The Motor Boys in the Army

In Short

Published in 1918, this classic juvenile adventure follows Ned Slade, Bob Baker, and Jerry Hopkins as they enlist in the United States Army during World War I. Sent to Camp Dixton to prepare for service in Europe, the trio navigates the rigorous transformation from easygoing civilians to disciplined soldiers. Alongside bayonet drills, practice marches, and grenade training, the boys untangle a home-front mystery involving a local tenement fire, stolen valuables, and suspected subversion. It stands as a vivid, fast-paced artifact of American home-front popular culture during the Great War.

The Story

The story opens in Cresville, where news of the United States entering World War I stirs intense patriotic enthusiasm. Longtime companions Ned Slade, Bob Baker, and Jerry Hopkins decide to answer the call to serve. Before they can depart, however, drama strikes their hometown. A fire breaks out in a poor neighborhood known as Frogtown, where a runaway fire engine endangers the community. Jerry uses his automobile to intercept the team, and the boys assist in rescuing an old French jeweler, Mr. Cardon, from a burning building. Cardon frantically claims he was robbed of money and valuable jewelry—including an expensive brooch belonging to Jerry’s mother and a watch owned by Bob’s father—by a mysterious man with a crooked nose. Shortly after, the boys clash with local anti-war factions during a tense pro-German meeting that descends into a chaotic brawl when the lights are cut.

Resolving to do their duty, Ned, Bob, and Jerry leave Cresville and travel by train to Camp Dixton, a sprawling, newly built military cantonment structured like a small city. There, they are issued olive-drab uniforms, assigned to wooden barracks, and put through the demanding routine of basic training. They adapt to early morning bugle calls, marching drills, bayonet practice, and rifle range targets. Amid the routine, friction arises with a troublesome recruit named Pug Kennedy, whose carelessness creates repeated hazards, including an incident where Ned is accidentally wounded by a bayonet.

Life in camp is further punctuated by sudden emergencies and field exercises. When a line of newly dug practice trenches collapses, burying several soldiers, the camp swiftly organizes a rescue effort. Later, during an extended multi-day practice march, Bob catches a fleeting glimpse of a farmer driving a wagon who strikingly resembles the crooked-nosed suspect from Cresville. Though the man slips away, the boys remain determined to investigate.

To lift camp morale, the company organizes a minstrel show. Performing in blackface, the boys pursue suspicious figures offstage into the dark, overhearing fragments of a covert scheme. Tension mounts back in training when Pug Kennedy carelessly drops a live hand grenade near a crowded trench during a practice exercise, forcing the men to dive for cover before the explosive detonates safely.

The climax arrives during a severe thunderstorm when the boys seek shelter inside an old barn while out on patrol. Overhead in the haymow, Jerry, Ned, and Bob overhear three men arguing around a lantern. The conspirators include the crooked-nosed man—Jim Waydell—and an accomplice who confesses to having set the Frogtown fire to cover the robbery. Overpowering the criminals with the help of fellow soldiers, the boys secure a full confession, clearing up the crime and recovering the missing property before preparing to ship out for the front lines in Europe.

How It Unfolds

A call to arms Ned, Bob, and Jerry discuss the national crisis in Cresville just as a fire alarm sounds, prompting them to chase a runaway steam fire engine in their automobile.

The Frogtown rescue At a burning tenement building, the boys scale a ladder to save an elderly French jeweler, who hysterically laments that a man with a crooked nose has robbed him of cash and gems.

Breaking up the meeting Tensions over the war escalate at a local hall, where the boys join a patriotic crowd that disrupts a pro-German gathering, ending in a dark, chaotic fistfight.

Arrival at Camp Dixton The recruits travel by train to a massive wooden cantonment, where they receive standardized army uniforms and begin the transformation into disciplined infantrymen.

Trouble in the ranks Basic training brings physical strain and interpersonal friction, highlighted by an incident where the reckless Pug Kennedy accidentally injures Ned during bayonet drill.

Trench disaster and practice march After assisting during a dangerous trench cave-in at camp, the unit embarks on a multi-day march through the countryside, where Bob spots the crooked-nosed suspect in a passing wagon.

The minstrel show pursuit While participating in a camp entertainment show, the boys spot suspicious individuals near the theater and pursue them into the night, suspecting subversion.

Near miss in the trenches During hand grenade practice, Pug Kennedy disobeys throwing instructions and drops an active explosive right outside a trench full of crouched soldiers, causing a moment of terror.

Cornered in the barn Seeking refuge from a violent storm inside an old barn, the boys hide in the haymow and overhear the crooked-nosed thief and his accomplice confess to setting the fire and stealing the jewelry.

The People

• Jerry Hopkins: The tall, cool-headed leader of the trio. Jerry drives the group's automobile, takes the initiative during emergency rescues, and uses his sharp observation skills to piece together the identity of the suspects.
• Ned Slade: A quick-witted and patriotic youth whose father owns a large department store in Cresville. Ned is eager to serve his country, taking the physical demands of army life in stride even after suffering an accidental bayonet wound.
• Bob "Chunky" Baker: The stout, food-loving member of the group. Bob struggles initially with the early hours and physical rigor of camp life, but his keen eyes spot the crooked-nosed suspect during a road march, driving the investigation forward.
• Crooked Nose (Jim Waydell): A sinister vagrant and criminal whose distinctive physical feature makes him easily identifiable. He seeks personal gain by robbing the vulnerable French jeweler during a staged fire.
• Pug Kennedy: A fellow recruit whose quick temper, carelessness, and willingness to bend rules make him a constant source of friction, culminating in dangerous mishaps with bayonets and live grenades.

In Its Own Voice

Before departing for the cantonment, the boys help manage a sudden crisis in their hometown:

“If those shacks get to going there’ll be some fire,” murmured Ned.

Adjustment to military routine brings a dramatic shift in lifestyle for the small-town recruits:

“This is somewhat different from what we were used to at home. Home was never like this!”

Training operations carry genuine peril when explosives are introduced to the trenches:

The bomb, with the fuse set to explode it in a short time, lay on the ground just outside the trench that was filled with young soldiers.

What It's Really About

Underneath its fast-moving adventure plot, the novel explores the rapid mobilization of American society during World War I and the domestic anxieties that accompanied it. It depicts the transformation of civilian youth into organized soldiers, emphasizing physical fitness, shared duty, and obedience to military structure. Beyond the military routine, the story reflects home-front fears of subversion, alien enemies, and local crime disrupting community stability. The narrative frames patriotism not merely as an abstract ideal, but as an active commitment that requires personal sacrifice, vigilance, and group loyalty.

Why Read It Today

The Motor Boys in the Army offers modern readers an authentic period snapshot of popular American juvenile fiction from the World War I era. Written and published while the conflict was still actively underway in 1918, it carries a sense of immediate historical atmosphere that retrospectives cannot replicate. Readers interested in early 20th-century culture will appreciate its vivid details of army cantonment life, early aviation discussions, and home-front attitudes.

The reading experience is fast-paced and straightforward, built on short chapters, lively dialogue, and frequent action set pieces. However, modern readers should approach the book aware of its period limitations. The text reflects the uncritical wartime nationalism of its era, alongside outdated social portrayals—most notably the inclusion of a camp minstrel show featuring blackface performance, which was a common theatrical convention of the 1910s but reads as jarring today. For those reading with an eye toward historical context, the book remains a fascinating cultural artifact showing how popular fiction prepared young Americans for the realities of global war.