American servicemen wash their mess kits outside a wooden barracks hut in this candid World War I-era photograph. Scenes like this were part of daily routine at training camps in the United States and staging areas in England and France, where American Expeditionary Forces personnel prepared before deployment to the Western Front. The mix of wool sweaters, breeches, puttees, and improvised work clothing reflects the practical, often makeshift nature of camp life during 1917-1918. Project: 218233