This collection consists of 9 letters written by United States Navy sailor John Roy Brokenshire ("Roy") to a friend, Lillian Dow of Pawtucket, Rhode Island. In his first letter, dated June 7, 1917, Brokenshire described his arrival in Norfolk, Virginia, where he joined the crew of the USS Louisiana for duty in the Atlantic Ocean. He wrote about his journey from the Boston Navy Yard and gave his impressions of Norfolk, including comments on the weather and on the ships assembled there. He frequently shared his disdain for censorship, and suggested that he and Lillian utilize a code to evade such efforts, though no letters appear to have such a code. Brokenshire also wrote about life in the navy, including his experiences with laundry, referring to himself as "some washerwoman" (July 1, 1917). He felt that the war would continue well beyond the summer of 1917 (July 9, 1917) and discussed his opinions about an essay from the September 1917 issue of American Magazine, "The War Inside Myself," regarding the mindset of soldiers.
John Roy Brokenshire, known as "Roy," was born in Cook County, Illinois, on October 15, 1894, the son of John J. Brokenshire and Mary Clark. Roy's four younger brothers, Herbert, Robert, Gordon, and Douglas, all served in the United States Navy. Roy Brokenshire attended the University of Michigan, where he was a member of Phi Gamma Delta, and enlisted in the navy before the country's official entry into World War I. He served onboard the USS Louisiana after being transferred from the Boston Navy Yard in June 1917, and eventually rose to the rank of lieutenant. He died on September 28, 1940.
Lillian Catherine Dow was born to Robert and Marion T. Dow of Pawtucket, Rhode Island, on February 1, 1896.
