I've been using my spare time due to isolation and social distancing to go through boxes and plastic tubs full of items bought for our museum over the past ten years. Today, I rediscovered a grouping belonging to a WWI US serviceman by the name of Gustave S. Erickson who was in the USNRF. I have several portraits of him in uniform wearing his white sailor's cap and I have the actual cap he's wearing as well - love those tangible links.

I also have a little diary from 1914 which he'd received with compliments of I.W. Harper Whiskey. It is mostly full of names, addresses and telephone numbers  - predominantly female I must say! However, he has also written out the entire poem 'Hell bound train'. I'm sure this comes as no news to many of you, but I was amazed to find reference to a song I knew in a WWI diary.

Having done more research about the poem, I found out it also goes by the alternate title of 'Tom Gray's dream' and was supposedly written by his niece.

Has this been discussed before here and if so, can someone please give me a link as I'd be most interested to know when the poem became a song?

I hope you're all keeping safe and well. We have both of our daughters living back at home with us for the first time in several years and it's different but good. Take care xx