Dinsmore Ely

Born in 1894, Dinsmore Ely grew up in Winnetka, Illinois, attended the Chicago Latin School, and entered the architectural school at MIT in 1913. During World War I he volunteered for service in France, first with the American Field Service and later as an aviator.

Ely became part of the wider group of American volunteers known as the Lafayette Flying Corps. He was killed in 1918, and the following year his letters were published as One Who Served, preserving his experiences, convictions, and sense of duty in his own words.

What stands out most about Ely is the combination of youth and seriousness in his story. He is remembered not as a long-established literary figure, but as a vivid voice from the First World War whose letters offer an intimate glimpse of courage, service, and the ideals that shaped a generation.