Father Duffy's story : $b a tale of humor and heroism, of life and death with the Fighting Sixty-ninthDuffy, Francis Patrick
History
Father Duffy's story : $b a tale of humor and heroism, of life and death with the Fighting Sixty-ninth
Duffy, Francis Patrick
United States. Army. Infantry Regiment, 165th; World War, 1914-1918 -- Personal narratives, American
The French military authorities conferred a number of Croix de
Guerre, giving a Corps citation to Corporal Helmer for working to
save his comrades after having been buried himself, “giving a very
fine example of conscience, devotion and courage.” Division citations
went to Major Donovan, “superior officer who has shown brilliant
military qualities notably on the 7th and 8th of March, 1918, by
giving during the course of a violent bombardment an example of
bravery, activity and remarkable presence of mind”; and to Private
James Quigley, who “carried two wounded men to first aid station
under a violent bombardment and worked all night trying to remove his
comrades buried under a destroyed dugout.” Regimental citations were
given to Lieutenant John Norman, Lieutenants Oscar Buck and W. Arthur
Cunningham, Sergeant William Bailey and Carl Kahn of Company E,
Sergeants William J. Moore, Daniel O’Connell and Spencer T. Rossell
of Company A, Sergeants Blaustein and Private Charles Jones of H. Q.
Company.
The bodies of Eddie Kelly and Oscar Ammon of Company F, who was also
killed during that night, with those that could be gotten from the
dugout were buried in Croix-Mare in a plot selected for the purpose
near a roadside Calvary which, from the trees surrounding it, was
called the “Croix de L’Arbre Vert” or “Green Tree Cross.” The others
we left where they fell. Over the ruined dugout we erected a marble
tablet with the inscription, “Here on the field of honor rest”—and
their names.
Company E held those broken trenches with their dead lying there
all of that week and Company L during the week following. Following
is a full list of the dead: Lieutenant John Norman, Corporal Edward
Sullivan, George Adkins, Michael Ahearn, Patrick Britt, Arthur
Christfully, William Drain, William Ellinger, Philip S. Finn, Michael
Galvin, John J. Haspel, Edward J. Kelly, James B. Kennedy, Peter
Laffey, John J. Le Gall, Charles T. Luginsland, Frank Meagher,
William A. Moylan, William H. Sage and Robert Snyder of Company E;
Arthur V. Hegney and Edward J. Kearney of Headquarters Company and
Oscar Ammon of Company F.
ARBRE HAUT
_March_ 12th, 1918
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account