Witness to war
Enid doc’s letters chronicled run up to US entry into WWI
Two years before the United States’ 1917 entry into World War I, Enid physician Percy Smithe found himself witness to the existing conflict. Called up by the Red Cross as a surgeon, Smithe spent much his two years of service in a Vienna hospital treating wounded soldiers.
A prolific correspondent, Smithe wrote letters about how well he was being treated and how enjoyable Vienna was. He was convinced Germany eventually would prevail in the war. But later, he noted that prices of goods were rising, along with his anxiety.
Many of Smithe’s letters and photographs are housed at the National World War I Museum and Memorial in Kansas City.
“There is a lot of personal stuff about his life,” museum archivist Jonathan Casey said. “He hopes his wife can come visit him in Europe and he assures her it’s not as dangerous as she’s heard.
“It’s valuable because he gives insight into what’s going on in Austria at that point,” Casey said. “And it’s in English. What’s unique is he thought Germany would win the war because of their discipline and organization.”
Smithe also made news for something he did while in Germany. He spotted a small child struggling to swim in the Danube River and jumped in, clothes and all, to save him. He revived the boy with mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. The act made newspapers across the country.
Smithe left Europe before the United States declared war on Germany. He returned to Oklahoma and died in the 1950s.