bowers describes the excitement in Paris when the armistice was signed on November 11th, explaining that when the official announcement came in everyone left work immediately to go participate in the celebrations which lasted for days. It seemed that everyone was out celebrating, Bowers writes "For over four years France has refrained from any celebrating and it seemed to me that all the pent up energy accumulated during four long years of suffering was expended in those couple of days." After his writing about all the excitement that the signing of the Armistice brought Bowers grew more serious. He, like all of the other Americans in France and other countries abroad, was unsure when he would be able to return to America.
Dec. 1, 1918
Dear Miss Palmes,
[…] I spent very nearly two months in Paris + best of all I was there when the Armistice was signed. We were to go the front the 1st of Nov: but signs were so plain of an immediate end, that orders were held up + the result was that instead of going there we were returned to our organizations. I wish I was an author I could describe to you how Paris went wild over the Armistice. The day it was signed I was working in a French factory on some large guns. They got the news officially at 11 A.M. Immediately the shops closed + every one left for Paris. As we walked down to the subway things had already started rolling. Flags + bunting galore- singing + dancing + all kinds of noise. By night the main strs (sic) were so packed that passage was almost impossible. Never in my life did I see such actions. Every soldier and civilian seemed to be out + all trying to out do the other in noise + celebrating. […] Well enough of the Armistice- The big question now is “When will we get back”? You know as much about it; so ill not try to prophecy. It may be much sooner then we expect: it may be longer no one knows. […]
Sincerely Yours
Raymon Bowers
Citation: Raymon James Bowers Papers. Minnesota Historical Society, St. Paul, Minnesota. P111