Description	Ditty Bag: cotton print material; sewn from one piece of material; draw string sewn into top; label sewn to front "AMERICAN RED CROSS". These were made by women at home and then distributed to soldiers by the Red Cross. Alfred A. Thelen was born in Oshkosh on January 6, 1891, the son of Stephen Thelen. He worked for the Witzel & Rossmeissl shoe store and became a partner in Thelen & Rossmeissl. He was drafted in April 1918 and did his basic training at Camp Grant, near Rockford, IL. Corporal Alfred A. Thelen became a member of Company F, 354th Infantry, 89th "Middle West" Division during World War I. The 89th Division was comprised of draftees from mid-western states and trained at Camp Funston, Kansas. They saw heavy action during World War I. Alfred died of pneumonia on November 24, 1918.
Dimensions	W-12.25 L-13.5 inches
Year Range from	1917
Event	World War I
Year range to	1918
Made	American Red Cross
Material	Cotton
Object ID	1657-5
Object Name	Bag, Ditty
People	Thelen, Alfred A.

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Last modified on: December 12, 2009