New Hampshire in WWI: Heroes of Dublin

Aerial view of Dublin New Hampshire in the 1950s. Photograph property of J.W. Brown

I have been writing about the towns in New Hampshire that had reported deaths in World War I, focusing on those places with residents who made the supreme sacrifice. I am making an exception for Dublin, New Hampshire.

This is because the Dublin Historical Society is holding an important event called “Lest We Forget: Dublin’s Patriots in WWI” from August 11 to August 26, 2018, 10 AM to 1 PM. Their Opening Reception will be held on August 13th starting at 5:30 PM. The event is easy to find, as its being held in the top floor of Dublin New Hampshire’s Town Hall [1120 Main Street].

The local newspaper, the Monadnock Ledger-Transcript, wrote a nice story about what you might expect to see there, and provided some photographs of some the artifacts that will be on exhibit. The story mentions only a few of the many soldiers and the nurse from the town who were in service. So how would you know if you had a connection with them?

The book”The history of Dublin NH…,” by Levi W. Leonard, Josiah L. Seward and Charles Mason, published in 1920 devotes and entire chapter (XIX) to ‘Dublin in the World War’ and it is said “Well may the citizens of Dublin look back with pride and satisfaction to the record of their town’s participation in the last great war with Germany and the Central Powers.”

The authors of the town history note that the population of Dublin in 1917 was 571, and of those 26 “boys” were enlisted in service at the time of signing the Armistice on 11 November 1918. “Seventeen…served in the Army, eight in the Navy, and one in the Marine Corps. Thirteen of them went overseas, and eight fought at the front…(including battles such as) St. Mihiel, Belleau Wood, Chateau-Thierry, Toul Sector, Second Battle of the Marne, Chemin des Dames, and others).” They note that “it is an extraordinary fact that none of them were killed, and but three were seriously wounded or gassed.” Realizing a need to keep track of military history in the town, Henry D. Allison was appointed Historian of Dublin, and he is the author of the chapter relating to WWI in the town history book.

Old postcard showing main street of Dublin NH

It is noted in the town history that those who remained home in Dublin also did their part. War Gardens were made and cultivated to help fill the local gaps left as food stuffs were sent to Europe. There were home food preservation (canning) demonstrations given to avoid waste. Education seminars were held and four liberty loan drives promoted. Generous funds were donated by the towns people to the Y.M.C.A. and the Red Cross. Relief efforts included those in foreign lands with monies going to aid organizations for the Belgian people, the French and British, the Italian Relief Fund, and the Armenian and Near East Relief Fund. Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Lindon Smith worked tirelessly to raise funds for the Relief of French Orphan Children, raising over $200,000 for that fund and making three trips to France to study the situation.

The Dublin branch of the American Red Cross was organized on 1 May 1917 with Mrs. Annie E. Childs as President and Mrs. Ella G. Mason, Secretary and Treasurer. The town history has more details on these meetings, who was involved, where they met and the various fund raising events they held. Of course the service of these women included the knitting of of clothing and the making of surgical dressings.

WWI military men with American flag from The Honor Roll 1917
-1918-1919 by CLifford R. Trimble, published 1920, Library of
Congress

Mrs. William Brooks Cabot presented a service flag to the town with 14 stars (the number in service at that time) and it was hung from the front window of the town hall. It was at this time that the town oval and the flag pole was put in place. There was great concern in the town when “signal lights” were seen at night from Monadnock Mountain, Pack Monadnock and higher hilltops in nearby towns in the summers of 1917-1918. The Secret Service was involved in investigating these events.

A World War I Honor Roll Plaque was dedicated on 15 September September 1918 even before the Armistice was declared. It was created in Dublin NH by Dr. Gerome Brush (in his studio). “The eagle is modeled in plaster, finished in gold leaf, and the United States shield is colored in red, white and blue. The names are lettered in black on a white background. It is seven by nine feet in size.” The Honor Roll was made possible by funds contributed by Mr. Edward A. Grozier, publisher of the Boston Post who “was passing his first season here.” The balance of the sum was expected to be contributed by families and friends of those in service.

A careful list was compiled, insuring that only those who were actually of Dublin New Hampshire were included. The town history is entirely responsible for providing service details on these 25 men. Of these “13 were students or graduates of college, 8 attended high schools or preparatory schools, and 4 had common school educations.”

–Dublin’s Men in the Service–
Hildred M. Allison
Seymour L. Austin
Norman Cabot
Charles P. Clukay
Louis C. Eaves
Harry D. Elliott
Almerin M. Gowing
Leland W. Gray
Thomas A. Hadley
Paul F. Hannaford
Ernest F. Henderson Jr.
George B. Henderson
George E. Leighton
John L. Leighton
Henry K. Leighton
Richard S. Meryman
Robert H. McCurdy
Clifton P. Naylor
Carlyle V. Newton
Charles P. Paige
C. Herbert Porter
Junius A. Richards
Charles R. Thomas
William H. Walsh
Roger A. Weston

Another WWI era postcard showing a service flag with a blue star in the front window of a home.

On 11 March 1919 at Dublin NH’s annual Town Meeting it was voted to appropriate $300 for a reception for the returning soldiers, and a committee was created with the reception set for the summer of 1919.  Additional names of those who served but either moved away or were attributed to another place included: Lieut. Arthur T. Appleton, Sailsmaker Howard Burton, Major Norman D. Cota, Private Dick R. Eaves, Private Wayland P. Frost, Private John Herman Miller (died in camp Devens of influenza 28 Sep 1918), Private Burton A. Willard, and Private Warren Wheeler.

In Service Overseas: Capt. F. Elliot Adams, Sergt. Theodore F. Allison, Wagoner Robert W. Allison, Bugler Forrester Coulter, Private Amie J. Dion, Seaman Albert Demanche, Sergeant Don A. Eaves, Sergt. Guy A. Eaves, Corp. John E. McLaughlin, Private Edward Nesbit, Leiut. John Earl Sewall, Lieut. RObert Sewell, Private Clarence E. Strong, Private James E. Strong, Private James Venable, Corporal Arthur W. Winslow.

Summer Residents: Lieut-Col. Hugh Cabot, Major. Grenville Clark, Ensign Philip M. Childs, Ensign Thomas Durfee, Colonel Joel E. Goldthwait, Lieut. Joel Goldthwait, Sergeant Albert Bushnell Hart Jr., Sergt. Adrian Putnam Hart, Major F. Clinton Kidner, Major Bradley Martin, Lieut. Thomas H. McKittrick Jr., E.C. Sterling McKittrick, Lieut. Rogers MacVeagh, Captain Ewen C. MacVeagh, Major Lincoln MacVeagh, Lieutenant Charles MacVeagh, Francis MacVeagh (5 brothers are the sons of Mr. and Mrs. Charles MacVeigh), Lieut-Colonel Harleigh Parkhurst, Ensign Channing Stowell, Lieutenant William C. Stribbling Jr., L. Ellsworth Thayer, Lieutenant Chushing Toppan, Corporal Charles F. Toppan

Eleanor F. Cabot, WWI nurse from her passport application.

At least one nurse was among those who served during WWI. “Miss Eleanor F. Cabot enlisted with the American Red Cross Society to do Nurses’ Aid. She was commissioned for Child Welfare work and arrived in France December 24, 1917.

On June 25, 1918 she was transferred to the Military Service, American Expeditionary Forces, and later to the French-Service de Sante, which brought her duties close up to the front. After the signing of the Armistice she went with the Balkan Unit to northern Albania, where she is now (at the time of the writing of the history in 1920) engaged.  She later married and is buried in Long Island National Cemetery.

There were others, of course, who spent time in Dublin but were not as closely connected as those I’ve already described. You will have to just read the town history to learn more about all of them.

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EVENT: August 11 to 26, 2018 — 10a to 1p
Opening Reception August 13, starting at 5:30 pm
Lest We Forget: Dublin’s Patriots in WWI
Top Floor of the Dublin Town Hall
by the Dublin Historical Society

[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].