Soliders on the USS Zeelandia deck

Soldiers photographed by Captain James C. Hughes abroad the USS Zeelandia as it departs Breast Harbor, France for the United States. The journey was the first step of returning home for the U.S. army occupation following World War I ended.

Hughes, a Kansan, is among a select number of soldiers who served in a major military expedition as well as two world wars. As a photographer took more than 600 images documenting his time at the Mexican border in 1916 and in Europe during 1919. As a Japanese prisoner of war in World War II, Hughes kept a daily diary and, upon liberation, brought home items from his imprisonment. He and his family donated most of these items to the Kansas Museum of History.

More information at: https://www.kshs.org/kansapedia/james-clark-hughes/19881