Digging for the Truth About a Dirty Trade

From the Wall Street Journal: Digging for the Truth About a Dirty Trade A book review: Consuming the Congo: War and Conflict Minerals in the World's Deadliest Place

By JASON STEARNS

The roiling conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo that began more than a decade and a half ago has seen some of the worst human suffering of our time, including cannibalism, an epidemic of rape and mass killings. According to an epidemiological study by the International Rescue Committee, more than five million people died as a result of the fighting between 1998 and 2007. Other studies suggest that more than a quarter of women living in the east of the country have been raped.

Given the scale of the calamity, it is not surprising that we should try to find culprits. There is no lack of candidates: military commanders, politicians in the Congo and abroad, callous businessmen. But much recent writing about the conflict attempts to impose a simple causal arrow on a mess of narrative strands, casting the quest for mineral wealth as the main driver of the violence. The story goes something like this: Brutal armed groups kill and rape in order to get their hands on precious minerals in the Congolese soil, mainly gold, tin and tantalum, a metal used in electronic components. They sell the minerals to foreign companies, who are at best accomplices and at worst puppeteers, and use the proceeds to fund further violence. The minerals then end up in our cellphones, Xboxes and laptops.

Peter Eichstaedt's "Consuming the Congo: War and Conflict Minerals in the World's Deadliest Place" seems at first glance to be in this vein. His publisher's blurb begins: "Every time you use a cell phone or log on to a computer, you could be contributing to the death toll in the bloodiest, most violent region in the world: the eastern Congo." This kind of argument has been around for some time. As far back as 2001, the United Nations began releasing a series of investigative reports accusing belligerents—including Rwanda, Zimbabwe, Uganda and the Congolese state—of profiting from the conflict. Similar investigations continue today—I led such a U.N. team in 2008—and they continue to find evidence implicating governments and business.

But recently the advocacy community has pushed the conflict-minerals narrative with much greater urgency. Until 2003, most outside aid focused on obtaining a peace deal among the African countries involved in the Congo, along with their local allies. That year a comprehensive peace deal was signed, ushering in a transitional government. Thereafter the emphasis was on maintaining this fragile process and getting to elections, which were held in 2006. It was during the post-2006 rut, when violence escalated in the mineral-rich eastern Congo despite the elections, that conflict minerals began to become an idée fixe.

New organizations were launched, with the aim of mobilizing grass-roots support in the United States: Both The Enough Project and V-Day, for example, highlighted the nexus between minerals and sexual violence. Such groups adopted slogans like "Don't want your cell phone to fuel war in the Congo? Tell Obama!" and "Get Blood Out of Your Mobile." Finally, in July of last year, the U.S. Congress chimed in, requiring companies to make sure that they were not using "conflict minerals" from the eastern Congo. An appealingly clear-cut narrative, one in which corporate greed provoked abject misery, drove these responses.

Mr. Eichstaedt's book reflects this analysis but ultimately offers a more nuanced take. At times he does try to fit the complexities of the eastern Congo into the snug straitjacket of conflict minerals, warning that "each time we use a mobile phone, use a video game console, or open a tin can, we hold the lives and deaths of the eastern Congolese in our hands." But the extensive interviews with local actors that are the book's great strength burst the seams of his own narrative.

Through his conversations with businessmen and pick-and-shovel miners, Mr. Eichstaedt shows that many of these people, rather than working to fund violence, are just trying to make a living while struggling with corrupt officials and roving militias. One of the mineral traders tells him: "It's not our fault. We follow the laws and we pay the tax. Out of that we are blamed [for] financing the war? I don't think it is true. People come to us with minerals and we buy." Mr. Eichstaedt suggests that Congolese minerals only amount to a few percent of the world's supply—not enough to justify a broad conspiracy to exploit them.

In the end, Mr. Eichstaedt falls short of giving a clear answer to the central question: To what extent are Western consumers, governments and businesses to blame for the Congo's problems? He gives us isolated facts and statistics but does not build a coherent case. Also disappointing is a seemingly unconnected excursion to Sudan in the middle of the book. (What is the relevance? The oil wealth there? Merely another African conflict?) There are factual inaccuracies, too, such as stating that Ignace Murwanashyaka, a rebel leader, was involved in the Rwandan genocide (he was not) and suggesting that another rebel, Jean-Pierre Bemba, was involved in the 1998 rebellion led by the Congolese Rally for Democracy. (He was actually the leader of a rival group, the Movement for the Liberation of Congo.)

Minerals, in any case, were not the initial cause of the Congolese wars, which have passed through various stages since 1996. The origins can instead be found in a conjuncture of national, regional and local dynamics. For 32 years, with the backing of Western allies, the dictator Mobutu Sese Seko plundered his own state and pitted ethnic communities against one another through cynical divide-and-rule policies. Nowhere were these power games more prominent than in the densely populated east, where a small population of immigrants from neighboring Rwanda was alternately favored and persecuted. In 1994 a spark ignited this powder keg: The Rwandan genocide prompted a million refugees, including most perpetrators of the massacres, to flee into the Congo. The first Congo war began when the new Rwandan government invaded to break up the refugee camps. Since then, nine countries and more than 40 armed groups have struggled over land, citizenship and access to power.

Those seeking to distill this morass into a less murky essence risk oversimplification. It is true that minerals have played a crucial enabling role in the conflict, making it easier to finance the fighting and at times forming a strong motive for individual actors. But politics, even in the Congo, cannot be reduced to profit maximization. Nor would removing minerals from the equation quell all of the fighting—some groups are fighting for more than money and some have diversified into timber, cannabis and palm oil.

We ignore these political contours at our peril. For example, the legislation passed by Congress last year requiring companies to scrutinize their Congolese supply chains made a lot of sense in itself, but it was ill adapted to the Congolese context. A dysfunctional and corrupt state makes tracing minerals difficult; without the local infrastructure necessary to enforce them, the law's stiff requirements have led most U.S.-based companies to boycott Congolese minerals since April of this year, depriving thousands of Congolese of their livelihoods.

At the same time, the focus on minerals has distracted attention from more fundamental tasks. Foremost, the Congolese state must transform from a predator into a service provider. Over the past two years, Congolese security forces have driven many rebel groups out of mining areas only to occupy these areas themselves. Many of the human-rights abuses in the eastern Congo are carried out by these security forces, in particular the army.

Mr. Eichstaedt concludes that "real solutions for the eastern Congo cannot be imposed from the outside." He is right. Still, the United States government alone provides more than $1 billion in aid to the country per annum, and the United Nations has one of its largest peacekeeping contingents deployed there. Outsiders wield a lot of clout in the country and can help midwife the process of reform—provided we diagnose the problem accurately.
—Mr. Stearns is the author of "Dancing in the Glory of Monsters: The Collapse of the Congo and the Great War of Africa."

Two Great Minds on World Peace

From the American Thinker, Aug 28. Not specifically about WWI, but deals with its aftermath.

Two Great Minds on World Peace

The year was 1932. At the invitation of the League of Nations, the predecessor of today's United Nations, two world-famous scientists exchanged open letters addressing the issue of putting an end to all warfare.

Both men were Jews -- one German, the other Austrian. Both had lived through the Great War of 1914-1918, in the aftermath of which the League of Nations had been formed to ensure that nothing like it would ever happen again. But now, with the storm clouds of Nazism gathering with frightening speed, both men knew that another war was likely -- and that the League of Nations would be powerless to prevent it.

"Is there any way of delivering mankind from the menace of war?" wrote the German to his Austrian counterpart. In his letter, he proposed "[t]he setting up, by international consent, of a legislative and judicial body to settle every conflict arising between nations." Ideally, every nation involved in a dispute would unquestioningly accept, and abide by, the authority of this international judiciary. But, he admitted, "The quest for international security involves the unconditional surrender by every nation, in a certain measure, of its liberty of action."

The German couldn't see how any nation would ever accept such a loss of sovereignty, given the long historical record of the use of violent force to preserve and advance national agenda. Is it possible, he asked his Austrian colleague, to extinguish mankind's desire to wage war by eliminating violence and other pathological aspects of human nature?

Barely two months later, the Austrian sent his long and detailed reply.

He argued that violence itself is not to blame. After all, establishing and enforcing the rule of law, whether among people or nations, amounts to using violence (or the threat of it) to suppress violence. And while human nature may well be changing, through cultural evolution away from warmongering and toward a group identification of all people with the entire human species, the eradication of warfare by this means is at best a distant hope.

The Austrian affirmed that this left the German's first proposal as the only realistic solution, writing, "There is but one sure way of ending war and that is the establishment, by common consent, of a central control which shall have the last word in every conflict of interests. For this, two things are needed: first, the creation of such a supreme court of judicature; secondly, its investment with adequate executive force[.] ... Obviously the League of Nations fulfills the first condition; it does not fulfill the second."

The heart of the problem was clear: without a means of enforcement, which would have to come from the entire world community, no global authority could effectively carry out its mission as peacemaker and peacekeeper.

Shortly after this correspondence, in 1933, intolerable conditions at home drove the German to the United States. He would live to see revealed the full horror of the Holocaust. He would also see the postwar formation of the United Nations, only to witness its pathetic inability to stop war and genocide numerous times before his death in 1955.

The Austrian stayed in his homeland until the Nazis engulfed it in 1938, then fled to England; he would die of cancer a year later. With its naïve attempts at appeasing Hitler an abject failure and no other cards left to play, the League of Nations also effectively died that same year, on the eve of the second global conflict of the century.

The Austrian was Sigmund Freud.

The German was Albert Einstein.

Unfortunately but not surprisingly, the Nazi regime squelched the distribution of their published open letters, denying them the widespread readership they deserved. But the real tragedy is that many decades and many wars later, the United Nations has degenerated into a corrupt, self-serving cabal that has proven as impotent as its predecessor in dealing with conflicts between (or within) nations. Perhaps inevitably, and despite the often bitter misgivings of its own people and the resentment of others, the task of global law enforcement long ago defaulted to the world's only superpower without expansionist ambitions -- the United States -- which continues in this thankless role today.

Both Freud and Einstein, born in the 19th century and destined to attain greatness in the 20th, would no doubt be dismayed that their plan for world peace still remains an unrealized ideal in the 21st -- although, given what they had lived through in their own time, neither would probably be surprised. All the same, both were lifelong believers in the supreme power of human reason. We can only hope that the future will prove them right.

More fallen diggers found at Bullecourt

Same article, different version from different newspaper.

From the Canberra Times: More fallen diggers found at Bullecourt
They were buried where they lay. Not in mass graves prepared by the Germans, but in haste, by fellow diggers who pushed dirt in on top of the crater where their dead companions had been taking shelter, and then fled. And there they are believed to remain, up to 13 Australian soldiers, interred in a nameless pit beneath a road in northern France.

The recent discovery of the World War I burial site, near the town of Bullecourt, is the result of three years' research by the team behind the 2009 unearthing of a mass grave of 250 Allied soldiers in Fromelles, 60km to the north, which has so far resulted in the recovery and reburial of all the men, with 110 Australians so far identified by name.

Now researchers and relatives hope that the find, which is outlined in a detailed report sent to Defence almost a year ago, will result in similar treatment for the group of Bullecourt dead.

News of the find comes as the Federal Government beds down its plans for a Western Front remembrance trail to mark the centenary of the outbreak of the Great War in 2014, which will include the village of Bullecourt, where about 10,000 Australians died in 1917.

Report author and lead investigator Tim Whitford said that after studying the action and archival material, there was a compelling case that between 10 and 13 soldiers remained in a former shell crater under the main road to the village of Longatte. ''All the available evidence suggests that they are still in situ,'' he said.

He has urged Defence to investigate the site with urgency before the 2014 centenary and launch of the Western Front remembrance trail - to which the Australian Government is contributing $10 million - generates a spike in visitor numbers. ''We want to know for sure that these men won't be driven over the top of,'' he said.

''The idea of a remembrance trail is a beautiful idea but to allow the subjects of that remembrance to remain under a road would not bode well for the sentiment behind that trail.''

The quest to recover the Diggers we left behind

From the Sydney Morning Herald: The quest to recover the Diggers we left behind
They were buried where they lay. Not in mass graves dug by the Germans, but in haste by fellow Diggers who pushed dirt in on top of the crater where their dead companions had been taking shelter, and then fled. And there they are believed to remain, up to 13Victorian soldiers, interred in a nameless pit under a road in northern France.

The recent discovery of the World War I burial site, near the town of Bullecourt, is the result of three years' research by the team behind the 2009 unearthing of a mass grave of 250 Allied soldiers in Fromelles, 60 kilometres to the north. All those bodies have been recovered and reburied, with 110 Australians so far identified.

Researchers and relatives hope that the latest find, which is outlined in a detailed report sent to Defence almost a year ago, will result in similar treatment for the dead.
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News of the find comes as the federal government beds down its plans for a Western Front remembrance trail marking the 2014 centenary of the outbreak of the Great War. The trail will include Bullecourt, where about 10,000 Australians died in 1917.

The report's author and lead investigator, Tim Whitford, said there was a compelling case that between 10 and 13 soldiers lay in a shell crater under the main road to the village of Langatte.

He has urged Defence to investigate the site urgently before the 2014 centenary and launch of the Western Front remembrance trail — to which Australia is contributing $10million - generates a surge in visitors.

‘‘We want to know for sure that these men won’t be driven over the top of,’’ he said. ‘‘A remembrance trail is a beautiful idea but to allow the subjects of that remembrance to remain under a road would not bode well for the sentiment behind that trail.’’

Using archival data, including aerial photographs, contemporary trench maps, witness accounts and grave recovery unit logs, Mr Whitford and amateur historians Glen Phillips and Lambis Englezos built a picture of what had happened to the soldiers of the 21st Battalion as they pursued the retreating Germans on the Somme in the spring of 1917.

Unaware that the retreat was a strategic withdrawal by the Germans to shorten their defensive lines, the Australians gave chase. In the pre-dawn of March 20, 1917, as snow fell, two advance parties made their way through the fields towards the village of Noreuil.

‘‘They were going to envelop the village,’’ Mr Whitford said. ‘‘However it appears that they turned too early and were caught by German machine guns initially and later by German artillery.’’

As daylight broke, some soldiers took cover in a crater on the Vaulx Vraucourt-Ecoust road but it was shelled, killing a number of them.

Of the 38 soldiers from the 21st Battalion known to have died in action in the area on March 20, 1917, only one has a known grave.

Among those unaccounted for is Private Walter Dickinson, a labourer from Tooborac, near Heathcote, Victoria. Private Dickinson’s Australian Red Cross wounded and missing file contains four corroborating accounts of his death and burial in a crater on the road to Langatte.

Carlton-born Private Albert Dobbie recalled Private Dickinson sitting in the crater about to eat his rations when a ‘‘whizz-bang exploded in the shell-hole’’ killing him instantly. ‘‘He was buried in the shell hole he died in,’’ Private Dobbie reported.

Private George Norwood from Collingwood, who was wounded by the same shell, said it killed about 12 soldiers.
Private Dickinson’s family still live at Tooborac. His great-great-niece Hayley Tobin said the French site should be investigated to establish whether the soldiers were still there and, if so, ‘‘they should be buried with respect’’.

Her father, John Dickinson, 60, who lives at the same property his great uncle Walter called home, said his father talked about Walter briefly returning home wounded.

‘‘Before Walter went back he told his father he didn’t think he would be coming home again,’’ Mr Dickinson said. ‘‘He must have had some sort of premonition and he knew that things were pretty rough over there.

‘‘We always thought he wasburied in France because his name was on the memorial ... But now we might find outwhat actually happened to him.’’

Witness accounts point to other soldiers being in or around the crater, including Private Albert Henry Whitford, a labourer from Yarram, Victoria, who is Mr Whitford’s great uncle.

‘‘He was killed on March 20, 1917, near Langatte and buried on the right-hand side of the road close to a big crater. There are a number of graves there,’’ reported Private Thomas Paterson of Darriman, near Sale.

The report urges Defence to investigate the site to establish whether the area has undergone significant change since 1917. Mr Whitford said his own search of grave recovery unit archives suggested no graves had been disturbed in the area.

The army’s manager of unrecovered war casualties, Brian Manns, who received the report last November, confirmed to The Saturday Age that an investigation was under way.

‘‘What Tim has come to us with is some fairly accurate information in terms of a probable location,’’ he said. ‘‘But we’re still a long way from determining whether or not it’s going to justify us going and looking.’’

About 18,000 Australians soldiers remain unaccounted for on the Western Front.

Australian War Memorial senior historian Peter Burness said locating unknown graves required meticulous research. ‘‘You really have to make sure you have your evidence in place — as was the case with Fromelles. But if you’re asking could any have been missed, then yes, of course that is possible.’’

The Langatte case is set to test the precedent set with the Fromelles soldiers.

Mr Whitford said: ‘‘They made the commitment with Fromelles and now let’s see where it takes us.

‘‘I hope this is the first of many ... that this case takes it from a stand-alone project to something that is ongoing.’’

Traveling exhibit honors World War I heroes

From Colorado.com: Traveling exhibit honors World War I heroes
addell & Reed's "Honoring Our History" Traveling World War I Exhibition will roll into Fort Collins for its 10th stop on a national 75-city tour from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday at the CSU campus.

During this one-day event, admission to tour the World War I Exhibition is free. The event will be at the corner of College Avenue and Lake Street in Lot 575, across from the University Center for the Arts (and near the flower gardens).

The "Honoring Our History" Tour honors WWI veterans - and all veterans since - while raising awareness and funds for cultural institutions across country during tight economic times. Admission is free to tour the exhibit, but donations are appreciated. All donations collected Tuesday will be divided between Colorado State University and the National World War I Museum. More info about the 75-city tour is available at www.honoringourhistory.com.

Waddell and Reed is a mutual fund company whose two founders, Chauncey Waddell and Cameron Reed, were WWI veterans.

After touring the exhibition, kiosks will allow the public to make donations to support both the CSU Alumni Association and the National World War I Museum - the first and only WWI museum designated by U.S. Congress.

Campaign secures war hero memorial in Coulsdon

From Croydon Guardian: Campaign secures war hero memorial in Coulsdon
War heroes left off the official Roll of Honour have been recognised and will be remembered with a memorial at their resting site following a Croydon Guardian campaign.

First World War servicemen, who were admitted to Cane Hill asylum, Coulsdon either during or following the conflict, failed to be included on the military roll of honour on death, and after the site was demolished, their bodies were cremated and scattered at Mitcham Road Cemetery.

Following The Croydon Guardian's Forgotten Fallen Heroes campaign, launched in September 2009, work from South Norwood local historian Adrian Falks, and research from volunteer organisations In From the Cold and Great War Forum, the names of four men have been accepted onto the roll and will be commemorated with a memorial at the site.

More than 40 poverty-stricken soldiers suffering from psychiatric problems were admitted to Cane Hill during the First World War. Mr Falks managed to uncover records for 26 of these men.

Hospital records show many of the soldiers died within months. Until the Croydon Guardian uncovered the scandal, they had lain forgotten in an unmarked grave for more than 90 years.

Mr Falks, 65, said: "I am delighted. Just because these men didn't fall on the battlefield shouldn't diminish the importance of the role they played."

Sergeant Alfred Charles Cartwright, Sapper George John Lammie, Corporal George Charles Lawrence, Private Walter William Sutton will be added to the digital roll of honour, kept by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) this week.

A Church of England minister and former civil servant, Mr Falks is hoping a further 22 servicemen who died at Cane Hill will be added to the list.

Terry Denham, who co-founded In From the Cold in 2007, explained how names could be added to the Roll of Honour.

He said: "If a soldier dies in battle, of course they are added, but on the other hand if a veteran dies in an accident following conflict, they do not. The grey area is where servicemen either during conflict or otherwise die off illnesses, mental or physical that may have been caused by the war. That is what we have to prove, with documents such as death certificates and service papers, for their names to be added."

For First World War servicemen to qualify, they must have died before August 31, 1921, the official end of the war, to be included.

Peter Francis, a spokesman for CWGC, said: "Cases like this are a fairly new phenonmenon. We still have a lot of cases under review with Cane Hill but once this has been completed we plan to erect a memorial honouring the servicemen from Cane Hill at their resting place at Mitcham Road."

An OpEd Piece: Dabbling in the Arab World

From Huffpo, Kevin Bunkley: From Dabbling in the Arab World
The Obama Doctrine that the American media keeps telling me exists still doesn't exist. The non-proof lies in Tripoli. There may be pieces of American bombs scattered around the city, but the symbol of no direct intervention (read: invasion or deployment of ground forces) in what has become a six month-long civil war is a stark contrast between President Obama's vision for United States foreign policy and the vision of some of his predecessors. A new Arab Blueprint of sorts, where the U.S. doesn't get too directly involved, is at work now but it's a view that is rooted in a lot of past dabbling in Arab politics.

"In the early days of this intervention the United States provided the bulk of the firepower, and then our friends and allies stepped forward," President Obama said in a broadcast on Monday. This is a visible switch in behavior from the Freedom Agenda of President Bush to the Let Them Work it Out Themselves (different than the Lead from Behind assessment) view of Obama that is being tested in the Arab world. The merits on whether the action against Libya was worth it in the first place are irrelevant and premature, since the conflict isn't over. Instead, this is about Obama choosing to adopt a blast from the past: staying out of it or letting another nation take the lead. That certainly isn't true for Afghanistan and Iraq, where the U.S. seems to take on more responsibility each day, but those aren't organic nationalist movements. Obama has continued direct interventionism in Afghanistan and Iraq, but in North Africa and the larger Middle East, the U.S. has stepped back.

The modern Middle Eastern and North African nations that the U.S. is now dealing with were created out of unshackling themselves from the colonial rule of European nations. Libya itself gained its independence from Italy in 1951, but the Sykes-Picot agreement between the French and British in 1916 created nearly everything else. Arab nationalist movements popped up to remove the European status quo: Egypt in 1919, Iraq in 1920, Syria in 1949, Libya in 1951, Algeria in 1962, Yemen in 1967. The British bore the brunt of these problems, and as T.E. Lawrence wrote in Lawrence of Arabia, "We are today not far from a disaster," as Mesopotamia slowly eroded the empire's foothold there and forced the relinquishing of territory. The U.S. role in all of this was choosing to enter World War I because President Wilson argued that if Britain was defeated, America would also fall. The end of the war brought the dissolution of the old Ottoman Empire, and a lot of blame for such a volatile Arab region gets placed on Wilsonian diplomacy because he wanted colonialism to cease. Wilson may have created the League of Nations, but yes he also was in favor of letting Britain and France divide extremely tribal societies on the whims of diplomats.

For too long the U.S. has favored that status quo instead of what's right for the situation. Wilson teetered between that post-World War I view and a view that every nation was entitled to self-determination and it was the U.S.'s place in the world to protect democracy instead of spreading it itself. It was Wilson who offered the first modern international-centric view of foreign policy and I believe Obama has shown flashes of the same vision. The Wilson view was cut short because of politics, and the U.S. had to follow Britain and France by default.

Could it be that Obama is attempting to stem the tide of making every possible mistake the British made at the height of their power? Part of it is. Yes, there are certain long-held alliances or gentleman's agreements that the U.S. has with these countries, but I believe Obama has begun to see that too much involvement in the Arab world will do a lot of damage. What exactly has the U.S. done to lead in Libya? Britain, France, and now Italy have been the leads in more vocally urging that Colonel Muammar el-Qaddafi step down. The Arab League has recognized the National Transitional Council as the proper representative of the Libyan people, and other parts of the European Union have taken away Col. Qaddafi's financial holdings.

There is a lot of bad information being circulated about what's going on in Libya, and what exactly the U.S. interests were that forced some involvement. Is it too difficult to imagine that the U.S. just chose not to inadvertently own a war that it had no business owning? We are looking at the third completely U.S.-free democratic movement in a region where democracy is not supposed to be let loose. Obama has come full-circle from a Wilsonian view to a Bush view and now to a view that the best kind of intervention in the Arab world is one that hurts the U.S. the least. The Arab Blueprint can't be about the threat of Al Qaeda like it has been for the past 10 years or about the threat of pan arabism that existed before that. The success of Libya's revolution will validate the apparent choice to finally let the region break off the American training wheels that were starting to get so rusty British oil was leaking out.

Douglasville During World War I

From the Douglasville Patch: Douglasville During World War I

World War I is known as “the war to end all wars” for good reason. At one point more than 70 million people were wearing uniforms and involved in the war in some way. It was the first war to be fought on three continents, the first use of the word “trillion” in estimating war costs, and the first war where art was used for propaganda purposes.

World War I was also the first industrialized conflict with the use of airplanes, flame throwers, chlorine and mustard gases as well as the first tank battles.

If you peruse the Georgia teaching standards for history you see that they leave no war unturned. From the American Revolution to the most recent military actions in Afghanistan and Iraq each conflict is covered. Students learn about the causes of each war, the various events including battles, important people, dates, treaties, and one important standard includes an examination regarding how each war affected our county.

In other words–while our men were off fighting what was happening here at home?

Even though World War I began in 1914, the United States managed to stay out of the war until the last seven and half months. Don’t let the short time period fool you. During those few months our nation, our state and our little town of Douglasville was affected.

From 1914 on events of the war were reported here in the states, but for most people at first it was just static in the background. Daily life took precedence and those European names and places just didn't have much meaning to folks who walked behind a plow or worked at the cotton mill in Douglasville. As the conflict advanced ripples were felt here in the states. The British had blockaded many European ports meaning many American farmers and businessmen couldn't get their crops and products to many markets.

Once the United States declared war in 1917, the Selective Services Act was enacted and quotas went out to every state from the Federal government for the large numbers of men that would be needed.
Registration dates were set up and the word was sent out. The date for registration here in Douglasville was first set for July 5, 1917.

Every man between the ages of 21 and 31 had to register. It didn’t matter if they were married or what type of job they had. Names would be selected from those who registered.

Young ladies showed up wearing their Red Cross uniforms and pinned badges of honor on the chests of each man who stepped up and received the call of his country.

Douglas County had an issue or two meeting their quota as did other counties across our state and nation. In fact, there were three different registration dates set up before the process was over.

Please don’t read too much into this. The men from Douglasville were just as brave and willing to serve their county as any other location in the United States; however, our country had gone from a nation totally against the war to one that declared war on Germany and her allies in April, 1917. Daylight and dark would be an apt description regarding the reversal the United States took regarding their official stance.

Prior to World War I the United States had become a peace-loving nation. Very few folks wanted to enter a foreign war, and many had to be persuaded to accept the declaration of war against Germany since they had not invaded our borders. Many Georgians objected to the Selective Services Act including our elected representatives like Thomas Hardwick, Rebecca Latimer Felton, and Thomas E. Watson who challenged the legality of the Selective Services Act in court.

President Woodrow Wilson had been re-elected in 1916 on the promise he would keep the United States out of the war in Europe. But by 1917 things had changed.

The Lusitania, a British liner, was torpedoed and sunk on May 7, 1915 by a German U-boat. 128 innocent Americans were killed. President Wilson called for the Germans to stop attacking passenger ships, and for a time they did stop, but by January 1917, Germany began attacking any ships they had in their sights and had begun negotiating secretly with Mexico for an alliance. Germany wanted the United States to enter the conflict. If Mexico became their ally they would be awarded their lost territories of Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona once the United States was defeated. President Wilson made the plan public and most people understood at that point war should be declared. The last straw was the sinking of seven additional merchant ships.

Overnight the media went from being against the war to embracing the conflict. Various slogans were used across the nation to gather support for the war such as “Make the world safe for democracy," “a
war for freedom," and “the war to end all wars."

The majority of the recruits from Douglas County were sent to Camp Gordon which was located in Chamblee on the spot where Peachtree-Dekalb Airport is now. The human war eagle posted here is from Camp Gordon. It makes sense that a few of the men in the photo were from Douglas County given the time it was taken. There are approximately 12, 500 men in the formation.

Here at home people did their part for the war in any way they could….mainly through participating in rationing. Food items such as flour, salt, and coffee were diverted to the military.

There were Fueless Days–five to be exact–where folks in Douglasville did nothing. The days were strictly observed by the largest employers –the cotton and hosiery mills. Nothing was sold on Fueless Days except food and drugs. At one point J.T. Duncan, the Douglas County Food Administrator asked citizens to cut back on their use of flour and recommended they prepare their biscuits with a combination of flour and cornmeal.

Liberty Bonds were sold. They were war bonds issued by the United States. Purchasing the bonds were just one way for the folks on the home front to show their support of the war effort. For many
people in small town America it was the first time they were introduced to financial securities, and spurred by patriotic fever they snapped them up.

While I have no direct reports at this time regarding Douglasville per se across the state there were calls to be on the lookout for German spies once war was declared. The actions of others were often analyzed for their patriotism. Farmers draped their plows with the American flag and schools stopped teaching German history for fear it would seem sympathetic to the enemy.

Soldiers from Douglas County sent countless letters home to their families and friends. A few are published in The Heritage of Douglas County: 1870-2000 including a letter from Evan J. Whitley dated September 11,1918. Whitley wrote he had received his pay that day totaling $27.50 and he advised, “There are great differences in things here and in the states. There are houses of stone and cement and some of them are very old. The doors have two parts like those of our barns.”

Another soldier, Corporal Frank P. Dorris, wrote home on Feb. 20, 1918 upon his arrival in France. Dorris advised, “Have landed in France safely and am feeling fine. Hope you got my letter and card all right. Beautiful country; had a very nice trip and think we will like it fine. Don’t worry a bit for me….will be back someday. I hope not long off. May God bless you and father and take care of you all till we return. With your prayers I feel no harm.

Everything looks so different here! Will write you more when we have settled down. Good luck and God in heaven will take care. Your loving son, Frank P. Dorris.

By June Corporal Dorris would be dead–killed in action at Belleau Wood during the Battle of Chateau Thierry in France.

Some sources state he died on June 6, 1918 while others state he was killed sometime between June 6 and 8. I’m leaning more towards June 8. I’m going out on a limb here and assuming Dorris was in the Marines since a group of them served as an honor guard during a memorial service held at the First Methodist Church here in Douglasville in September, 1921 and because the historical facts bear witness that the Marines were heavily involved at Beleau Wood.

Beginning on June 6 Marines advanced into Belleau Wood having to walk through waist-high wheat and facing an onslaught of machine gun fire, sharp shooters and barbed wire. There are several
quotations taken from various Marines over the years that have become famous and this battle is no different. Gunnery Sergeant Dan Daly spurred his men forward through the wheat field crying, “Come on, you sons of bitches, do you want to live forever?” Another famous quote by a Marine Captain during the heat of the battle said, “Retreat? Hell, we just got here.” At some point the fighting was hand-to-hand and the Marine casualties that day were great, but the Germans eventually were pushed back.

Dorris was the first soldier killed during World War I from Douglasville. Today our American Legion post–Number 145–is named in his honor.

A few of the pictures I have posted with this article are Corporal Dorris’ unusual tombstone that can be found in the City Cemetery at the corner of Rose Avenue and Church Street.

Today we know Nov. 11 to be Veterans Day, but in 1918 Nov. 11was Armistice Day–the day peace was agreed to and hostilities during World War I ceased. The Sentinel wrote, “Douglasville people were aroused from their morning slumber by the ringing of bells….”

Peace didn’t mean the war was forgotten by the citizens of Douglas County. Many soldiers especially those from South Georgia were sent to Douglas County to muster out of the army in 1918. They were sent to Camp Douglas, a tent garrison located in Lithia Springs. Actually, Camp Douglas was on the same grounds as Camp Hobson and was used during the Spanish American War in 1898. I wrote about the camp back in January at this link.

Just as it happened in 1898 sickness came to the camp. In fact, the sickness wasn't just confined to the camp here in Douglas County nor was it just confined to Georgia or even the United States. The sickness was a terrible flu epidemic and it swept over the world beginning around June, 1918 and continuing in various locations across the world until 1920 killing millions of people–many of them
at Camp Douglas and many right here in our country.

Fannie Mae Davis quotes someone who experienced the flu epidemic here and stated the soldiers at Camp Douglas “died like flies." She also states dozens of bodies were crated and sent home. Can you imagine? Your loved one survived the war, but then died from the flu.

The citizens of Douglas County numbered about 10,000 and at that time Fannie Mae Davis states over three-fourths of the population were affected with the flu. During the height of the sickness all public
functions stopped–no school and no church. She states it was a “life and death struggle” with the flu that would come on suddenly. One minute someone would seem fine and the next the entire family would be down with it. Davis states, “Town and country doctors were nothing short of heroic as they labored night and day with little rest.”

Cemeteries all over the county had fresh graves and many funerals were put on hold until after the sickness had passed.

While Douglas County citizens were glad the Great War was over, they didn’t really have time to celebrate as the flu hit and ravaged the county.

DOWN MEMORY LANE The heroes of the Great War

From the Chichester Observer, UK: DOWN MEMORY LANE The heroes of the Great War
This fascinating list of the first world war fallen heroes is supplied by Down Memory Lane reader Valerie Gostling.

Valerie, of Tozer Way, Chichester, has the small booklet naming all those from the Chichester area who lost their lives in the Great War.

She was prompted to get in touch after a reader’s recollection of the war memorial in the city.

They called the memorial a ‘cenotaph’ – which, says Valerie, is incorrect.

“It’s a war memorial, and was first situated in Eastgate Square, almost right outside the Observer offices,” she says.

“It was unveiled by Sir William Robertson GCB GCMG KCVO DSO on July 20, 1921, at 6.30pm.

“The memorial contained the names of 323 fallen Chichester residents.

“Subsequently, because of the increase in traffic in the Square, in the late 1940s or early 1950s it was decided to move the memorial to Litten Gardens in St Pancras, where it can be seen today.

“A few years ago, the city council, which has responsibility for the upkeep of the memorial, realised it contained only the names of the fallen from the 1914-18 war, so after much research the names of the fallen from 1939-45 were added.

“To the best of my knowledge, the war memorial has never been near St James’s Road, but there is a monument nearby given by the previous Dukes of Richmond and Gordon from Goodwood to mark entering the city. I’ve always called it an obelisk.”

The booklet, in surprisingly good condition considering its age, lists those who died in the 1914-18 war, with their addresses, and contents are reproduced here.

Do you live in the house of a war hero? Is your relative named here and had a story to tell? Get in touch and let us know.

ROYAL NAVY.

HMS Black Prince

1/cl Stoker Applin, HC, George Street

OS Jupp, HA, 51 St Pancras

Stoker PO May, FW, 10 Westgate

HMS Good Hope

AB Ansell, CW, Birdham Locks

LS Hellyer, JJ, Somerstown

HMS Hampshire

1/cl Stoker Ayling, GCJ, 2 Bognor Bridge

AB Freeman, WA, 52 Oving Road

Stoker Noel, H, 20 Victoria Road

HMS Invincible

AB Arnell, BC, 30, Church Road

PO Bailey, JE, 35 High Street

Stoker Bennett, HJ, 21 Westhampnett

L Sig Greedus, G, 4 George Street

AB Hall, AJ, 2, Lake Road

AB Mills, E, 18 Lyndhurst Road

HMS Mersey

WT Bridle, AJ, 8 George Street

HMS Bulwark

Ch St Cotton, EJ, 2 Lion Street

AB Freeman, AJ, 52 Oving Road

HMS Impregnable

OS Cheetham, T, 135 St. Pancras

1/cl Boy Hanmore, EJ, 18 Chapel Street

HMS Queen Mary

AB Pratt, GO, 10 Whyke Road

2/cl Shwt. Rhoades, F, 1 Lake Road

AB Turner, W, 23 St Pancras

HMS ONK

LS Ayling, HT, 105 Bognor Road

LS May, CA, 34 Basin Road

HMS Nubian

St PO Rapson, J, 14 St Martin’s Square

AB Smith, J, 9 Chapel Street

HMS Ophal

LS Young, AC, 28 Bognor Road

HMS Evorden

AB Scutt, G, Alexandra Terrace

THE ARMY

2nd Dragoons (Royal Scots Greys)

RSM Graham, JW, 4 East Row

11th Hussars (Prince Albert’s Own)

Sh-Smith White, A, 5 Franklin Place

Royal Field Artillery

Bombr Carter, FC, 87 Bognor Road

Lieut Edwards, GP (MC) 14 Whyke Road

2nd Lieut Martin, A, South Street

Gunner Robins, AG, 103 St. Pancras

Gunner Tribe, G, 74 Victoria Road

RSM Wallace, F, Green Lane

Gunner Wingham, AE, 1 Shamble Alley

Saddler Yeatman, MC, 90 Grove Road

Royal Garrison Artillery

Corpl Ansell, CR, 76 Spitalfield Lane

Gunner Bulbeck, WD, 7 College Lane

Gunner Heather, C, 2 East Row

Gunner Hoad, AH, 21 Russell Street

Gunner Ryan, H, 22 High Street

Royal Engineers

Sapper Bowden, C, 19 Orchard Street

L Corpl Bynane, G, 25 George Street

L Corpl Hackett, WJ, 13, High Street

Major Hammonds, D, (DSO, MC) 37 North Street

2nd Corpl Hodge, WG, 27 Caledonian Road

Sapper Johnson, JJH, Orchard Street

Sapper Piggott, AH, 24 Westhampnett

Sapper Rose, WL, 66 South Street

Sapper Saunders, WH, 59 Victoria Road

Sapper Strugnell, C, 38 Oving Road

Sapper Warner, CWJ, Summersdale

Coldstream Guards

L Sergt Ayling, G, 20 Cavendish Street

L Corpl Burnett, GW, 105 St. Pancras

Pte Comper, AH, Grove Road

Scots Guards

Pte Aslett, A, 63 Broyle Road

Royal Scots (Lothian Regt)

Pte Richards, C, 8 George Street

Royal West Surrey (The Queen’s)

Sergt Allen, A, 3 Guildhall Street

Pte Allen, HCA, Basin Road

Pte Basford, FS, 51 Westgate

Pte. Birch, H. E. 4, Melbourne Road

Corpl Clark, W, Basin Road

Pte Edwards, AW, 11 Whyke Road

Corpl King, G, 8 Caledonian Road

Pte Manners, HJ, 27 North Street

East Kent (The Buffs)

Pte Langrish, C, 12 Russell Street

Royal Lancaster (King’s Own)

Pte Ayling, W, 23 The Hornet

Pte Cooper, F, Portfield

Corpl Lee, A, 32 St. James’ Road

Northumberland Fusiliers

Pte Hopkins, RJ, 26 Florance Road

Royal Warwickshire

Pte Edwards, VC, 11 Whyke Road

Pte Ford, VH, Stockbridge

Pte Patrick, WJ, 15 Adelaide Road

Pte Smith, CH, Grove Road

Lieut Thorowgood, RWT, (MC) 18 Cleveland Road

Pte Tilley, ES, Stockbridge Road

Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regt)

Pte Blackman, RP, 54 Victoria Road

Pte Blanks, AW, 41 Cavendish Street

L Corpl Breach, GH, Birdham Road

Pte Dudman, WJ, 106 St. Pancras

Pte Elliott, E, 13 Whyke Lane

Pte Elliott, G, 28 Kingsham Road

Corpl Fitzsimons, J, 50 Westgate

Pte Glue, W, 10 Northgate

Pte Jefferies, J, 52 Westgate

Pte Morris, T, 110 St Pancras

Pte Smith, WH, 38 York Road

Pte Stoner, AE, Oving Road

Pte Welcome, AJ, 50 Orchard Street

Lincolnshire

Driver Fuller, N, 12 Franklin Place

Corpl Goldie, C, 19 Green Lane

Devonshire

Pte Faith, A, 61 Orchard Street

Sergt Horner, A, Southgate

West Yorkshire (Prince of Wales’s Own)

2nd Lieut Glenn, AP, Ivy Bank

East Yorkshire

Sergt Harris E, 54 North Street

Pte Willard, HH, Summersdale

Leicestershire

L Corpl Sparkes, PW, 57 Lyndhurst Road

Yorkshire (Alexandra, Princess of Wales’s Own)

Pte Applin, WA. George Street

Lancashire Fusiliers

Pte Whitney, AE, 67 Broyle Road

Gloucestershire.

Pte Jefferies, A, 36 High Street

East Surrey.

Pte Burch, PH, Broyle Road

Pte Feast, F, 44 Tower Street

Pte Feast, JH, Gardener’s Cottages

Pte Gattrell, S, St Pancras

Pte Green, W, 83 Grove Road

Pte Shippam, AC, 45 St Pancras

Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry

Pte Ansell, WAC. 76 Spitalfield Lane

Ac Sergt Bagshall, G, 155 Orchard Street

Pte Croxford, AC, 100 Bognor Road

Pte Robinson, AH, 7 High Street

Border Regiment

Pte Jarman, E, 23 Cleveland Road

Royal Sussex

Sergt Arnell, A, 20 Grove Road

Pte Arthur, D, 6 Parchment Street

L Corp Atkinson, WH, 19 Chapel Street

Sergt. Attis, G. (M.M.) St. Pancras

Pte Ayling, AO, 129 Bognor Road

Pte Ayling, HW, 74 Basin Road

Pte Baker, SC, 158 Orchard Street

Pte Baker, WA, 158 Orchard Street

L Corpl Bennett, E, 21 St James’ Road

Pte Berriman, F, St Pancras

CSM Bignell, WH, 1 Chermside Villas

Pte Billingshurst, HT, 16 Victoria Road

Pte Birch, E, West Pallant

Pte Bishop, JA, 69 South Street

Pte Blackman, EC, 54 Victoria Road

Pte Boniface, FE, Salt Hill

Pte Bridger, EJ, Russell Street

Pte Brigden, CH, 27 High Street

Pte Brooks, T, 28 Oving Road

L Corpl Buckland, AJ, 35 Whyke Lane

L Corpl Budd, TW, 43 Cavendish Street.

L Corpl Bull, TW, 75 St Pancras

Corpl Burton, WMP, 2 Whyke Road

Pte Butcher, HJ, 1 Orchard Street

Pte Butler, A, 5 East Walls

Pte Byles, GH, 160 Orchard Street

Pte Challen, B, Shopwhyke Road

Pte Chase, W, 52 St Pancras

L Corpl Chunn, EV, 1 The Hornet

Pte Clark, WF, 29 Cavendish Street

RSM Cleare, W, 54 York ,Road

Sergt Cleare, A, 54 York Road

Pte Dabbs, SA, 14 Broyle Road

L Corpl Dancer, LAW, 30 Caledonian Road

Pte Dew, WG, 12 Tower Street

Pte Dewey, C, Caledonian Road

CQMS Diplock, TJ, Broyle Road

Pte Durston, H, 12, Basin Road

Pte Ede, AJ, 164 Orchard Street

L Corpl Eldridge, J, 199 Oving Road

2nd Lieut Fitzsimons, T, 50 Westgate

Pte Fletcher, H, 108 Grove Road

Sergt Fogden, CJ, 27 Cavendish Street.

Pte Follett, WC, 19 Southgate

Pte Frost, AE. North Street

Pte Frost, FF, 14 Kingsham Road

2nd Lieut Goddard, SG, 2 Chapel Street

Pte Godden, CTR, 101 Victoria Road

L Corpl Greenshields, A, Broyle Road

2nd Lieut Hall, EL, 6 Franklin Place

Corpl Hall, HF, 6 St James’ Road

Corpl Hancock, HC, Southgate

Sergt Harper, HA, 15 Cavendish Street

Pte Hawkins, EW, 30 Basin Road

Pte Hersey, G, 70 Grove Road

Pte Hewson, FG, 144 Whyke Road

Pte Hilton, DS, 11 High Street

Pte Hotston, GH, 3 Caledonian Road

L Corpl Howard, CJ, East Street

Sergt Hunt, F, Somerstown

Pte Irish, EL, 14 The Hornet

L Corpl Irish, WG, 14 The Hornet

Sergt Jones, TL, 4 East Row

Pte Kerwood, OJA, St John’s Street

Corpl Knight, GE, 58 Broyle Road

Pte Knight, WG, 58 Broyle Road

Pte Lambert, E, 35 Cavendish Street

Pte Leach, W, 93 Cleveland Road

Pte Longlands, T, 13 St. James’ Road

Pte Marshall, E, 59 St Pancras

Pte Matthews, FGA, Priory Park

Pte McCaul, L, 147 Orchard Street

Pte Mitchell, RJ, 24 Chapel Street

Pte Morris, EF, 4 St Pancras Place

Pte Morris, WC, 37 Tower Street

Pte Newman, TH, 7 Russell Street

Pte Padfield, HG, 185 Orchard Street

L Corpl Paice, EW. 26 Grove Road

Pte Penfold, HLI, 30 Adelaide Road

Pte Perry, G, 13 South Pallant

Pte Pickard, E, 4 Guilden Road

Pte Purchase, C, 66 North Street

Pte Richards, RS, Somerstown

L Corpl Richardson, H, 16 Oving Road

Pte Rossiter, G, 22 St Pancras

2nd Lieut Rousell, W, 23 Green Lane

RQMS Scardifield, EA, 157 Orchard Street

L Corpl Shier, AC, 32 St Pancras

Pte Sims, H, 24 George Street

Pte Smithers, A, St Paul’s Road

Corpl Somers, WJR, George Street.

L Corpl Sparshott, R, 30 Westhampnett

Sergt Squires, E, 104 Grove Road

Pte Stone, CH, 56 South Street

Corpl Symonds, B, Grove Road

L Corpl Tabour, W, 43 High Street

Pte Taplin, L, 23 Westgate

Pte Taylor, JH, 36 York Road

Pte Taylor, WG, 24 Little London

Pte Tidy, T, 41 Tower Street

Pte Trodd, WG, 43 Grove Road

Pte Turner, E, 18 The Hornet

Pte Turner, W, St Pancras

Pte Turner, WE, 57 St. Pancras

2nd Lieut Tyacke, EH, Westgate

Pte Vick, SE, 67 Spitalfield Lane

Pte Webb, TH, 13 Washington Street

Pte Wedge, AE, 39 Bognor Road

Pte Welch, F, 102 Victoria Road

Pte Welcome, W, 121 St Pancras

Pte Wheeler, C, 3 Westhampnett Road

Pte Wheeler, L, 3 Westhampnett Road

Pte White, S, 116 Orchard Street

L Corpl Wickenden, G, 9 St Martin’s Street

Pte Yeatman, AT, 90 Grove Road

Hampshire

Pte Brooks, T, 54 Oving Road

Pte Cumberledge, EA, 18 Oving Road

Pte Huffer, WCE, 10 Cleveland Road

Sig King, RM, 180 Orchard Street

Pte Kemp, HW, 55 North Street

Pte Leach, G, 14 Kingsham Road

Sergt North, C, South Bank

Pte Richardson, A (MM), 103 Grove Road

Pte Smith, J, 30 Basin Road

Sergt Stoner, FC, 9 Green Lane

Dorsetshire

Pte Noyce, FW, Spitalfield Lane

L Corpl Platt, AW, 48 North Street

Welsh

Pte Stone, AP, 21 Lyndhurst Road

Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry

Pte Collins, HO, 8 New Park Road

Essex

Pte Brenton, PVS, 18 George Street

Pte Cutten, F, St Pancras

Pte Gould, W, Westhampnett

Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire (Sherwood Foresters)

L Corpl Vick, BC, 2 Ettrick Road

Loyal North Lancashire

Pte Hill, F, 57 Broyle Road

Northamptonshire

Pte Bacon, FW, 110 Bognor Road

Pte Jellett, AA, 48 Orchard Street

Pte Poulter, JA, Tower Street

L Corpl Smith, T, 189 Oving Road

Royal Berkshire (Princess Charlotte of Wales’s)

Pte Preston, J, 10 Parchment Street

Royal West Kent (Queen’s Own)

Sergt Hall, EAR, 14 Caledonian Road

Pte Hollist, A, 67 Whyke Lane

Pte Morley, AL, 100 Victoria Road

Pte Riggs, AC, 102 Oving Road

Pte Tilley, TH, 5 Priory Lane

King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry

L Corpl Parsons, FC, 17 Tower Street

King’s Royal Rifle Corps

Sergt Fogden, JG, 2 Washington Street

Riflmn Long, CH, 36 North Street

Middlesex (Duke of Cambridge’s Own)

Pte Fletcher, F, 18 Victoria Road

Captain Henty, AF, Oaklands Park

L Corpl Hopkins, JH, 55A East Street

Pte Ralpher, F, St Martin’s Street

Captain Skaife, A, 57 North Street

Pte Wickenden, FR, 9 St. Martin’s Street

Wiltshire (Duke of Edinburgh’s)

Pte Voller, WL, 25 High Street

Manchester

Pte Gobey, T, 1 Parchment Street

York and Lancaster

Pte Lambourne, CW, 60 Victoria Road

Seaforth Highlanders (Ross-shire Buffs, The Duke of Albany’s)

Pte Evershed, WA, 16 St James’ Road

Gordon Highlanders

Pte Richardson, RM, 3 Grove Road

Royal Irish Rifles

Pte Lawrance, WH, Portfield

L Corpl Penfold, JP, Summersdale

Leinster (Prince of Wales’s, Royal Canadians)

RSM Clarke, F, 39 Basin Road

Royal Dublin Fusiliers

Pte Staker, W, 59 High Street

Rifle Brigade (The Prince Consort’s Own)

L Corpl Ayling, W, 62 Broyle Road

Riflmn Green, FC, 109 Grove Road

2nd Lieut Latter, GWW, Broyle Road

Ac Corpl Mynett, AT, 13 Broyle Road

London

Pte Botting, M, 85 North Street

Pte Shelley, WG, 3 Litten Terrace

Pte Willmer, JW (MM), 19 Grove Road

Royal Army Service Corps

Pte Allen, C, 6 Bognor Road

Sergt Barnes, A, 132 St. Pancras

Pte Beaumont, JA, 39 Whyke Lane

Pte Budd, R, 6 Theatre Street

Pte Collins, WA, 8 New Park Road

Driver Coleman, HJ, 7 Crane Street

Royal Army Medical Corps

Pte Garvey, P, 2 High Street

Pte Kent, TH, 26 Kingsham Road

Royal Marine Artillery

Gnr Broadbridge, A, 30 Whyke Road

Gnr Riley, AJ, 26 Caledonian Road

Gnr Shell, AJ, 17 St Paul’s Road

Royal Marine Light Infantry

Pte Ayling, AJ, 53 Tower Street

Pte Bridle, A, 3 Franklin Place

Labour Corps

Pte Deves, A, Cavendish Street

Machine Gun Corps

Sergt Bunce, F, 60, Broyle Road

Corpl Fletcher, AE, 108 Grove Road

Pte Gobey, C, 1 Parchment Street

Pte Morris, G, 5 High Street

Pte Newman, T, 7 Russell Street

Corpl Pay, WE, 2 Warren Villas

Pte Peters, TW, 66 Whyke Lane

Pte Poole, E, 8 George Street

Pte White, A, 32 St. James’ Road

Royal Air Force

Corpl Cosens, A, 34 George Street

Corpl. Hayden, W. 12, St. Martin’s Square

AM Howlett, G, Portfield

Captain Lillywhite, RJ, 124 Oving Road

AM Shirley, JE, 5 Litten Terrace

Tank Corps

L Corpl Hopkins, GS, 55A East Street

HAC

Pte Lemmon, MH, 36 The Hornet

COLONIAL TROOPS

5th Canadians

Corpl Broadbridge, BA, Bognor Road

3rd Canadians

Corpl Bostock, LS, North Pallant

46th Canadians

Pte Cates, A, 28 St Pancras

Canadian Mounted Rifles

Pte Smith, F, 2 Tower Street

Canadian Infantry

Pte Pearson, F, South Pallant

Pte Smith, P, 2 Tower Street

Royal Canadians

Pte Symonds, HG, Spitalfield Lane

Pte Tucker, H, 8 Russell Street

New Zealand

QMS Hodge, REK, 27 Caledonian Road

Trooper Turner, A, South Street

A long overdue honor for a World War I hero

From BuffaloNews.com: A long overdue honor for a World War I hero
Seven years shy of a century later, Russell E. Tucker Sr. got his due Friday at a ceremony where he was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart Medal for wounds he suffered as a Marine in World War I.

From all accounts, Tucker was a quiet man who would have shied away from the elaborate ceremony during which Rep. Brian Higgins presented the medal to the war hero's 80-year-old son, Russell E. Tucker Jr. Five generations of the Tucker family watched and a Marine Corps color guard stood at attention.

"We present this long overdue recognition with honor and appreciation on behalf of a grateful country," Higgins said as he pressed the encased medal into the hands of the aging son at the Purple Heart Memorial in Buffalo & Erie County Naval and Military Park.

The senior Tucker was a native of England who came to South Buffalo as a boy. At 19, he was wounded at the Battle of Belleau Wood in France. The battle started in early June 1918 and raged for weeks.

"In the wheat field at Belleau, Russell Tucker stood shoulder to shoulder with his fellow Marines, marched into German machine gun fire and drove the enemy out of the field," said Stephen T. Banko III, who was awarded four Purple Hearts for wounds he suffered in Vietnam.

The Marines engaged in hand-to-hand combat before finally driving the enemy from the woods. Impressed with their tenacity, the Germans nicknamed the Marines the "Devil Dogs."

Victory was costly. More than 1,000 troops perished, and several thousand were wounded.

"My father was shot in the head, in the temple, and in the right hand. He lost part of his knuckle on his index finger," the son said, recalling that whenever the subject of the First World War was mentioned, his father barely acknowledged he had served.

"He'd say, 'Oh, yeah, I was there,' but not once did he talk about it," his son said.

Tucker said he was driven to find out about his father's military service after reading about other war veterans in The Buffalo News' weekly feature, Salute To Veterans.

With the help of his daughter Linda Criss, they obtained copies of Russell Tucker Sr.'s military records and learned of his participation in the Battle of Belleau and his wounds.

The records, Criss said, showed that when her grandfather was honorably discharged in April 1919, he was given $229.11 in mustering out pay and the Good Conduct Medal.

She and her father then contacted Higgins' office a year ago, and the congressman worked with the Military Awards Branch to obtain the Purple Heart. The medal features a side profile of George Washington, who in 1775 established the honor, which was first known as the Ribbon of Merit and was purple in color.

But the ribbon was not issued in World War I, and not until 1932 did it become what it is now known today as -- the Purple Heart Medal, which recognizes military members wounded in combat.

Part of Tucker's motivation for enlisting in the Marines was to protect his homeland of England, family members said.

Once he completed his mission, he returned to South Buffalo, married the former Mildred Kintzel, and together they raised a family of four girls and three boys. He supported them by working in shipping and receiving at Weed & Co., a wholesale hardware outfit with a warehouse on Swan Street.

All three of the couple's sons served in the military. Gordon Tucker, the oldest, served in the Army Air Corps. He was shot down over Germany in World War II and taken prisoner. Russell Tucker Jr. served in the Army in the Korean War, and Richard Tucker served in the Army during peace time.

Gary Shea, a grandson of Russell Tucker Sr., paid the ultimate price while serving in Vietnam. He was killed in combat in 1968.

But Friday was not a day to mourn. Instead, it was devoted to remembering the gentle warrior who never sought glory.

One of Russell Tucker Sr.'s delights in life, before dying at age 72 in 1971, was to simply sit and watch family members when they came to visit in his South Buffalo home on Armin Place.

"He'd sit in the background. He loved to watch people. He'd listen and laugh when they laughed. He'd call my son and tell him to come over and bring peaches. He'd say, 'I love to watch you eat peaches,'" said Joan Tucker Powers of her father.

Surprise find of WWI uniform on display at library

From inMaricopa.com: Surprise find of WWI uniform on display at library
Six years ago, Steve Stroud’s father-in-law passed away in Salt Lake City and left behind property that included a vacated duplex residence. Unknown to the Strouds, who are from Salt Lake City, there was a box in the basement. The father-in-law had never mentioned this box to the family.

Upon discovery, Stroud couldn’t believe what he found. In it was an army uniform from World War I along with other artifacts from that era, like sheet music that instantly took one back to a time when people gathered around the piano for entertainment.

At first, Stroud didn’t know what to do with the items. His father-in-law didn’t serve in World War I and Stroud knew nothing about the soldier who wore the uniform, Cpl. James V. Kjelstrom.

Rather than attempting to sell or donate the items, something told Stroud, a former police officer, to hold onto the box. He and his wife, Tara, kept it as they moved from one place to the next looking for a place to retire. Eventually, their journey landed them in Maricopa.
As time passed, the uniform sat in the box and Stroud said he kept thinking about to whom he could give the uniform.

“I had no intention of holding on to it and I didn’t want it to be discovered the same way again,” Stroud said. “I wanted to make sure it would be cared for, and I wanted this piece of history to reach an audience. I think it’s important kids learn about our history. But, I would only want to give it to someone I knew who had integrity and that would look after it.”

Enter Bud Ryan, past commander of Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 12043. Ryan was eating lunch at Headquarters Restaurant when he overheard Stroud talking about the uniform and the other artifacts.

“I couldn’t believe what I was hearing and was even more impressed when I saw it,” Ryan said. The VFW and the American Legion had a display at the Maricopa Public Library that was scheduled to end in less than a week. The display now has been extended until Sept. 15 and showcases the history of America’s armed services. Many of the items are personal belongings from the members of the VFW and American Legion.

It was exactly the kind of display Stroud had been hoping for and the VFW was the right organization for him to entrust the uniform. "Bud took an instant appreciation,” Stroud said. “I knew then the history of the uniform would be kept alive.”

Ryan said the VFW will maintain and care for the uniform even when the display at the library is over. Ryan hopes someday there will be a museum in Maricopa where the uniform can be displayed permanently. The only exception, he said, would be if the family of the soldier is found.



Ryan said the VFW has begun to search for any living descendants of Kjelstrom. Exhibit coordinator Robert Weinheimer said he has located a living relative through www.Ancestry.com and is waiting for a response to his email. According to records obtained by Weinheimer on www.Ancestry.com, Kjelstrom was born in Vernal, Utah, in 1894 and died in Salt Lake City in 1946. He was drafted into the 151st Infantry, 9th Corps in 1918 and honorably discharged in 1919.

In the meantime, Stroud said he is happy with the display. After all the time that has passed since World War I, he knows the uniform has finally found a place where children can take a moment to look at their history.

At a glance:

The display, sponsored by the library and the Maricopa Historical Society, features artifacts from the Civil War, World War I, Korean War, U.S. Air Force and the U.S. Army Europe. Artifacts include era uniforms, weaponry, photographs and service awards. Online exhibits that complement the library display can be viewed at www.mhs50.com/Events. For more information, call exhibit coordinator Robert Weinheimer at 602-363-6281.

EXHIBIT CONTRIBUTORS:
American Legion and VFW members: Profiles of military experience
Douglas Beyer: USMC artifacts and document
Bernie Crouse: U.S. Army model tank
Harry Dieffenbach: U.S. Navy model ships, WWII and Civil War
Howard Duncan: USMC San Diego Boot Camp Yearbook 1956
Julia Gusse: U.S. Air Force uniform
Denny Hoeh: SUVCW; Reenactment Civil War uniform and rifle w/bayonet
Randy “Joe” King: Ordnance and body armor, Kuwait, Bosnia, NATO Forces
Neil and Ginger Oas: Albert Smith, Navaho Code Talker autographed narrative
Bud Ryan: U.S. Navy personal display case
Steve Stroud: Cpl. James V. Kjelstrom, WWI US Army uniform
Paul Verhelst: Civil War document

WWI Websites

Not suitable for viewing on the Kindle, so take a trip on your computer to:

http://www.firstworldwar.com/

I don't think this website has been updated since 2009, but there is plenty of stuff there to look at.

Saratoga reburial honors WWI pilot, wife

From TimesUnion.com: Saratoga reburial honors WWI pilot, wife

SARATOGA -- The youngest wore her military fatigues. Her father, a Vietnam combat veteran, arrived on a motorcycle in black leather. His father, who rode tanks in World War II, came in a collared-shirt and jeans.

As the summer sun glared and trumpets sounded across Saratoga national cemetery Friday, three generations of Leavitt soldiers stood at salute above a freshly dug grave. Steel cables from a flatbed truck lowered two concrete burial vaults into the earth. The rusty, dirt-covered vessels, which were unearthed from an Albany County cemetery only hours earlier, carried the remains of the family's Rensselaer County relatives, 2nd Lt. Henry Joseph Leavitt, a World War I Canadian fighter pilot, and his wife, Lilly.

He had enlisted in the Canadian Royal Air Force in 1917 to battle the Germans before the U.S. had entered the war. Although Leavitt served under a different flag, his son and grandson fought to have his and his wife's remains moved from Mount Pleasant Cemetery in New Scotland. On Friday, several family members joined cemetery workers at a 30-minute reburial ceremony in Saratoga, which elicited emotional memories.

"He was the kindest, most quiet fellow you ever saw," Henry Leavitt, the fighter pilot's 90-year-old son said after the ceremony. "He never raised a hand at us, never swore, never yelled at any of us."

The Leavitts are a true military family. Ancestors fought in the Civil War and Revolutionary War, and three members who died within the last decade were interred at Saratoga.

Born in Maine, Henry Joseph Leavitt attended the Virginia Military Academy. After joining the Royal Air Force, he trained in Toronto, other parts of Canada and in Scotland, according to the book "New England Aviators." The pilot was assigned to the RAF 65th Squadron in April 1918. His plane malfunctioned during a May flight, forcing him to ditch it in trenches behind German lines.

The enemy captured a wounded Henry Joseph Leavitt and confined him to a prison camp until almost Christmas of that year, "New England Aviators" says.

Henry Joseph Leavitt took a two-month leave before returning to the squadron. It's not known how many missions he flew, but he met Lilly in England and married her there before returning stateside. The couple resided for most of their lives in East Greenbush and later moved to Voorheesville. The airman taught shop classes at Philip Schuyler High School in Albany and built homes. He died in 1964 at the age of 73; she predeceased him by six weeks at the age of 64.

"He wanted to fight the Germans," grandson John Leavitt of North Greenbush said. "He was a very patriotic guy."

John Leavitt, a retired state trooper, fought two tours in Vietnam in 1967 and 1968. His daughters, Staff Sgt. Brooke Leavitt, 30, and Chief Warrant Officer Heather Langley, 32, serve in the New York Army National Guard. After the vaults were lowered Friday, Brooke Leavitt, of West Sand Lake, tossed a family name tag that she and her father had worn on their uniforms into the grave.

"I think it's great that they were finally able to do it while my grandfather was still alive," she said.

Plans are in the works to have the cremated remains of the late couple's daughter, Isabelle Swartz, who served in the U.S. Cadet Nurse Corps during World War II, buried at the cemetery, family members said. Swartz, of Delmar and Colonie, died at the age of 83 last April.

The family had tried for years to relocate their relatives' remains, but Henry Joseph Leavitt's status as a Canadian veteran held it up. Those wishing to be buried in veterans' cemeteries must serve in the U.S. military, or have a spouse who did. John Leavitt produced military records that showed his grandfather had trained American pilots in the Midwest after World War I, which cemetery officials accepted as sufficient, John Leavitt said. The ex-soldier rode a Harley Davidson motorcycle to the event with members of the Combat Veterans Association.

The couple's headstone will be put up in 30 to 60 days. Henry, the pair's only surviving child, and other members of the family said the relocation of the set of remains would ultimately reunite the family of veterans in death. All plan to be buried one day near the World War I prisoner of war.

"We all want to be together again someday," Henry Leavitt said.

New Zealand Minister marks 97th anniversary of Great War

From VOXY.co.NZ: Minister marks 97th anniversary of Great War
New Zealanders will never forget the great debt they owe those who served in the First World War, Veterans' Affairs Minister Judith Collins said today on the 97th anniversary of the start of the conflict.

On August 4, 1914, Great Britain declared war on Germany following the German invasion of Belgium. New Zealand, as part of the British Empire, was quick to support the war and volunteer troops.

A total of 120,000 New Zealanders enlisted during the course of the war, with just over 100,000 serving overseas. Around 18,500 New Zealanders died and nearly 50,000 more were wounded during the war.

"While the fighting took place on the other side of the world, the terrible human toll of this conflict touched every community and reached into every home in New Zealand," Ms Collins said.

"New Zealand's young men and women were proud to do their part for a more peaceful world. They served with courage, loyalty and honour - characteristics that we continue to respect today."

New Zealand's involvement in the First World War began with the New Zealand Expeditionary Force capturing German Samoa. Later, New Zealand troops saw service at Gallipoli, the Western Front and in the Sinai-Palestine campaign.

"The actions and sacrifices of our men and women in the First World War helped to define New Zealand as a nation and shape the country in which we live today.

"Despite the passing of the years, we will never forget the great debt we owe them."

Commemorative WWI Bronze Plaques Stolen From Bellingham Park

KIRO TV: Commemorative WWI Bronze Plaques Stolen From Bellingham Park

BELLINGHAM, Wash. -- The Bellingham Police Department is asking for the public’s help in solving two cases of metal thefts reported over the last few days.

In both cases, thieves have stolen bronze plaques with a combined value of more than $4,000, police said.

On Monday, officers took a report at Memorial Park at 2700 King St. after a park employee discovered three large bronze plaques had been stolen.

Police said two bronze plaques measuring 36” by 30” were stolen from the arched entry. The two plaques list the names of Whatcom County men killed in action during World War I. The third plaque, measuring 36”by 30,” describing the construction of Memorial Park, was stolen from a cement planter.

On Tuesday, an officer took a report from an employee at Cornwall Park located at 3200 Cornwall Ave. Police said a bronze plaque measuring 24” by 36” describing the construction of the Telegraph Road was stolen. It had been bolted to a large rock.

The Bellingham Police Department is asking for parkgoers to report any suspicious activity to 911. Anyone with information about the thefts is asked to call the Bellingham Police Department at 360-778-8800.

Legion reunites WWI vet footstone with grave

Murray Ledge & Times: Legion reunites WWI vet footstone with grave
Members of the American Legion Post 73 have reunited the abandoned footstone of a World War I veteran with its proper grave. The tombstone was recently located between Apple Tree School and Fern Terrace Lodge on Stadium View Drive.

The federally-issued tombstone identifies Jesse J. Roberts, Private in the U. S. Army during World War I. He was born Oct. 23, 1887, and he died April 9, 1975. Roberts is buried next to his wife, Pattie Beale, in Ivy Cemetery on Ky. 94.

Members of the American Legion held a service Saturday to place the stone at the foot of Roberts’ grave.

Peggy Byczynski, activities director for Fern Terrace, said she noticed the tombstone when some of the geese in the nursing home’s backyard got loose. Byczynski asked Apple Tree School owner Linda Kilpatrick about the tombstone, and learned it had been placed in various locations around the lot for years.

“When I bought the daycare 19 years ago, it was there,” said Kilpatrick. She said she tried for years, without success, to locate the proper owner of the tombstone.

Janice Rose, who owned the Apple Tree School with her husband, Dr. Jack Rose, from 1980-85, said she did not remember seeing the Roberts tombstone at that time.

Byczynski said she then notified Mark Kennedy, Finance, Legal and Service Officer for the local American Legion.

“My dad was a veteran, and my late husband was a veteran. I couldn’t let it just lay here,” she added. “We have people in the nursing home who are veterans, too.”

Through an Internet search, Kennedy was able to determine that Jesse Roberts last resided in Benton. Kennedy said that meant the veteran might still have family in the area. Frank Wells, another American Legion Post 73 member, said he believed that Roberts was a Calloway County mail carrier through at least the late-1950s.

How Roberts’ federal grave marker ended up on Stadium View Drive remains a mystery.

Since the discovery of Roberts’ tombstone, Kennedy has received two more discarded headstones. They identify Lois Alfred Ross and Manuel Carman, both veterans of World War II. Kennedy said he hoped to also match those stones to graves.

Kennedy said increasingly the American Legion in Murray is helping veterans with end-of-life issues. He said many still do not know the federal government will pay for their burial and the burial of a spouse if provided with the proper discharge records. The American Legion will hold a seminar on Veterans Benefits and address burial plans Oct. 21 from 1-4 p.m.

The American Legion Post 73 is located at 310 Bee Creek Drive in Murray. Anyone with information regarding the Ross or Carman tombstones is asked to contact Kennedy at 759-9838 or 752-3333.