The Khaki Boys Series
By "Capt. Gordon Bates"Notes
Titles
This World War I series was published by Cupples & Leon in 1918-20. While authorship of the series is generally attributed to Josephine Chase, the last three books were written by Howard Garis from Stratemeyer outlines, according to James Keeline . The series follows the adventures of four American boys -- wealthy Jimmy Blaise, who defers enrollment at Harvard to enlist; orphaned factory worker Roger Barlow; cub reporter Bob Dalton; and Polish laborer Ingace Pulinski -- from training camp through the end of the war.
From The Khaki Boys at Camp Sterling:
At the last ringing line of appeal, "Boys, I need you 'Over There,'" involuntarily Jimmy spoke his mind aloud. "I guess that's right," he agreed, with a vigorous wag of his head.
A boy standing close to the roadster caught the remark and glanced levelly at the speaker. In his dark blue eyes there was an answering flash which the other lad caught and read aright. For an instant the two stared at each other in silence.
"How about it?" demanded Jimmy genially.
"I guess Uncle Sam needs us all right enough," the blue-eyed boy replied, his sober face lighting into a singularly sunny smile. "I've thought a lot about it. I'd like to go."
"Put her there!" The youth in the car leaned down and shot out a friendly hand. "I've been thinking about it myself. I can go to-morrow, that is, if I get accepted. I asked my folks the other night what they'd do if I enlisted. I'm not twenty-one, you see. Quite a long way from it. Won't be nineteen until next November."
"What did they say?" questioned the other eagerly.
"They both said it was up to me. They're not slackers. I can just tell you that. Of course, my mother looked kind of sad for a minute; then she braced up and said she'd be proud to have a soldier son. My father said if he was young enough he'd enlist himself. That shows pretty plainly what sort of stuff their made of."
- The Khaki Boys at Camp Sterling; or, Training for the Big Fight in France -- "Two zealous young patriots volunteer and begin their military training. On the train going to camp they meet two rookies with whom they become chums. Together they get into a baffling camp mystery that develops into an extraordinary spy-plot. They defeat the enemies of their country and incidentally help one another to promotion both in friendship and in service. -- illustrated by "HLH," presumably Howard L. Hastings. 1918, Cupples & Leon.
- The Khaki Boys on the Way; or, Doing Their Bit on Land and Sea -- "Our soldier boys having completed their training at Camp Sterling are transferred to a Southern cantonment from which they are finally sent aboard a troop-ship for France. On the trip their ship is sunk by a U-boat and their adventures are realistic descriptions of the tragedies of the sea." -- 1918, Cupples & Leon.
- The Khaki Boys at the Front; or, Shoulder to Shoulder in the Trenches -- "The Khaki Boys reach France, and, after some intensive training in sound of the battle front, are sent into the trenches. In the raids across No-Man's land, they have numerous tragic adventures that show what great work is being performed by our soldiers. It shows what makes heroes." -- 1918, Cupples & Leon.
- The Khaki Boys Over the Top; or, Doing and Daring for Uncle Sam -- 1919, Cupples & Leon.
- The Khaki Boys Fighting to Win; or, Smashing the German Lines -- 1919, Cupples & Leon.
- The Khaki Boys Along the Rhine; or, Winning the Honors of War -- 1920, Cupples & Leon.
Source:
WorldCat holdings
Cupples & Leon advertisements