Alfred Walter Elliott Collection
Alfred W. Elliot (class of 1924) came to Otterbein University from Galloway, Ohio. Prior to World War I he was enrolled in the Preparatory Department. When he returned to campus in 1919, he entered as a freshman, and graduated four years later. At Otterbein, Elliott was involved in debate, tennis, and was a member of both the Philomathean Literary Society and the “Country Club” social club (today Pi Kappa Phi fraternity). In the 1923 Sibyl it was said of him, “Al is always summoned when a rip-roaring good time is wanted, and his stories usually create the desired effect.”
Elliott kept an almost-daily diary between June 1918 and April 1919. It was transcribed 100 years later by his great-granddaughter, Cynthia Roberts Whitaker. In 2023 Ms. Whitaker donated the original diary and a digital copy of the transcription to Otterbein, which is presented here.
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Overseas Diary
Alfred Walter Elliot Sr.
This "Overseas Diary" was written by Otterbein student Alfred Walter Elliott, Sr. during his time as an enlisted soldier in the 324th Field Artillery Regiment during World War I. The diary starts in June 3, 1918 as Elliott completed his basic training at Camp Sherman in Chillicothe, OH, and continues through his service in France and the war's conclusion to April 1919. Elliott's near-daily entries provide a unique "ground-level" window into the day-to-day life of American soldiers in WWI.
Transcripts of each diary page are provided within the document.