New Hampshire WWI Military: Heroes of Cornish and Plainfield

Since these towns are adjacent to each other in New Hampshire, I decided to write one story about both, based on the names on their WWI memorial plaques. Previously I wrote about Harry Dickinson Thrasher from Plainfield, and now I will mention the rest of the heroes.

Mary King, the Director of the Philip Read Memorial Library in Plainfield took a photographs of that town’s memorial and it is engraved as follows. [Editor’s notes not found on the honor roll monuments are in brackets].

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HONOR ROLL
1914-1918
PLAINFIELD NH
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ANACNOSTOPOULOS, COSTAS
BAILEY, FRED L.
BAILEY, WAYNE E.
CHADBOURNE, RALPH P.  [Wagoner, later Sergeant, Company I, 56th Engineers]
CLARK, CLARENCE H.
CROSSMAN, HOMER
–NA, ANDREW

ECCLESTON, WILLIAM E.
HADLEY, LEON
HAYWARD, CRISWOLD S.
HILL, ALBERT E.
HUNT, HUGH
HUSE, ERNEST L.
JENNEY, CHESTER E.
JENNEY, RAY F.
JORDAN, BYRON C.
KELSEY, HOWARD P.
KIMBALL, CHAS. F.
MEYETTE, JOSEPH C.
MORSE, ROY V.
PENNIMAN, T. KENNETH
PETERSON, HALL
PIERSON, NORMAN N.
RICE, HARRY
ROGERS, FRED A.
RUGGLE, HAROLD L.
THRASHER, HARRY D.
TOWNE, ELMER C.
WATSON, LEONARD
WEST, HAZEN F.
WILDER, ROBERT A.
WILDEY, PAUL B.

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KILLED DURING WARTIME FROM PLAINFIELD
THRASHER, HARRY D. [SEE story written about him in a separate blog story]
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CORNISH HONOR ROLL
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[See an example of the Cornish WWI Honor Roll]

HONOR ROLL
WWI
CORNISH
NEW HAMPSHIRE

/left/
HUNT, CYRIL T.
HUNT, GEORGE E.
WATERMAN, J.K.
KNAPP, R.H.
YOUNG, W.A.
FITCH, H.A.
NEIDER, LOUIS L.
KENYON, C.E.
MILNER, H.A.
BURR, JULIUS H.
DOLAN, W.H.
WITHERILL, E.W.

GORDON, S.B. [Samuel B. Gordon son of Mrs. Ella]
COX, LEONARD
BARTLETT, ELMER C.
PLATT, WILLIAM

/right/
CHASE, G.A.
FITCH, FRANK W.
CHASE, M.
PLATT, C.C. [Clayton C. Platt son of Annie L. Platt]
DAVIDSON, R.P.
BLAKE, ROY F.
ST. GAUDENS, H.
HICKS, A.W.
STAPLES, D.C.
FURNESS, J.
KENYON, C.M.
COOK, BERT E.
ROWE, GEORGE J.

QUIMBY, ARTHUR W.
DREW, FRANK P.
FITCH, LEWIS E.
[Missing from this list:Tharon R. Tewksbury and Joseph H. Bean]

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RECORD OF MEN FROM CORNISH NH Who Entered War Service (WWI)
The 1920 Annual Report for the Town of Cornish provided the following Roll and Record of Men from Cornish, N.H. Who Entered War Service Against Germany– 1916-1919, transcribed here:

NAME|Age|Date of entrance into service| Br of Ser.| Department| Company|Regiment| Promotion of Commission|Date of Promotion or Commission| Killed or Wounded|
Date of Discharge|Time with A.E.F. Overseas||

–Bartlett, Elmer C.|33|*A.|Locomotive Eng.|Co.E|14th Engineers|Private 1st Class|June 10, 1917|Gassed Mar. 21,’18|May 2, 1919|21 Months||
–Blake, Roy Fred|23|May 8, 1917|A|Cavalry|Hdq. Troop|2nd Cavalry|1st Class Private>Corporal>Sergeant|Oct. 14, 1917-Dec. 1, 1918-June 26, 1919|Accidentally Shot|July 12, 1919|14 months||
–Burr, Julius H.|22|May 24, 1917|C.|Ambulance|–|–|Corporal| Jan. 27,1919|–|Oct. 14, 1919| 14 Months||
–Chase, Charles Amos|25|April 30, 1918|A.|Auto, Mechanic|–|–|Corporal|March 8, 1919|–|June 16, 1919|11M..1Wk.||
– Chase, McKinley|21|Oct. 22, 1918|C.|Coast Artillery|1st Truc|60th Am’n Train| –|–|–|Dec. 16, 1918|–||
– Cook, Bert Edward|24|Dec. 12, 1917|A.|Motor Mechanic|10th|4th|Corporal|May 1st, 1918| –|July 21, 1919|12 Months||
-(1)Cox, Leonard|23|April 28, 1917|A.|Infantry|B|305th|2nd Lieutenant>1st Lieutenant|–|Apr. 28, 1917|–|July 24, 1919|–||
–Davidson, Reginald P.|22|April 26, 1918|C.|Infantry|3rd Provisional H|309th|To Mechanic| June 1918|–|May 2, 1919 | 11 Months||
–Dolan, William H.|19|Aug. 26, 1916|A|Artillery|E Bat. 3d Co. F.A.|–|Corporal|Feb. 9, 1917|–|–|–||
–Drew, Frank P.|32|Aug 6, 1918|A|Chem War Ser’ce|A|–|–|–|–|Dec. 11, 1918|-||
–Fitch, Harold Alfred|26|June 27, 1918|C.|Field Artillery|Battery C|301st|–|–|–|Ja 18, 1919|–||
–Fitch, Frank William|23|June 30, 1917|A.|Inf. Medical|Hospital|312th| Corporal>Sergeant>Serg’nt 1st Class|Oct. 15, 1917>Dec. 15, 1917>Feb. 15, 1918|–|July 1, 1919|–||
–Fitch, Lewis Elmer|19|Oct. 7, 1918|C.|Infantry|F|1st. S.A.T.C.|–|–|–|Dec. 14, 1918|–||
–Furness, Gerald|21|Oct. 22, 1918|C.|Artillery|1st Truck|60th Am’n Train|–|–|–|Apr. 5, 1919|–||
–Gaudens, Homer Saint-|36|June 1, 1917|A.|Engineers Camouflage C’rps|A|40th Engineers|1st Lieutenant>Captain|Aug. 15, 1917>May 8. 1918|–|Feb. 5, 1919|12 Months.
–Gordon, Samuel B.|29|Oct. 5, 1918|C.|Infantry|Headquarters|301st|1st Class Private|May, 1919|–|July 16, 1919|12 Months||
–Hicks, Arthur W.|Aug. 5, 1918|C.|–|G’d & Fire Co. 328|Army Sup. Base|–|–|–|Dec. 8, 1918|–||
–Hunt, George E.|27|March 11, 1918|A.|Airplane|17th Photo Unit|–|1st Class Private|–|–|May 7, 1919|8 months
–Hunt, Cyril Thomas|21|Dec.21, 1917|A.|Airplane|7th Cadet Squad|–|2nd Lieutenant| Nov 1, 1918|Ac. Kil’d Jan.27’19|(2)|–||
–Hunt, Raeburn S.|18|July 18, 1918|A.|Infantry|R.S.A.T.C.|4th Battalion|2nd Lieutenant|Sept. 16, 1918|–|Dec. 16, 1918|–||
–Kenyon, Carrol E.|23|July 25, 1918|A.|Infantry|G|74th|1st Class Private|Dec. 2, 1918|–|Jan. 22, 1919|–||
–Kenyon, George M.|19|Feb 11, 1918|A.|Airplane|25th|Aviation Corps|–|–|–| Jan.24 1919 |–||
–Knapp, Raymond H.|19|Feb. 28, 1918|A.|Aviat’n Sec. S.C.|–|–|–|–|W’n’d Left Leg|July 8, 1919|11 Months||
–Milner, Howard A.|20|Dec.–, 1917|A.|Aviation|32d Squadron|3rd Provisional|–|–|–|–|–||
–Neider, Louis L.|26|July 6, 1916|A.|Infantry|Supply|103rd|–|–|W’n’d Left Hip|April 28, 1919|18 Months||
–Platt, William|20|Apr. 1, 1917|E.|Naval Aviation|–|–|Ensign>Lieut. Jr. Grade|Mar. 16, 1918>Apr 1, 1919|–|March. 21, 1919>Aug. 26. 1919|5 Months||
–Platt, Clayton C.|21|May 13, 1919|A.|Artillery|Aus. 2, Park Bat.|2d C’ps Art Park|Mechanic|Aug. 9, 1919|–|Aug. 26, 1919|13 Months||
– Quimby, Arthur W.|20|Oct. 12, 1918|C.|–|H|Har.Uit.S.A.T.C.|–|–|–|Dec. 7, 1918||
–Rowe, George J.|25|May 17, 1918|A.|Aviation|Constr’c’n. Co. 16|–|–|–|–| Aug. 27, 1918|–||
–Staples, Daniel G.|29|June 16, 1918|C.|Infantry|Headquarters Co.|74th|1st Class Private|Nov. 1, 1918|–|Jan.22, 1919|–||
–Waterman, John K.|23|Sept. 24, 1917|A.|Quart’mas’r R C.|–|–|Q.M. Sergeant>2nd Lieut. Q.M.C.|April, 1918>Sept. 17, 1918|–|Sept. 4, 1919|–||
–Witherill, Elwyn W.|24|May 2, 1918|A.|Ordnance|–|–|Ordnance Serg’t|July 2, 1919|–|Sept. 5, 1919|13 Months||
–Young, Wesley A.|18|Feb. 25, 1918|A.|Aviation|35th Balloon|–|–|–|–|May 6, 1919|6 Months||
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LEGEND: *Branch of Service–(A) Regular Army; (C) National Army; (E) Naval Reserves. (1) Awarded Distinguished Service Honors by U.S.A. France and Belgium. (2) Killed in airplane accident. The above records are incomplete, but contain all the information received to date. If any errors are discovered in these Records please notify me, F.J. Franklyn, Town War Historian.

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KILLED DURING WARTIME
(FROM CORNISH NH)
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Cyril Thomas Hunt, son of Edmund Bennett & Martha Maude (Soule) Hunt, b. 9 June 1896 Cornish NH, died 27 January 1919 at Arcadia FL, military aviator during an air accident. He is buried at Child Cemetery, Cornish, Sullivan Co. NH.

In 1900 Cyril T. Hunt was living in Cornish NH with parents and siblings: George Edmund Hunt (b 6 Dec 1890, d. 18 April 1980 West Haven CT), Mildred Lucille Hunt (b. 12 Jan 1892, d. 18 Aug 1995, m. Charles A. Goodwin), Leigh Waterman Hunt (b. 26 Sep 1893 and d. 25 March 1985 Hamden CT), Olive Louise Hunt (b 22 Oct 1894, d. 15 Dec 1994 Lebanon NH, m. John David Durward) and Raeburn Stanley Hunt (b 10 August 1899, d. 27 Dec 1935). In 1903 he would have another sibling, Barbara Irma Hunt (b 5 Dec 1903, d. 25 March 1994 Concord NH, m. Robert Ford).

In 1900 the New Hampshire magazine, published by New Hampshire College (now called University of New Hampshire) provided a brief biography, and stated this about him: “Word reached the members of the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity, early this week of the death of Lieut. Cyril T. Hunt, ’19, at Carlstrom Field, Arcadia, Florida…..Cyril T. Hunt, better known to all as “Cy” Hunt, came to New Hampshire College in the fall of 1915 from Kimball Union Academy. Before coming here he was a member of the Kimball Union Academy baseball team for two years. From the time of his entrance here “Cy” Hunt was always an active student. He was a member of the Rope Pull of his class for two years, was a member of the class football team for two years and the class baseball team for one year. He was a member of the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity and Alpha Chi Sigma (Chemical) fraternity. He left here early in 1918 to take up aviation and in the spring of 1918 he was awarded a commission as second lieutenant in the aviation service. Recently he has been stationed at Carlstrom field, Florida, as –. He had planned to stay in the aviation service even after the war and to apply for a commission in the aerial mail service. His work while in the aviation service was of a high degree...”

Several newspapers reported on his death, one in particular giving a bit more detail: The Tampa Tribune (Tampa FL) 28 Jan 1919, Tues, page 1. Aviator Lieutenant Hunt is Killed From A Fall At Arcadia. “CARLSTROM FIELD, ARCADIA, Jan. 27.–(Special)–Lieut. Cyril T. Hunt of Cornish Flat, N.H. was instantly killed here today when his airplane crashed 500 feet to the ground. Lieutenant Hunt was manouvering and “shadow-shooting” at the time of the accident. Officers who have examined the plane have not determined the cause of the accident, but think the fall due probably to the plane being “stalled.” The body of the aviator will be sent from Arcadia tomorrow to Cornish Flat.”

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CONNECTED TO CORNISH
DIED IN SERVICE

Colonel Robert Montgomery Thornburgh  was born 13 March 1872 Omaha, Douglas, Nebraska, son of Thomas T. & Eliza W. (Clarke) Thornburgh. His great-grandfather Montgomery Thornburg died in Andersonville Prison during the Civil War.   Col. Thornburgh married 28 April 1895 in Cornish Flat, Sullivan Co. NH to Florence E. Carroll, daughter of Daniel E. & Ella F. (Collins) Carroll. She was b. in Cornish NH. His son Thomas Tipton Thornburgh was born 15 Aug 1896 in Hanover, New Hampshire, and was later a West Point graduate.  Col. Thornburgh attended Dartmouth Medical School and joined the U.S. Army in 1901 as an Assistant Surgeon. In 1906 he was Captain in the Medical corps; 1910 Major; 1917 Lieutenant Colonel. He commanded the Letterman Hospital, Presidio of San Francisco California in 1919 as a Colonel. Thornburgh Road in the Presidio is named for him.  Col. Thornburgh died 9 Oct 1919 in San Francisco California as the result of an automobile accident. He is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.  Two newspaper reports follow.

The San Bernadino County Sun, 10 Oct 1919
Col. Robert Thornburgh Killed in Auto Crash
By Associated Press to THE SUN
SAN FRANCISCO, Oct 9.–Col. M. Thornburgh, commanding officer of the Letterman General Hospital at the Presidio of San Francisco, was killed here tonight in a collision of two automobiles. He was 47 years old, had been in the army 18 years and recently returned from 18 months’ service in France. He leaves a widow and one son, an officer in the army.

San Francisco Chronicle, 11 Oct 1919, page 4
Col. Thornburgh’s Funeral Awaits Arrival of Son
Funeral arrangements for Colonel Robert M. Thornburgh, late commanding officer at Letterman General Hospital, who was killed in an automobile accident Thursday night, will be delayed until the arrival of Lieutenant Robert Thornburgh, a son. Lieutenant Thornburgh is on his way to San Francisco now from Brownsville, Tex., where he is stationed. He may not arrive until tomorrow…..Mrs. Thornburgh was prostrated yesterday and refused to see callers. The telephone operators had instructions not to ring Mrs. Thornburgh’s quarters except on urgent matters. Colonels of the Army are entitled to a regiment of soldiers at their funerals, but the shortage of men at San Francisco posts may prevent the full assignment being made. The escort will follow the body mounted on an artillery caisson, to the train. The body is to be buried in Arlington Cemetery, Washington, D.C.

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In addition to those who went to war, there were countless hometown men and women who did their part through local organizations, the Red Cross, women’s sewing circles and of course there were those who served on the New Hampshire governor’s “Commitee of One Hundred.”

This Committee of One Hundred included a Committee on Public Safety which had a subcommittee for Emergency Food Production Committee (1918)that included Fred A. Rogers, Plainfield.   The Aviation Committee included Louis E. Shipman, Plainfield.  The “Four Minute Men” were a group of volunteers authorized by United States President Woodrow Wilson, to give four-minute speeches on topics given to them by The Committee on Public Information. Those members were Harry F. Lake, Concord, Chairman and Louis E. Shipman, Plainfield, Chairman.   In addition each town and city in New Hampshire had a “Local Committee” of people who kept track of who served in the military and other duties.  The Chairmen of Local Committees included Cornish–William E. Beaman, and Plainfield–Albion E. Long.

[Editor’s Note: this story is part of an on-going series about heroic New Hampshire men and women of World War I.  Look here for the entire listing].