USA > Massachusetts > Essex County > Andover > Andover, Massachusetts, in the world war > Part 5
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18
The Committee on Health kept itself in touch with individuals and groups, single cases and possible epidemics, with such care and attention that the town met all conditions that might otherwise have brought about serious consequences, with a clean bill of health most satisfying.
The Committee for "Aid to the Aliens" carried on the kind of work that led many a man to ally himself more closely to the United States of which he felt himself a new part, and helped many others whose kinship and citizenship were in other lands to keep in touch with those dear to them, where they might otherwise have felt themselves in a strange country.
The work of the committee on Home Guard made itself felt from the day when the Committee first organized in 1917 until long after the armistice had been signed. Old and young, with and without military training, eagerly allied themselves to the Andover Company, full of a desire to bear arms to the fullest extent of their ability in any of the many branches of military service which the Nation might develop. From the company went out into national service a num- ber of men of whom the town had reason to be very proud. In the days that fol- lowed that early meeting, inspired by the interest undoubtedly aroused by that appeal, many others found places in the regular army, and it would not seem to be too much to claim that the organization of the Andover Home Guard was the greatest factor in the military service which the town of Andover contributed to
62
ANDOVER IN THE WORLD WAR
the nation. Colonels, majors, and captains from Andover were developed through the three years of war, and linked with the 600 or more privates and non-com- missioned officers, make up the chief group of men to be given the highest places in the service that was rendered. Who can tell how much of the service that these men gave to their country was due to the Andover spirit inspired by the devoted service rendered by the men in the Andover Home Guard!
How many towns in the nation so organized the finances for public work under the trying times of 1917, 1918, and 1919, that hardly more than half of the money pledged was needed for carrying on the work undertaken? Never once during the entire life of the Public Safety Committee did the question of money stand in the way of undertaking anything and everything that seemed for the best. Not alone in its support of its committees but through its contributions to the several liberty loans, its enthusiastic support of the national Red Cross and Y. M. C. A., and its response to every appeal for funds from all sources, the answer came if the purpose was clear in service to the nation.
The Andover Committee on Public Safety had its inception in the call upon the American people to bear their proper share in the task of world civilization. Under the inspiration and enthusiasm of war appeal great deeds were done. The Andover Committee has been dissolved. Its purpose was aroused by an appeal that was national and world-wide. Its achievements in Andover were a part of the world achievement. The tasks that are left have none of the pomp of war about them, have little of the heroic to inspire them; they exist nevertheless in their continued appeal to Andover people to show high patriotism, exhibit self- denial, and ever maintain loyalty to the institutions of government.
THE FINANCE COMMITTEE
One of the first problems which the Committee of Public Safety had to face was the unromantic but vital matter of securing funds for the support of its plans. A meeting of the Finance Committee was called by its Chairman, Mr. Alfred L. Ripley, of the Merchants National Bank of Boston, for the evening of Wednesday, April 11, at which time an arrangement was perfected for an appeal by letter to every citizen of the town. A system of memberships, pledges, and guarantees was devised, the object being to secure at once a sufficient sum to meet the immediate expenses of the Public Safety Committee and also to provide a source of monetary supply for future contingencies. Placards and subscription blanks were spread broadcast, and, with the help of the Boy Scouts, a thorough canvass was made of the community. In his report at the close of 1917 Mr. Ripley showed that there were 645 members at $1.00, forty-eight members at $.50 and eighty members at
63
COMMITTEE OF PUBLIC SAFETY
$.25. In addition a group of guarantors had promised $3250, and pledges aggre- gating $3410 had been received from 213 individuals. Of this sum guaranteed and pledged, however, only half had been called for, amounting to $3330. The report showed the total receipts in cash to have been $4281.58; while the expendi- tures had been slightly under $2100. Of the expenses, the largest separate dis- bursement was $784.92 for farming operations; nearly $750 was spent for the bene- fit of "Battery F" and the Andover men at Camp Devens; and there were smaller appropriations for the Home Guard. In general, as Mr. Ripley truthfully said, "the outlay for expenses was not large, and the money was well used." The Fi- nance Committee had exercised its powers with discretion and economy.
During the year 1918 the expenditures of the Committee of Public Safety somewhat decreased, and it was deemed unnecessary to make any further appeal to the town for funds, especially in view of the numerous calls for contributions made by the various "drives" and loans. By conservative management the Fi- nance Committee arrived at the close of hostilities with an actual balance to its credit, an achievement which speaks volumes for the sagacity with which its affairs were administered.
THE FOOD PRODUCTION COMMITTEE
BY FREDERICK H. JONES, Chairman
The Food Production Committee was appointed by the Public Safety Com- mittee immediately after our country's entrance into the world war. Meetings were held with representatives of the Grange, leading vegetable gardeners, and mill owners, to plan for an increased food production for our town. The interest shown and the cooperation of our townspeople made the plans successful from the first.
Patriotic citizens at once offered the use of land in different parts of the town, the purchase of seeds and fertilizer was undertaken by the Committee, the lands were carefully ploughed, fertilized, and divided into workable size gardens, and a garden supervisor was engaged.
The first year found the regular gardeners planting more land and devoting a larger portion of their land to potatoes, beans, cabbage, and turnips. The small gardener, who cultivated his individual garden, was advised by the supervisor, and seventy-eight of these gardens were planted and developed on the lands donated by our citizens. The applicants for these gardens not using the entire land, the remaining portion was used by the Committee for potatoes, and a crop sufficient to meet the expense was harvested and sold.
The ladies of the town, working with the Food Production Committee, or- ganized a Canning Club and were allowed by the SchoolCommittee the use of one
64
ANDOVER IN THE WORLD WAR
of the basements of the Punchard School and there faithfully and successfully pre- served not only vegetables but fruits, and the sales of their products yielded a profit at the end of the season.
The work of the Production Committee was continued during the war, but after the first year the interest, individually, was such that less supervision was needed, and our paid supervisor, enlisting for overseas work, was not replaced. The crops raised were greater than the first year, due largely to experience gained by the gardeners and the planting of vegetables which could be used during the win- ter months.
The school children's gardens, which necessarily were small, were productive, and in many cases, working with the Canning Committee, the children not only raised but helped to preserve their vegetables.
In increasing the acreage planted and the vegetables raised, special credit should be given to the loyal and patriotic farmers, composed largely of members of the Grange, and the donators of the land, without which many of the individual gardens would have been impossible, the cooperation and assistance given by the factories of the town, and the splendid work of the canning organization, which was educational, practical, and most successful.
THE VOLUNTEER AID COMMITTEE
The labors of the Volunteer Aid Committee were mainly occupied with the important task of preparing for any possible local emergency. As a preliminary step, the Committee, under the direction of Mr. Burton S. Flagg, the Chairman, established a policy of effective cooperation with the other relief organizations of the town, including the Red Cross and the Selectmen. Lists were at once pre- pared of physicians, trained nurses, motor trucks, automobiles and drivers, sur- plus mattresses and blankets, men available for guard or errand duty, and gradu- ates of Red Cross first-aid classes. The responsibility for calling upon any of these resources was placed with an Emergency Relief Unit.
As matters turned out, the demands upon the Volunteer Aid Committee were comparatively few. The Home Service Committee of the American Red Cross was able to care for most of the needs of soldiers' dependents; and there were for- tunately no disasters in the town or its vicinity of such a nature as to require the assistance of the Emergency Relief Unit. Had there been any such demand, how- ever, the town would have been found ready; and the preparation and organiza- tion which the Volunteer Aid Committee had perfected is deserving of special commendation.
65
COMMITTEE OF PUBLIC SAFETY
THE LOCAL SURVEY COMMITTEE
It was, of course, essential to secure in some way an accurate estimate of the available resources of the town in material and man power. The Local Survey Committee, of which Mr. John H. Campion was Chairman, was entrusted with this task. Shortly after our entrance into the war a canvass of the town was made to ascertain the number of automobiles, trucks, motorcycles, and bicycles in the community, and each was listed so that it could be commandeered in case of ne- cessity. Later a census was taken of skilled workmen, and a list was prepared showing 274 carpenters, plumbers, masons, machinists, painters, blacksmiths, and other tradesmen. The Committee fulfilled its functions with care, and accumu- lated a mass of information of the highest value.
THE COMMITTEE ON ADVICE TO ALIENS
The proportion of enemy aliens in Andover being almost negligibly small, the Committee on Advice to Aliens was occupied mainly with the task of inducing citizens of other countries to take out their papers for American citizenship. As early as Wednesday, April 11, 1917, Mr. William C. Crowley, the Chairman, called together his colleagues, and reports were presented from the superintendents of the various manufacturing plants within the town showing the number of foreign- ers employed by them. The roll of employees showed fifty-five foreigners in the Smith and Dove factory and 130 in the Tyer Rubber Company establishment; but of these nearly all were English, Scotch or Irish, and almost all who were able- bodied sooner or later entered the military service of their native countries. The policy was soon announced by the important manufacturing corporations within the town of employing none but American citizens; and, through the Committee on Advice to Aliens, a considerable number of foreigners were persuaded to take out citizenship papers in this country.
THE HEALTH COMMITTEE
The Health Committee, consisting of Dr. Charles E. Abbott (Chairman), Dr. J. J. Daly, and Mrs. Bartlett H. Hayes, held its first meeting on April 14, 1914. It was thought best at this time to make further additions to the committee with the idea of avoiding any interference with the work already being done so ably and systematically by other organizations in the town. To this
66
ANDOVER IN THE WORLD WAR
end, therefore, Mrs. Markham W. Stackpole, Mrs. George F. French, and Miss Emily Sprague, each representing some phase of public health interest in Andover, were added to the original group.
On May 28, 1917 there was held, at the State House in Boston, a meeting of the Chairmen of the Committees on Hygiene, Medicine, and Sanitation through- out the Commonwealth. It was discovered at this gathering that there was a lack of proper cooperation in the work of many organizations in the state, much time, money, and effort being wasted through the want of united effort by many societies, all working presumably towards the same ultimate end, but by devious routes; and it was found that the amount and unanimity of the work which had been done in Andover, even months before the organizations for general prepared- ness, was far in advance of any other city or town, with one or two exceptions, there represented. It then became obvious that the work accomplished by local committees should be so arranged that the aggregate total in the state should ade- quately represent the sum total of personal and organized effort, and also that such work should aid in every possible way the local and state health depart- ments. The work accomplished by the Health Committee in Andover, then, was along these lines, and represents the accomplishment of the various local organi- zations included under the Health Committee.
The so-called relief unit, -later called the Emergency Relief Unit,-formu- lated a scheme which was typewritten and placed in the hands of the members of the committee and of all the physicians in the town. It gave the names and tele- phone numbers of the members of the committee, and of doctors, trained nurses, and graduates of the Red Cross First Aid Classes; the addresses and telephone numbers of owners of motor trucks and automobiles, and of drivers who had signified their willingness to respond night or day to emergency calls; and valua- ble information regarding places of refuge, hospital supplies, stretchers, mat- tresses, and blankets, with directions for obtaining the aid, when necessary, of Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, and Phillips Academy students.
The Chairman, Dr. Abbott, made three special trips to Camp Devens and two to Boxford to care for the welfare of the young men from Andover, and he vaccinated and inoculated against typhoid many of the early volunteers from the town.
During the terrible influenza epidemic of the autumn of 1918 the Health Com- mittee suddenly found itself very busy. The resources of the town for caring for the sick were unexpectedly stretched to the utmost, and, had it not been for the coolness and careful preparation of the members of that committee, widespread havoc might have ensued. Dr. Abbott, the Chairman, was indefatigable in his labors, and the other physicians of the town did heroic service, caring nothing for compensation but simply striving to see as many patients as possible in a day. The ladies on the committee made broth and carried it at regular intervals to the infested houses; and a little group actually undertook to nurse sufferers through
COMPANY H, 16TH REGIMENT, MASSACHUSETTS STATE GUARD
-
SCENE AT EMERY HILL HOSPITAL, LAWRENCE, DURING THE INFLUENZA EPIDEMIC
[ 68 ]
69
COMMITTEE OF PUBLIC SAFETY
the critical periods of the disease. The service performed was limited only by the opportunities offered, for there was no one who shirked responsibility or who de- clined to help. The consequence of this united effort was evident in the mortality lists, which were shorter in proportion to the inhabitants than those in practically any town in the state.
The advice and experience of the District Health Officer were placed through- out the war period at the disposal of the committee. In general the Health Com- mittee formed a point of contact between the Public Safety Committee and the State Committee, and thus lent a hand in the endeavors for which the Committee on Public Safety was formed.
THE STATE GUARD COMMITTEE
BY GEORGE A. CHRISTIE
Of all the organizations which represented the town of Andover during the days of the war, none acquitted itself with greater credit than its company of State Guard. Recruited from the ranks of laborers, factory operatives, tradesmen, farmers, business men, professional men - in fact from every walk in life -it served for over two years and answered every call made upon it, no matter when or where, or what the cost might be. Company H of the 16th M. S. G. was Ando- ver's company of civilian soldiers, and it upheld the honor of the town-a no mean honor - in a manner in keeping with Andover traditions of patriotism and loy- alty.
When war was declared on April 6, 1917, it was immediately followed by the calling out of the National Guard all over the land for Federal service. The Bay State men were among the first to respond and were soon in training for their overseas work. This left the Commonwealth without defenders in case of riot, catastrophe, epidemic, or even invasion, and it was to meet such emergency that the Massachusetts State Guard came into being. Originally recruited as a Home Guard, with each company independent of the other, it readily became apparent that cooperation, under a centralized head, was necessary for efficiency and ser- vice. The State Guard board was formed with headquarters at Boston, Brigadier General Butler Ames of Lowell being placed in command. Eleven regiments of infantry were organized, together with a motor corps of four companies, one troop of cavalry, and a fully equipped portable hospital, with surgeons, physicians, specialists, and a large staff of skilled nurses. Companies were assigned to regi- ments in convenient geographical locations, and as far as possible the regiments were named to take the place of the National Guard regiments which had preceded
70
ANDOVER IN THE WORLD WAR
them. The Eighth Regiment was located in Essex county, and the new regiment was named the Sixteenth. In less than six months Massachusetts had a well drilled force of over 10,000 men ready to cope with any emergency likely to arise within the State confines during the period of the war.
A few days after war had been declared the call for Andover's company was answered by nearly 100 men of the town who met in the Town Hall; and after a brief statement of facts and purposes by Bartlett H. Hayes, who was the leading spirit in the movement, Edgar G. Holt gave the command "Fall-in." He became captain and, although he was later made major of the second battalion of the 16th Regiment, his heart was always with the Andover company, and it might well be called "Holt's Own." None of the men who heard that command ever forgot it. There were no preliminaries. It was business from the start. After a few drills in the Town Hall it became apparent that the accommodations were too limited for satisfactory work, and through the courtesy of the Trustees of Phillips Academy the Borden Gymnasium and its equipment was placed at the disposal of Andover's company, and it remained its armory until the company was mus- tered out on July, 5, 1919.
The Andover company made its first public appearance on Memorial Day, May 30, 1917, as a Home Guard Company in command of Edgar G. Holt, captain, with Peirson S. Page and Percival Dove as lieutenants and Markham W. Stack- pole, as top sergeant. The marching of the men was a great surprise to the towns- people and created a very favorable impression. Marching, however, was not what the company was organized for, and at the next meeting it was decided to become a part of the State Guard. On July 5, 1917 fifty-one men passed the rigid physical test and were mustered into the service of the State, Col. Henry L. Kin- caid administering the oath.
The following men became the 114th company of the Massachusetts State Guard :
Chester D. Abbott
George E. Abbott
John F. Anderson Jesse S. Billington Henry A. Bodwell Roy H. Bradford Elmer E. Bridges J. Walter Brown Frank A. Buttrick
David B. Campbell George W. Campbell Peter Campbell Gordon R. Cannon
Frederick H. Hall Nathan C. Hamblin Edgar G. Holt
Henry S. Hopper Robert C. Kibbee
C. Carlton Kimball David S. Lindsay Thomas Low Alfred J. Lundgren George E. Merrill Harry LeRoy Murphy James K. Nicoll Michael J. O'Connor
71
COMMITTEE OF PUBLIC SAFETY
Gerard Chapin
George A. Christie Arthur H. Coates Arthur N. Comeau
Emile J. Paquette Alfred Robb David B. Robb Albert Ruhl Peirson S. Page
Joseph Connelly Percival Dove Charles W. Davis
Philip Stearns William A. Stevens
John Deyermond
Charles D. Thompson
Robert Dobbie
Augustus P. Thompson
Theodore L. Dodge James M. Gorrie John S. Gorrie
Henry G. Tyer
Harold K. Veazie
Eugene M. Weeks
W. Dudley Yates
Some of the men who had been in the Home Guard Company found that for business reasons they could not give the time to the State Guard and dropped out. They were Percival Dove, who was commissioned in September, 1917, as major in the Ordnance Corps; Bartlett H. Hayes, the organizer of the company, who en- listed and served overseas with the rank of major; Claude M. Fuess, second lieutenant, who became head of the personnel division at Camp Johnston and was commissioned major; and Markham W. Stackpole, who gave his services to the government and went overseas with the artillery of the 26th division. He was chaplain of the 102nd Field Artillery with the rank of captain and was decorated for his gallant conduct.
With the company part of the State troops, interest grew and others enlisted in the Andover company from time to time. Those who later took the oath and were mustered in during the life of the company were:
John C. Angus John R. Bacon Kirk R. Batcheller Arthur Bliss Albert Brearley Edwin T. Brewster Sharon O. Brown Frank L. Carrie Albert Crowther Edward Downs Francis Geddry Leon J. Germain Claremont Gray Harold Gray
Hiland F. Holt Ernest C. King Frederick H. Ladd Harold W. Leitch William Lewallen William R. McCulla
James H. Morss Alexander M. Ness James Page Frank L. Quinby David H. Rae Philip F. Ripley Lewis C. Rokes Charles H. Ross
72
ANDOVER IN THE WORLD WAR
Roy S. Haggard Roy E. Hardy Arthur T. Harkins Amos Henault
James E. Smythe Roland W. Thompson
Oswald W. Tower
Frank S. Valentine
Jesse West
Company H organized with Edgar G. Holt, captain; Peirson S. Page, first lieutenant; and Percival Dove, second lieutenant. Capt. Holt was destined to remain as leader of the company for but a short time. In August he was made major and placed in command of the second battalion of the 16th regiment to which the Andover company was assigned. Competitive examinations were held for non-commissioned officers which resulted in the following being assigned :
Jesse B. Billington, first sergeant
Henry A. Bodwell, corporal
Gordon R. Cannon, supply sergeant
William A. Stevens, corporal
Gerard Chapin, sergeant
David B. Robb, corporal
Henry G. Tyer, sergeant
J. Walter Brown, corporal
Nathan C. Hamblin, sergeant
Charles D. Thompson, sergeant
W. Dudley Yates, corporal Alfred Robb, corporal
Michael J. O'Connor, corporal
Routine work, with efficiency the objective, kept the members of the company busy through the hot days of the summer of 1917 and well into the fall. The in- struction the men had received, however, was used to excellent advantage, and at the school of instruction opened at the Lawrence armory, the officers and enlisted men of Company H gave many of the men awaiting their call in the draft, their first steps in soldiery. Changes in the ranks were now frequent as the members enlisted or were called into the service. Major Holt had taken Lieutenant Dove and Quartermaster Sergeant Kimball along with him on his battalion staff, and acting Captain Page had a busy time keeping the ranks full. Young men, how- ever, recognized the worth of the State Guard training, and more than one who was a member of the Andover Company was made a "non-com" after a few weeks in the Federal Service.
Three events marked the fall of 1917. One was the appointment of Peirson S. Page as captain, Gerard Chapin as first lieutenant, Jesse S. Billington as second lieutenant; these officers commanded the company until its mustering out and gave lavishly of their time and energy to make Company H the best unit in the battalion. The two other events of note were the escort to the drafted men of Division 21 from Andover on October 5, and the big field day on Brothers Field by the second battalion on October 12, at which Major Holt, on behalf of Company H, presented Captain Page with a sword.
The year 1918 opened with the State inspection by Col. Bailey of Amesbury, a veteran of the old 8th Massachusetts Infantry. He gave the men a rigid examina-
THOMAS W. PLATT, JR. Signal Quartermaster, U. S. Navy Died, October 14, 1918
[ 74 ]
75
COMMITTEE OF PUBLIC SAFETY
tion and also a high mark for appearance and efficiency. The military camp at Phillips Academy was of benefit to the Andover company, and all the facilities of the camp were at the disposal of the State Guard. The indoor rifle- range was given free of charge, and the shooting team of the company carried off battalion honors and was second in the regiment. Hikes, maneuvres, and night marches varied the usual routine, and the company was fully prepared for the week under canvas at Camp Gardner, Framingham, the last week in July. It was a real test for the men, a number of whom were nearing the half century mark. Under a tropical sun they stuck to their posts so well that Louis S. Cox, colonel of the regiment, commended the Andover men on their efficient work in camp. It was a compliment to Captain Page that he was chosen the first officer of the day, while the camp was being placed in running order. Daily regimental setting up drills were also under his direction. Just before going to Framingham, Private Frank A. Buttrick was promoted to first lieutenant of the Headquarters Company of the regiment.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.