First and foremost, a bit bob-bobwhite! goes out to Susan for her wonderfully wonderful editing skills. Thanks for putting up with my commas and for telling me it didn't suck. :)
"My Blue Heaven" - Published in 1923 but didn't become popular until 1927. Words and Music by George Whiting and Walter Donaldson respectively. I realize that the song was not even published, let alone released, until well after this takes place, but I decided that just this once, I didn't want to be that picky. *g*
Inspiration from this story comes from a number of stories and personal experiences I've heard from war veterans, as well as accounts I've read online.
Inspiration also comes from "Blackadder Goes Forth" a BBC comedy starring Rowan Atkinson. One of the top quotes from the show being "I heard it all started when some chap called Archie Duke shot an ostrich because he was hungry." Captain Blackadder's reply "I think you mean it started when the Arch-Duke of Austro-Hungary got shot."
All information regarding the time and place of the Second Battle of the Marne fought in August of 1918 can be found at http://www.firstworldwar.com/battles/marne2.htm.
General Pershing was Commander-in-Chief of the US Army at this time and Woodrow Wilson was President. Kaiser Wilhelm, II was reigning Monarch in Germany and Baron von Richtoffen was a well-known pilot who had shot down 80 men during his time and is known as "The Bloody Red Baron". These are the only four real people mentioned. All other Generals, Captains, Lieutenants, etc., are fictional. Any other real-life instances are purely coincidental.
Mr. Maypenny, Mrs. Vanderpoel, Mr. Lytell and "The Beldens" are creations of Julie Campbell and are owned by Random House Publishing Company, and are being used without permission.
Part One:
Accuracy is up for debate here. I really don't know if Headquarters would ever honor a request to find someone like Gretta did for Walter.
Regarding Walter Maypenny's condition after this battle, I would say that it's a miracle that he did not die. But, a higher power (that's me) decided that he needed to live, but be in critical enough condition to be kept at the hospital so that he and Nurse Gretta could form a friendship.
"Auld Lang Syne" - Originally penned by Robert Burns 1759-1796. Traditionally sung at midnight on New Year's Eve to ring in the New Year.
"Walter" is my given name for Mr. Maypenny. He was not named in the series. Mrs. Vanderpoel (Cornelia Standish) and Brom Vanderheidenbeck first appeared in "Mysterious Code". We do not know Mrs. Vanderpoel's name, nor her back history with Mr. Maypenny or Old Brom.
Margaret Jean Trempealeau, as well as all others are creations of mine. "Gretta" was first mentioned in "Aurnia" when Mr. Maypenny was giving Dan advice about settling an argument before the sun went down.
Part Two:
"Auld Lang Syne" - Originally penned by Robert Burns 1759-1796. Traditionally sung at midnight on New Year's Eve to ring in the New Year. Lyrics and history can be found here.
In my research, I couldn't find a straight answer as to how soldiers were sent overseas. Because Commercial air liners had not been invented, and the only airplanes the military used, to my knowledge, were bombers and other small planes that were designed to be in the air for only a short time...not for crossing the Atlantic. So, for military and medical personnel to come home, I decided they would take an ocean liner...and sometimes those trips were weeks and weeks.......
"Model A Ford" is a trademark of the Ford Motor Company. I only did minor research on what the cars look like, but as far as how they would fare in a wreck, I tried to be as realistic as possible. Also, whether or not anyone could fix the car in the amount of time they did is debatable. Hey, it's only fiction...
Obviously what Walter is experiencing is Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, or commonly known as shell shock. No one knew about this at the time and there was no help. They way people chose to overcome their problems was to party the next decade away. :)
As far as Christmas decorations go, I wasn't sure if Christmas Trees or decorations would have been a normal thing of the time. In 1841, Prince Albert started the trend of decorating Christmas Trees and presented one at Windsor Castle. This had been the fashion in Germany up until this time. They began appearing elsewhere and in New York City, at Madison Square Garden in 1912, Christmas Trees were set up at all entrances. I'm not sure what the custom would have been for small towns, so I decided to not mention it. You may certainly imagine a tree if you like, though. :) More information about the custom of decorating Christmas Trees can be found here.
Part Three:
"My Blue Heaven" - Published in 1923 but didn't become popular until 1927. Words and Music by George Whiting and Walter Donaldson respectively.
John Barrymore was a very famous actor in the silent film era and is of course one of the patriarchs of the Barrymore acting family. He was featured in "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" in 1920. Not only was he known for his acting talents, he was also a favorite among the ladies. :)
The next three parts to this story is in the process of being written, so I don't know when it'll be out. Being that I'm also taking online courses, I'm trying to not give into the temptation to write instead. *g* However, it'll be coming soon (hopefully...those who have been waiting for the 3rd and 4th parts of a certain Trixie/Quantum Leap crossover have learned to not hold their breath...)
Anyway, thanks to everyone for their kind words and interest in the life of the old codger of Sleepyside, and just what is it that made him tick the way he does. :) Thanks again for Susan's edits! I swear, she has no hair left after my "Comma"-dy of Errors...*groan*