OUR HEROES DON'T ALWAYS COME HOME, PART I: Remembering Russell W. Silverthorn

16 July 2018

Erie, Pennsylvania

A few years ago, I made a new friend through membership in DAR. We discovered a common bond when she told me she had two great uncles in the 28^th Division, 112^th Infantry, too. My Uncle Roy Hall was in the 28^th Division/112^th Infantry.

Ann’s great uncles were brothers who were in the Pennsylvania National Guard Unit, the 112^th, which originated during the American Civil War.

The unit was mustered into active service on 16 July 1917, exactly 101 years ago today, for service in World War I. On 11 October 1917 the 112th Infantry Regiment became part of the 28th Infantry Division. The 112th was the first war-strength National Guard regiment in the United States. It reached France in May 1918 and  went onto the line on 4 July 1918, in the Second Battle of the Marne.

From that day on, the names Fismes, Fismette, Fond de Mezieres, and Argonne would never be forgotten. The second battalions Companies G and H lost a combined total of 200 men out of 230 when they were cut off at Fismette and fended off a frontal attack on their position by a thousand German soldiers. As James A. Murrin said in his introduction to his book, With the 112^th in France, A Doughboy’s Story of the War, “It’s men were no different from thousands of others who claimed allegiance to the 112^th, who trained with it at Camp Hancock and who fought with it from Marne to the Vesle, through the Argonne and on the Thiaucourt sector, [and who] believe it to be worthy of a place in history.” James Murrin was in the 112^th Infantry and wrote this book in 1919.

According to Murrin, “…the 28^th Division stands fourth on the final Army casualty list and first on the roster of the National Guard Regiments participating in front-line engagements is eloquent proof that the Keystone organization was in the forefront of the battle.”  Indeed they were. Further Murrin states, “Nearly four thousand of those boys lie ‘somewhere in France,’ sleeping the last long sleep, and eleven thousand others are on the list of wounded, the majority of them back in the States."

Ann’s uncle, Russell Worth Silverthorn, was one of those casualties, losing his life at the “Tragedy of Fismette.”  Russell’s brother, Lee James Silverthorn, was injured by mustard gas a month before Russell died.

In a more recent discovery, Ann learned that she also had a great uncle, Josef Wäschle, a German soldier, who was killed, presumably by a French sharpshooter, and was buried near Reims, France.  Ann, a writer, penned a very poignant essay on her website, WWI, A Perspective on the Concept of “Enemy.” 

Here is a link to her site:

http://annsilverthorn.com/index.php/5185/wwi-a-perspective-on-the-concept-of-enemy/

As I mentioned before this journey has taken me in many directions and next I will write of another connection I made with a new Texas friend whose great uncle was also in the 28^th Division, 112^th Infantry.

OUR HEROES COME HOME

Erie, Pennsylvania

The Day after Bastille Day

When I started this journey over twenty years ago, I was focusing on the story of my great uncle, Russell Archie Harvey. I found letters he wrote to his mother from France during the Great War when my mother died in 1992. Sadly, I did not look at the box for almost six years.

I have learned so much since that day, including the fact that my great grandmother, Phidelia Skiff Harvey, was a five blue star mother. Her only son, Archie; her son in law, Earl Beardsley; two grandsons, Roy Ward Hall (my uncle), and Lynn Parker were all in France with American Expeditionary Forces. Another grandson, Dayle Wanamaker, was also in the U.S. Army as a photographer, but I have yet to find documentation on his service in France. A son, a son in law, three grandsons. I cannot  imagine how a mother/grandmother would feel with five of  her loved ones in service during wartime.

Archie sent this handkerchief with Junkerath embroidered on it to his mother from Germany. The 90th Division was part of the Army of Occupation in Germany after the Armistice. The pins, enameled blue star pins, were pinned to the handerchief. I found it with the box of Archie's letters.

I know so much more now and here are some specifics:

·       Russell Archie Harvey (my great uncle): U.S. Army 90^th Division/357^th Infantry/Co. K—Company Scout. The 90^th Division was out of Texas and Oklahoma, sometimes called “Tough Ombres” for the patch they wore with the letters T and O. Archie was drafted while working as a farmhand in Iowa, then sent for training in Camp Dodge, Texas. He survived but died five years after the war, no marriage, no children.

One version of the 90th Division should patch

·      

         Earl Beardsley (my great uncle, married to my Aunt May Harvey Beardsley, Archie’s sister): U.S. Army 37^th Engineers/Co. E. Uncle Earl and Aunt May lived in Cleveland, Ohio and we made frequent visits to their lovely home. They had no children, but it was Aunt May who had the foresight to save Archie’s letters and other artifacts.

·       Roy Ward Hall (my uncle, 21 years older than my mother---she was born while he was in France): U.S. Army 28^th Division/112^th Infantry. The 28^th Division was called the “Keystone” Division since most of the men were from Pennsylvania. Many of the men in the 112^th Infantry were from Erie, Crawford, and Warren Counties. My Uncle Roy and Aunt Georgia Hall lived in Dunkirk, New York for most of my childhood. They had no children. I knew that Uncle Roy was wounded in the war and carried shrapnel in his hip all his life. The Army tried to induce him to rejoin the Army for World War II. Uncle Roy was 42 years old in 1941.

One version of the 28th Division shoulder patch

·        

      Lynn Parker (1^st cousin, once removed): U.S. Army 80^th Division/313^th Machine Gun Battalion. Lynn was the son of Salinda Harvey Parker, another of Archie’s sisters.  He died in 1934 at the age of about 42. The 80th Infantry Division was nicknamed the "Blue Ridge Division"as it was initially composed of draftees from the mid-Atlantic states of Virginia, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Maryland.

One version of the 80th Division shoulder patch

·      

          Dayle Wanamaker (1^st cousin, once removed): U.S. Army Photographer. Dayle was the son of Edith Harvey Wanamaker, another of Archie’s sisters. My family visited Dayle and Aunt Edith in North Carolina in the 1950s. He made a small wooden doll chair for me, which I still have.

My understanding of each of these men and their efforts during the war has evolved with my research. Now I have read books about the 90^th Division, the 357^th Infantry, the 80^th Division, the 313^th MG Battalion, the 28^th Division, the 112^th Infantry, the 37th Engineers, and so many more. I am grateful to those who have written such books, including several that were written just after World War I. 

With the evolution of my thinking, I believe that my family members here are representative of the American Doughboys who fought in the Great War, men with faith who were loyal to America.

L to R. Roy Hall, Lynn Parker, Phidelia Skiff Harvey, Archie Harvey, 

Earl Beardsley. c. 1919     My Great Grandmother Phidelia is 67 years old in this photo.

This is one of my favorite photographs. It was labeled "Our heroes come home"

 in the family scrapbook, in Aunt May Harvey Beardsley's handwriting. 

AMERICAN ARMIES AND BATTLEFIELDS IN EUROPE--a fine book!

Tuesday, 26 June 2018

This blog should be more like a blog than report, but I have just started reading American Armies and Battlefields in Europe, A History, Guide, and Reference Work, published by the American Battle Monuments Commission in 1938. It is a total treasure and I am grateful to Mike Hanlon for making it “required reading” for our tour in August. I ordered the hard cover book from Amazon/vintage-books for $54 and it arrived in pristine condition, complete with separate maps. The book is now unavailable, so I am glad that I ordered it in February!

The book is thorough, but succinct. I have several other books about the 90^th, the 28^th, and the 80^th Divisions for information specific to their engagements in France. Family members were in each of these divisions plus the 37^th Engineers—I have yet to find out which division this unit was with. My World War I library would rival many amateur historians and I have read and made notes in every book. I am certainly not an expert though.

Last night when I typed up the updated itinerary (subject to change), I was very happy to see that we are revisiting some places we saw before. For example, the Douaumont Ossuary near Verdun was such a moving site. One cannot take photos inside the chapel and perhaps this year there will be a portfolio of photos for sale. As mentioned in 2015, the tower of the structure is shaped like an artillery shell but is cathedral-like with Christian images on the exterior. When we stepped inside the building, the silence was remarkable. It was cool on a sweltering day. Thousands of names are engraved on the walls. Inside the chapel the stained-glass windows depicted stunning images of battlefields with crosses. One window depicted two angels holding a nurse (red cross on her veil) who was wounded in the war when a hospital was bombarded. Another image is of Christ cradling a soldier. The Crucifix at the Altar is Mary holding Christ upright, both have arms outstretched to form a cross, an image I have never seen. I see these images in my mind, but they are difficult to share with others—the impact is not the same.

Other places that I want to see again include the American cemeteries, Seicheprey, and the Pennsylvania bridge at Fismes. Only after the 2015 trip did I realize that my Uncle Roy W. Hall was in the 28^th Division—I knew that he was in the 112^th Infantry. In 2017 my brother gave me Uncle Roy’s doughboy helmet, with a red keystone stenciled on it.  The 28^th Division was known as the Keystone Division, mostly Pennsylvania men.

I will continue my research on my great uncle, Russell Archie Harvey—I hope to honor him in a special way on this trip, especially if we get back to Baalon, Mouzay, and Stenay, France. Another purpose of this trip is to honor not only my dear family members but all service members who served during the Great War.

PLANNING FOR OUR 2018 AEF WORLD WAR I CENTENNIAL TOUR!

This is the schedule for our upcoming tour--I want to be truly prepared!! [Note: 29 July 2018-There were a few changes in the schedule and I have adjusted it  here]

AEF WWI CENTENNIAL TOUR 2018

With Michael Hanlon

Tuesday, 7 August 2018

Golden Tulip Hotel/CDG

Paris, France (Roissy)

Welcome Dinner

Wednesday, 8 August 2015

New Regina Hotel

Flanders Fields, Belgium

The AEF in the Somme/Cantigny/In Flanders Fields, Part I

Cantigny

Hamel

Chipilly Ridge

Mont Kemmel

Flanders Field Museum

Menin Gate
Last Post Ceremony

Thursday, 9 August 2018

Best Western Plus, Hotel des Francs

Soissons, France

In Flanders Fields, Part II/Taking the Hindenburg Line

II Corps Final Advance

U.S. Flanders Fields and Somme Cemeteries

Blerancourt French-American Museum

Friday, 10 August 2018

Best Western Plus, Hotel des Francs

Soissons, France

Four Battles at Chateau-Thierry/Chateau de Blerancourt/Compiegne Armistice Glade

Marne River

Belleau Wood

Vaux

Soissons

U.S. Aisne-Marne Cemetery

Hill 204 Memorial / Visitors Center

Churches

            Belleau

            Chateau-Thierry

Saturday, 11 August 2018

Best Western Plus, Hotel des Francs

Soissons, France

The Second Battle of the Marne

Rainbow Division at Croix Rouge Farm and the Ourcq River

Pennsylvania Bridge at Fismes

U.S. Oise-Aisne Cemetery

Landowski’s Second Battle of the Marne Memorial

Sunday, 12 August 2018

Les Jardins du Mess

Verdun, France

Chemin des Dames: The Yankee Division/Operation Blucher/ Champagne Operations: 15 July 1918/ Blanc Mont/Sechault

Champagne

Argonne Forest Flank

Navarin Farm

Blanc Mont

Sechault

The Harlem Hellfighters

The Lost Battalion

Sergeant York

Monday, 13 August 2018

Les Jardins du Mess

Verdun, France

St. Mihiel Salient

Eparges Spur

Bois Brule

Seicheprey

Regnieville

Thiaucourt and Closing the Salient

Yankee Division’s Big Moment

George Patton Leads America’s First Tank Attack

Montsec Memorial

U.S. St. Mihiel Cemetery

PS: Just in case you have yet to travel to St. Mihiel Cemetery, the namesake of our VFW Post is William Hendershott.  He is buried there at Block D, Row 12, Grave 12.  A photo of the way it looks today would be fantastic

Tuesday, 14 August 2018

Les Jardins du Mess

Verdun, France

The Meuse Argonne Offensive, Phases I and II

Opening Attacks

Forges

Montfaucon

Vauquois

Varennes

Cheppy

Second Phase at Fleville

Cierges

Cunel

Romagne

Capt. Truman’s War

Montfaucon Memorial

U.S. Romagne Cemetery

Wednesday, 15 August 2018

Les Jardins du Mess

Verdun, France

The Meuse Argonne Offensive, Phase III

Attack of 1 November and Breakthrough to Sedan

Crossings of the Meuse Rive

Fighting on the Meuse Heights

Balloon Buster Frank Luke’s Last Fight

Henry Gunther—Last to Fall Memorial

Verdun-Memorial and Ossuary

Thursday, 16 August 2018

Golden Tulip Hotel

Paris, France (Roissy)

The AEF and the Voie Sacree/America’s Unknown Soldier/Musee de la Grande Guerre at Meaux

Voie Sacree Monument

First Army Headquarters, Souilly

Rembercourt Airfield for the 50^th and 94^th Aero Squadrons

Behonne Airfield of the Lafayette Escadrille During the Battle of Verdun

Chalons-en-Argonne Town Hall, Site of the Selection of the U.S. Unknown Soldier

Musee de la Grande Guerre

Farewell Dinner at the Golden Tulip Hotel in Paris, France (Roissy)

WITH THE 112TH IN FRANCE: A DOUGHBOY'S STORY OF THE WAR

Erie, Pennsylvania
Thursday, September 3, 2015


I want to keep focused on Archie and continue my writing about him, but I am taking a couple of detours.  The book my brother loaned me is titled WITH THE 112TH IN FRANCE: A DOUGHBOY'S STORY OF THE WAR by James A. Murrin, published in 1919.What a treasure this book is--my brother purchased it years ago knowing that our Uncle Roy was in the 112th and I know now the 28th Division.

Corporal Murrin kept a diary and his letters home from the very beginning when the 16th and the 8th Pennsylvania National Guard Infantry Regiments combined into the 112th. So far I have read about the training in Augusta, Georgia, the  troop train to New York, the crossing aboard the Aquitania, and now the Regiment's arrival in France, all in stunning detail.  Reading this book has enriched my understanding of the experience that Archie had before he went to France.  Roy was Archie's nephew.

I am thrilled to be reading such a book. A little search showed that the book is still available online for about $35 hardcover, but certainly not this 1st Edition. My brother was very thoughtful to loan it to me.

I took a little break from 112th book today and discovered that there is a history of the 37th Engineers, Company E/AEF available from a collection digitized by Google. I cannot believe it. The 37th Engineers, Company E is the unit my Grand (some say Great) Uncle Earl was in and his name is listed in the book. Earl was Archie's brother in law.

The past ten days I have had the luxury of continuing my Great War quest, but I know the next few days will be about family. I hope that they will let me fill them in about our heritage!!

"La Meuse exhume la Grande Guerre"

Erie, Pennsylvania
Wednesday, September 2, 2015

At the Hotel St. Paul in Verdun, France I spotted this headline, "La Meuse exhume la Grande Guerre" in L'Est Republican, Dimanche, 16 Aout 2015. Valerie told me that I could keep the newspaper.

The article focused on the discovery Thursday, August 13, of some human skeletal remains at Fleury-devant-Douaumont that are believed to be those of a German soldier from World War I. Buttons and other artifacts found at the site confirmed this.

There turned out to be three articles in the paper about the Great War. Besides the one mentioned above, another article was about a conference  with a focus on the environmental heritage of the Great War.

The third article was about a three day biker tour around the Verdun area, including Argonne, the destroyed villages, les Eparges, the Ossuary of Douaumont, and the Sacred Way.  One biker said he was attracted to the region because of the history of the War.

When one examines the battlefields, the memorials, the geography, the churches, the art, the literature, the music, and more, one gets a sense of the impact of the Great War on the psyche of France.

STILL ON THE TOUR IN MY DREAMS

It has been a week since we finished our World War I tour in France and I am still on the tour in my dreams every night since. That has never happened before.

Today I reworked the blog of Friday, August 21, 2015, because I wanted to tell the story of the Ossuary of Douaumont.  In reflection, the visit to the Ossuary was probably one of the most compelling.