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Women in the US military


stevie boy

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Just a few more odds and ends ...

William Arthur Hawksworth's 5 June,1917 draft document has an annotation and his 3 June,1918 US naturalization record shows that he (And assuming also his brother Wesley) first entered the Army in Battery 6 or b? of the 144th Field Artillery at Camp Kearny, California on 3 August,1917. The naturalization document shows that he was granted expedited citizenship under the Act of Congress of 9 May,1918 that waived the existing five year waiting period between declaration of intention and petition for citizenship for resident aliens who were willing to serve (Or were drafted) in the US armed forces. Perhaps this and a possible recruitment bonus are the "special deal" mentioned above. The 144th Field Artillery was organized 24 September,1917 at Camp Kearny, California as a component of 40th ("Sunshine") Division's 65th Field Artillery Brigade. They moved overseas in August 1918. The 40th Division, renamed the 6th Depot Division, was used to supply fresh troops to the more established and experienced (And decimated) combat divisions. By the end of the war the 40th provided over 27,000 replacements to other units. I think this is how William Hawksworth (And possibly Wesley, too) ended up in the 4th Division,16th Artillery Brigade's supply company. The 16th Field Artillery was detached to serve with the 3rd Division during the Meuse-Argonne operations of October 20-24 and with the 90th Division from October 26 - November 11,1918.

The 40th Division returned to the US in January 1919 and was demobilized at Camp Kearny in April 1919. The 4th Division served in the occupation until July 1919 and then in July and August moved back to the US for demobilization. The US veterans headstone application shows William Hawksworth, sn 1639292, was demobilized 9 August,1919 in what looks like Hou(ston, Texas?)

Hope this helps

Edited by Cpl Coleman
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There is a pretty detailed history of the 4th Division in WWI - I have a copy of it.

Here is a basic outline: (attached)

This link to a short video might also be of interest.

You had asked earlier about the badge - the 4th Div Badge is 4 Ivy leaves - its a play on the roman numeral for 4 (IV) so the 4th Div were known as the IVY Division.

By 1918 gas was in widespread almost universal use by both sides in almost all engagements. There is some suggestion (and was a post war investigation) that US gas casualties were higher than they might have been in certain units - training, preparation and leadership were all examined as contributory causes although the findings were mixed. Most front line troops will have had some exposure to gas in this period.

Chris

Hello Chris,

Thank you for the link, and viewing raised a smile for me. The brothers were part of a vast mule train organisation, yet nothing that antiquated appears in the link. To an extent has this been air brushed out of the history, or am I being cynical here?

Even some in the US Army appear unaware of the old technology and Mabel was surprised to hear how her brothers were operating. She had a truck and assumed those everywhere on the front line were equipped likewise.

Is the history you have in the public domain please? And are the dashes in the abbreviated download covering copyright issues?

I appreciate the download is a summary, but contrary to the notes given there the brothers were shipped into Southampton. From there they went to Romsey - a route march because the US Army had no transport. It also appears the Army had no common sense, or money, to go on the railway!

I do not know if Romsey was to receive training, or receive mules. Mules, Romsey and the US Army are all linked but I would need expert guidance from good men such as you here please.

William received gas injuries. I would have thought this would have made him unfit for service but the US Army thought differently - there was no compassion here and he had to keep on serving, and suffering. Was this normal policy? Might it reflect a shortage of man power? Again over to all the good folks on this Forum please!

Thank you for your post

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A lot to take in, and some pondering to be done. But thank you for this. I have been scratching around and the following has cropped up:

Just a few more odds and ends ...

William Arthur Hawksworth's 5 June,1917 draft document has an annotation and his 3 June,1918 US naturalization record shows that he (And assuming also his brother Wesley) first entered the Army in Battery 6 of the 144th Field Artillery at Camp Kearney, California on 3 August,1917. The naturalization document shows that he was granted expedited citizenship under the Act of Congress of 9 May,1918 that waived the existing five year waiting period between declaration of intention and petition for citizenship for resident aliens who were willing to serve (Or were drafted) in the US armed forces. Perhaps this and a possible recruitment bonus are the "special deal" mentioned above. The 144th Field Artillery was organized 24 September,1917 at Camp Kearney, California as a component of 40th ("Sunshine") Division's 65th Field Artillery Brigade. They moved overseas in August 1918. The 40th Division, renamed the 6th Depot Division, was used to supply fresh troops to the more established and experienced (And decimated) combat divisions. By the end of the war the 40th provided over 27,000 replacements to other units. I think this is how William Hawksworth (And possibly Wesley, too) ended up in the 4th Division,16th Artillery Brigade's supply company. The 16th Field Artillery was detached to serve with the 3rd Division during the Meuse-Argonne operations of October 20-24 and with the 90th Division from October 26 - November 11,1918.

The 40th Division returned to the US in January 1919 and was demobilized at Camp Kearney in April 1919. The 4th Division served in the occupation until July 1918 and then in July and August moved back to the US for demobilization. The US veterans headstone application shows William Hawksworth, sn 1639292, was demobilized 9 August,1919 in what looks like Houston (Texas).

Hope this helps

My immediate observations are the post by Chris (replied to above) needs a little tweaking. William left USA on 28 June, which is after the date on which all troops are noted as having sailed.

It appears William and Wesley were moved to the Supply Company on completion of service at Camp Kearney. I assume the rank was still Private, with Wagoneer rank being a promotion. This rank was attained but it looks like this was whilst in France - I do not know the date of this.

I do not know about the demobilization - arrival was in USA on 29 July with travel pay to Fresno - which was where the Army service commenced with enlistment. All the admin seems to have come from there, so Texas for demobilization is an area for me to ponder.

Thank you for all your ongoing help, but it has not shed any light on the role of Mabel - who was the start of my posting! However, I am not complaining, as I have learnt a lot after all the years when the family's military service was somewhat murky.

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Hello Chris,

Thank you for the link, and viewing raised a smile for me. The brothers were part of a vast mule train organisation, yet nothing that antiquated appears in the link. To an extent has this been air brushed out of the history, or am I being cynical here?

That is the SUPPLY TRAIN which is listed.

Even some in the US Army appear unaware of the old technology and Mabel was surprised to hear how her brothers were operating. She had a truck and assumed those everywhere on the front line were equipped likewise.

Is the history you have in the public domain please? And are the dashes in the abbreviated download covering copyright issues?

The history is now out of copyright in the US as it is over 70 years old - whether there is an electronic/online version I am not sure, you could have a look many of the unit histories have been digitized. The dashes are part of my hurried scanning/retyping nothing more sinister (I typed this up.)

I appreciate the download is a summary, but contrary to the notes given there the brothers were shipped into Southampton. From there they went to Romsey - a route march because the US Army had no transport. It also appears the Army had no common sense, or money, to go on the railway!

....or because after more than a week cooped up on a crowded troopship they thought the soldiers needed some exercise?

I provided a summary of a history of the 4th Division (from the official ORBAT), if the brothers (as seems likely from Cpl Coleman's post) were part of a skeletonized division and did not join the 4th until France their route (troopships, specific dates etc) would have been different.

I do not know if Romsey was to receive training, or receive mules. Mules, Romsey and the US Army are all linked but I would need expert guidance from good men such as you here please.

William received gas injuries. I would have thought this would have made him unfit for service but the US Army thought differently - there was no compassion here and he had to keep on serving, and suffering. Was this normal policy? Might it reflect a shortage of man power? Again over to all the good folks on this Forum please!

This would have depended (as with all wounds/injuries/illness) upon the severity of the injury/effects as officially determined by the US Army. Did he receive a pension later in life as a result of the exposure? This would give an indication of the severity.

Thank you for your post

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Quick look at the OrBat for return/demob dates of the various divisions under discussion:

4th Div

(SS Mount Vernon) Arrives US between Aug 5th and 10 1919 and demobbed NA soldiers at Camp Merrit before returning to Camp Dodge (IA)

40th Div

Leaves Bordeaux (SS Atenas) @ Feb 23 1919, arrives March 13 at Camp Mills NY and demobbed at Camp Kearny (Ca) April 7.

90th Div

Leaves St Nazaire (SS Mongolia) @ May 27 1919, arrives Boston June 7, demobbed Camp Bowie (Tx) June 15.

It is difficult, even with the official orbat to work out exactly which divisions artillery formations were officially part of in the post war period. Many divisions had their arty detached during the war and went into action with arty from other division attached, how this was all worked out afterwards would take a lot of looking. 90th Div looks a good bet as the field arty were attached to them at the end of the war and they also demobbed in Tx.(although 2 months earlier)

You mention "with pay to Fresno" - this may have been the travel voucher home AFTER demobbing -- so the question would be pay from where.

Chris

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Hello Chris,

Thank you for the link, and viewing raised a smile for me. The brothers were part of a vast mule train organisation, yet nothing that antiquated appears in the link. To an extent has this been air brushed out of the history, or am I being cynical here?

That is the SUPPLY TRAIN which is listed.

Even some in the US Army appear unaware of the old technology and Mabel was surprised to hear how her brothers were operating. She had a truck and assumed those everywhere on the front line were equipped likewise.

Is the history you have in the public domain please? And are the dashes in the abbreviated download covering copyright issues?

The history is now out of copyright in the US as it is over 70 years old - whether there is an electronic/online version I am not sure, you could have a look many of the unit histories have been digitized. The dashes are part of my hurried scanning/retyping nothing more sinister (I typed this up.)

I appreciate the download is a summary, but contrary to the notes given there the brothers were shipped into Southampton. From there they went to Romsey - a route march because the US Army had no transport. It also appears the Army had no common sense, or money, to go on the railway!

....or because after more than a week cooped up on a crowded troopship they thought the soldiers needed some exercise?

I provided a summary of a history of the 4th Division (from the official ORBAT), if the brothers (as seems likely from Cpl Coleman's post) were part of a skeletonized division and did not join the 4th until France their route (troopships, specific dates etc) would have been different.

I do not know if Romsey was to receive training, or receive mules. Mules, Romsey and the US Army are all linked but I would need expert guidance from good men such as you here please.

William received gas injuries. I would have thought this would have made him unfit for service but the US Army thought differently - there was no compassion here and he had to keep on serving, and suffering. Was this normal policy? Might it reflect a shortage of man power? Again over to all the good folks on this Forum please!

This would have depended (as with all wounds/injuries/illness) upon the severity of the injury/effects as officially determined by the US Army. Did he receive a pension later in life as a result of the exposure? This would give an indication of the severity.

Thank you for your post

Thank you for this. I trust I have not caused offence and if so I do apologise.

I can now appreciate and understand your reference to the "trains", but my observation was the extensive use of mules. Motorised transport was not used but it was used elsewhere. My questioning was along the lines of why was this so? Was it a shortage of trucks for example?

The troops were complaining about no transport being available, and prior to this the pitiful state of equipment/facilities (in particular in the latter half of 1917). I appreciate troops require exercise, but there was also no transport available for any of their kit/supplies.

I do not know about ORBAT and official histories, but my observation was all the troops were still at Camp Kearney after the official records appear to say they were in France. Hence the notion of a skeletonized division is somewhat puzzling. However, I do appreciate your efforts in typing up so thanks for this.

There was a pension issued because of the gas injury. My understanding is there were regular medical checks after WW1 to check on health but I do not know the frequency of these. I am guessing they were to monitor for further deterioration.

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Quick look at the OrBat for return/demob dates of the various divisions under discussion:

4th Div

(SS Mount Vernon) Arrives US between Aug 5th and 10 1919 and demobbed NA soldiers at Camp Merrit before returning to Camp Dodge (IA)

40th Div

Leaves Bordeaux (SS Atenas) @ Feb 23 1919, arrives March 13 at Camp Mills NY and demobbed at Camp Kearny (Ca) April 7.

90th Div

Leaves St Nazaire (SS Mongolia) @ May 27 1919, arrives Boston June 7, demobbed Camp Bowie (Tx) June 15.

It is difficult, even with the official orbat to work out exactly which divisions artillery formations were officially part of in the post war period. Many divisions had their arty detached during the war and went into action with arty from other division attached, how this was all worked out afterwards would take a lot of looking. 90th Div looks a good bet as the field arty were attached to them at the end of the war and they also demobbed in Tx.(although 2 months earlier)

You mention "with pay to Fresno" - this may have been the travel voucher home AFTER demobbing -- so the question would be pay from where.

Chris

Thanks for this Chris

I do not know where the demob took place nor what port was used when they arrived back in USA. There was paid travel to Fresno, and the demob was 10 days after arrival at the port. This would give plenty of time to get across USA from any port. Hence I wondered if the demob occurred at the same place as enlistment, this being Fresno. There must have been an Army presence at Fresno, certainly for records and admin, but I do not know the size of this.

Of particular interest would be if the troops arrived at Newport News, as this location has cropped up in conversations. Nobody in the family is now aware why this should be remembered, nor of the significance of this location.

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Horse and mule transportation was the norm and provided the majority of transportation for all armies 14-18, automobiles and trucks were relatively newly arrived on the scene. All armies had massive number of mules/horses and men to tend them and this provided the core of military transport until far later.. Even in WWII the Wermacht (much vaunted for mechanization / Blitzkrieg etc) still relied heavily on horse drawn transportation.

Ammunition / Supply/ Sanitary /Engineer/ Train is the term used by the army to denote the support troops in every division - all of these would have have large numbers of horses/mules in addition to some motorized transport.

I think there is a misunderstanding regarding dates. In order to know which dates ("official records") apply we need to know which division the units were attached to and when they changed. You will appreciate the scale of what is going on here. The US military went from a couple of hundred thousand men (inc. NG) to over 4 million, of whom almost 2 million were in Europe, in the space of 17 months which is an incredible logistical feat under any circumstances. At 100 years distance the fact that records contain incomplete records, contradictions and inconsistencies is not really surprising.

When you are citing very specific information like travel pay to Fresno and demob being 10 days after arrival -- where is this coming from? Is it in official documents or letters or....?

I can look through the Orbat for references to Newport News but it will take some time!

Chris

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Horse and mule transportation was the norm and provided the majority of transportation for all armies 14-18, automobiles and trucks were relatively newly arrived on the scene. All armies had massive number of mules/horses and men to tend them and this provided the core of military transport until far later.. Even in WWII the Wermacht (much vaunted for mechanization / Blitzkrieg etc) still relied heavily on horse drawn transportation.

Ammunition / Supply/ Sanitary /Engineer/ Train is the term used by the army to denote the support troops in every division - all of these would have have large numbers of horses/mules in addition to some motorized transport.

I think there is a misunderstanding regarding dates. In order to know which dates ("official records") apply we need to know which division the units were attached to and when they changed. You will appreciate the scale of what is going on here. The US military went from a couple of hundred thousand men (inc. NG) to over 4 million, of whom almost 2 million were in Europe, in the space of 17 months which is an incredible logistical feat under any circumstances. At 100 years distance the fact that records contain incomplete records, contradictions and inconsistencies is not really surprising.

When you are citing very specific information like travel pay to Fresno and demob being 10 days after arrival -- where is this coming from? Is it in official documents or letters or....?

I can look through the Orbat for references to Newport News but it will take some time!

Chris

Hi Chris

The Demob date and travel detail are on the paperwork to apply for a Victory Medal but I am not aware if the Medal was sought, or issued. On balance, the Medal probably was requested, but this prompts a question "did the US Authorities routinely contact the millions of ex personnel to offer them a Victory Medal?" Perhaps they did, for it seems to be an honourable thing to do so.

Thanks for your help - I will have to do some thinking on all the other points raised.

I will edit in and add: yes please to the Orbat and Newport News if this is not too much trouble for you. I confess I do not know what Orbat is, so a task for Google there!

A further edit is: arrival in USA on 29 July 1919. I do not know the port, nor the camp that may have been involved there after. Does the date help pinpoint anything regarding the demob location, please?

And a third edit is regarding gas injury. Apparently the rest of the working life was impaired by this - and energy, stamina and so on were never the same again. A routine/semi skilled job was undertaken because health did not enable the pre WW1 work to be undertaken. I have recollections this may not have been a full regular weeks work because of the gas injury.

Edited by stevie boy
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A bit more info ...

The rank of Wagoner describes a private who's responsibility is driving a wagon team of horses or mules. Here's a link to a decent description of the duties -

http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~gregkrenzelok/veterinary%20corp%20in%20ww1/wagonerduties.html

During World War I, Newport News, Virginia was a major military embarkation port, particularly for the resupply of the British Army equine stock and shipment of US forces' horses and mules . Approximately 500,000 head were funneled from sources in the States (Camp Kearny was one such remount center) through Newport News to Europe.

Edited by Cpl Coleman
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The US domestic war effort provided many new opportunities for women. Perhaps Mabel Hawkworth's military association and truck driving abilities could be explained by the following ...

Photograph shows members of the Women's Motor Corps of the National League for Women's Service (NLWS) at the 71st Regiment Armory, New York City, May 1917, during World War I.

The Women's Motor Corps was created in January 1917 as a cooperative effort of the American Red Cross and the NWLS to support the war effort by training and providing transportation sector replacements for the men serving in the armed forces.

By summer 1918 the Women's Motor Corps had spread throughout the US and transformed into a separate volunteer paramilitary organization directly subject to the US Government. The volunteers acted as chauffeurs, ambulance and truck drivers supporting the war effort.

post-111052-0-82479400-1464026827_thumb.

Edited by Cpl Coleman
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The US domestic war effort provided many new opportunities for women. Perhaps Mabel Hawkworth's military association and truck driving abilities could be explained by the following ...

Photograph shows members of the Women's Motor Corps of the National League for Women's Service (NLWS) at the 71st Regiment Armory, New York City, May 1917, during World War I.

The Women's Motor Corps was created in January 1917 as a cooperative effort of the American Red Cross and the NWLS to support the war effort by training and providing transportation sector replacements for the men serving in the armed forces.

By summer 1918 the Women's Motor Corps had spread throughout the US and transformed into a separate volunteer paramilitary organization directly subject to the US Government. The volunteers acted as chauffeurs, ambulance and truck drivers supporting the war effort.

attachicon.gifWomens Motor Corps 1917.jpg

Thank you for this. I have not yet responded to your excellent previous post, but this picture caught my eye. You have mentioned Camp Kearney being a remount centre, so my intuition is heading towards Mabel being involved there, probably whilst the brothers were there, and then heading to Newport News when the brothers and hundreds of others left in mid 1918.

Another quirk, or mystery, with the story is Mabel received no recognition for her war work be this in the USA or the UK. Her name was never carved onto a war memoria, nor was it entered into a Roll of Honour. This in itself means trying to find details is almost a lost cause. Add to this the fire at the US Records building and it becomes more difficult. Hence I really appreciate the help I am getting on this Forum.

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A bit more info ...

The rank of Wagoner describes a private who's responsibility is driving a wagon team of horses or mules. Here's a link to a decent description of the duties -

http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~gregkrenzelok/veterinary%20corp%20in%20ww1/wagonerduties.html

During World War I, Newport News, Virginia was a major military embarkation port, particularly for the resupply of the British Army equine stock and shipment of US forces' horses and mules . Approximately 500,000 head were funneled from sources in the States (Camp Kearny was one such remount center) through Newport News to Europe.

The rank is interesting, and going on the family memories, the wagoner received an enhanced rate of pay, or there were different status within the wagoners. There came a point when the brothers were wagoners with "promotion" and had others working under them doing much of the routine work. I do not know why this came to be - perhaps some wise folk can enlighten me here please?

Equally, there may have been differentiation between wagoners with horses and those with mules. The mules were notorious for being difficult to handle. Perhaps those with mules had more pay and also help?

The remount status is news to me. It raises a lot of pondering. My intuition is the brothers sought this out, for they had the requisite skills. Also the Army knew the brothers were ideal for this Camp. They would have been proficient in no time at all, so what were they doing for almost a year there? Perhaps building the Camp, or sourcing animals, or training and breaking them in (plausible). Equally, carpentry skills were acquired so I wonder if wagon/hut/workshop building was also undertaken. My further intuition is the brothers were introducing/using trucks there even though they acquired wagoner status and in France were mule train personnel.

A piece of the jigsaw would be knowing when Camp Kearney was established, and how it was growing in 1917-18. Equally was the growth built using US Army personnel, or contracted out? Similarly, did the Army build their own wagons?

Something changed to cause a huge troop train to ship them out of Camp Kearney in mid 1918 - a shortage of men in France, or the camp being wound down, or the supply of animals being exhausted, or completion of a contract to build wagons, or...anybody have any theories here please?

Enough pondering for now. Thanks again for your help.

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Another quirk, or mystery, with the story is Mabel received no recognition for her war work be this in the USA or the UK. Her name was never carved onto a war memoria, nor was it entered into a Roll of Honour. This in itself means trying to find details is almost a lost cause. Add to this the fire at the US Records building and it becomes more difficult. Hence I really appreciate the help I am getting on this Forum.

Unfortunately, individual recognition would be scant for civilian volunteers and pensions would be totally out of the question. The only official records of their service might be in the historical files of parent organizations like the American Red Cross or the NWLS.

Good luck with your research

Edited by Cpl Coleman
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Re" the WW1 Victory Medal. A WW1 vet many yrs agp told me that he found out about it from a newspaper notice to veterans. He had to go to the post office & get an application, fill it out with his service details from his discharge paper & mail it in. The medal when issued was mailed to him at his home address but he did not recall how much time it took for the process.

So it seems the brothers would have had to apply for their medals even if they lived in UK. The gas wounded would have earned a Purple Heart but it was not created til 1932 & again he would have had to apply for it.

If he drew a pension for his gas injuries he would indeed have had to be examined periodically to setermine if he had improved or gotten worse & to set pension amount if increased or decreased. I don't know how often this was done but would think once/yr but no proof of this. It may have varied based on the extent of the injuries. I know of a case where a man did regain the use of his hand to about 75% & his pension was reduced by a set amount. Also know of case where the opposite was true, condition was chronic & loss of mobility grew steadily & pension was increased by a large percentage. Sure wish more paperwork survived in the family.

I think maybe the Womens Legion noted above is a possible solution to her service. Hope more inof will turn up, so far much more than was hoped for & thanks to all who have joined the search so far.

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Unfortunately, individual recognition would be scant for civilian volunteers and pensions would be totally out of the question. The only official records of their service might be in the historical files of parent organizations like the American Red Cross or the NWLS.

Good luck with your research

This is the case. It appears Mabel retained her UK Citizenship. Equally if she was not officially in the US Army there would have been no US Citizenship as offered to her brothers. Further there was no US Pension, as far as anybody can recall. But here I ponder - could a US Pension be paid to a UK Citizen? This sounds like an odd concept to me. However, I am going off topic there!

A very long shot is a Pension was available, but Mabel did not claim it. This is unlikely, but it appears the US Authorities did not know where in the world their veterans were living. After all the passing years I do not know the details, but I do know the brother living in the UK needed assistance from the brother remaining in the USA in order to claim his Pension. Matters were not straight forward. Equally, perhaps Mabel tried claiming and this was rejected, or she had not ticked the right boxes or sought assistance from the right person? We will never know on this.

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Re" the WW1 Victory Medal. A WW1 vet many yrs agp told me that he found out about it from a newspaper notice to veterans. He had to go to the post office & get an application, fill it out with his service details from his discharge paper & mail it in. The medal when issued was mailed to him at his home address but he did not recall how much time it took for the process.

So it seems the brothers would have had to apply for their medals even if they lived in UK. The gas wounded would have earned a Purple Heart but it was not created til 1932 & again he would have had to apply for it.

If he drew a pension for his gas injuries he would indeed have had to be examined periodically to setermine if he had improved or gotten worse & to set pension amount if increased or decreased. I don't know how often this was done but would think once/yr but no proof of this. It may have varied based on the extent of the injuries. I know of a case where a man did regain the use of his hand to about 75% & his pension was reduced by a set amount. Also know of case where the opposite was true, condition was chronic & loss of mobility grew steadily & pension was increased by a large percentage. Sure wish more paperwork survived in the family.

I think maybe the Womens Legion noted above is a possible solution to her service. Hope more inof will turn up, so far much more than was hoped for & thanks to all who have joined the search so far.

I have pondered since my last post, and done some digging and asking. It appears almost a certainty a Victory Medal was issued. The Purple Heart is news to me, but gaining more insight with every post on this excellent Forum and my intuition is this too would have been issued. I will ask further questions but again my intuition kicks in, i think the family may have the Medals but they are tucked away in old forgotten items and nobody is aware of them existing. This by definition will make them difficult to find!

Thank you for your contribution - it is appreciated.

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If a Purple Heart ws applied for & issued when it was created in 1932, it will have the man's name engraved on the back of the medal, just his name & no rank or unit. Example: Harold Key.

It is a unique designed medal & if ever seen will stand out as it is actually in the shape of a heart. That would be a great find inamong the family papers, etc..

I know this is maddening to have just enought info to make it interesting & eager for more & not be able to find more. Hope the family will turn up something soon.

I read a case once of an Irishman who came to the US, fought in WW1 & was wounded. He recd a Purple Heart named to him. At some point he decided to return to Ireland to live & never recd any US citizenship. His file is full of letters back & forth from him in Ireland to the Veterans Asmin. about his pension pyts which were sent to him in Ireland. He was quite a "rolling stone" & must've changd his address a dozen times between late 1930's & his death some 25 yrs later. He had to notify the pension dept everytime he moved. His pension ws sent to him in US Dollars check.

So if a pension was earned it was sent wherever the recipient lived as long as a current address was on record.

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If a Purple Heart ws applied for & issued when it was created in 1932, it will have the man's name engraved on the back of the medal, just his name & no rank or unit. Example: Harold Key.

It is a unique designed medal & if ever seen will stand out as it is actually in the shape of a heart. That would be a great find inamong the family papers, etc..

I know this is maddening to have just enought info to make it interesting & eager for more & not be able to find more. Hope the family will turn up something soon.

I read a case once of an Irishman who came to the US, fought in WW1 & was wounded. He recd a Purple Heart named to him. At some point he decided to return to Ireland to live & never recd any US citizenship. His file is full of letters back & forth from him in Ireland to the Veterans Asmin. about his pension pyts which were sent to him in Ireland. He was quite a "rolling stone" & must've changd his address a dozen times between late 1930's & his death some 25 yrs later. He had to notify the pension dept everytime he moved. His pension ws sent to him in US Dollars check.

So if a pension was earned it was sent wherever the recipient lived as long as a current address was on record.

This interests me, but going slightly off topic. My childhood memories, from say 50 years ago, are of conversations about the brother's wife living in the UK. She had an apparently good standard of living in old age because "she was receiving US Dollars". Since the Army service 40 years before this, the Dollar had become vastly stronger against Sterling. Perhaps the exchange rate had gone from 10 Dollars equals 1 UK Sterling to then 2:1 - I do not know the exact figures after all the passing years, but I recall the conversations.

From your comment it appears this was a regular cheque sent through the post. This was then cashed/exchanged for Sterling at the bank or Post Office. Not many working class people had bank accounts in those days so this also raises an observation. Receiving a US Pension gave access to the banking system, with advice and finance.

It is thought the Dollars funded a new car I recall circa 1965. This was unheard of in the family - people could not afford a new car then, and all the more so in retirement when one was not earning a wage.

The upshot was a 2 year period in the US Army in WW1 paid off handsomely in retirement in the UK.

Returning to Mabel, when she returned to the UK she was the opposite of a rolling stone. Your post suggests to me Mabel was not entitled to a Pension. The incentive to claim would have been there, and I believe Mabel was bright enough, and well enough informed to know about such things.

Indeed, following my logic through, it is likely Mabel may have been bitter about the situation. Her brothers had an excellent living in retirement thanks to their US Pensions. She did not!

Thanks for your comments and the more the merrier!

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The Women's Motor Corps on a Drill in Flatbush, NY 1918 ... These uniformed women volunteers served mainly at home in the US but a few served in Europe. It's easy to see why they might be mistaken for regular Army personnel.

post-111052-0-39983900-1464114372_thumb.

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From the San Diego, California Historical Society (Camp Kearny was nearby) - "Three Women's Motor Corps members standing with a Motor Corps of American sign [ca. 1918]"

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Edited by Cpl Coleman
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Same source as above ... "Two members of the Motor Corps standing next to a Navy ambulance [ca. 1919]"

hi-res.jpg

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