Local Boys in the First World War

When we consider the World Wars, it is often in context of the facts and statistics we read in history books. This Veterans Day, we're looking at the local experiences of our boys on their way to war, through training camps, crossing the Atlantic, and fighting and working on European soil. Some made it home; some did not. By tracing their journey from enlistment and conscription through the end of a bitter war, we hope you'll gain a better understanding of the local cost of the First World War.

First Roseau County Contingent, August 1917

Even before the announcement on April 4, 1917, that the United States was at war with Germany, a few local men traveled across the border to join the fight with the Canadian Army. Oliver Cole, Clearriver, enlisted in the Canadian Army in December 1916. He would later desert the Canadian service in order to register for service in the United States. Edgar Hodges, Sr., Warroad, enlisted in the Canadian Army in 1914 at the start of the war. He worked with the engineer corps for two years and later became a signaler for the Army. When the United States declared war in 1917, he left the Canadian service and joined the American Army, where he served through 1918. Peter Johnston, Warroad, enlisted in the Canadian Army in April 1918. And Willard Walker joined the Canadian Army Infantry in June to November 1917, but was discharged because he "was unable to become an efficient soldier." He then joined the American Army and served until March 1924. These are just a few of the known enlistments into the Canadian services before America joined the war. 

Some local men were already serving in the United States military prior to America's declaration of war in Europe. John Toombs had served with the U.S. Navy since 1914, and he reenlisted when America declared war in 1917, serving on the USS Utah when it was stationed off the coast of Ireland to defend against German U-boats. Albert J. Roy of Moranville served in the Army from 1916 through the end of the war, and William H. Prelvitz of Algoma served from early 1917 through 1918. Sgt. Elsley Norton of Roosevelt also served in the U.S. Army from June 1916 through the end of the war.

The United States officially joined in the fight against Germany on April 6, 1917. The Pioneer editor, Martin Widsten, wrote: 

Ever since last Friday we have been at war with Germany, yet there does not seem to be any particular difference in the situation. In fact Germany has made war upon the United States for the past two years. American men, women and children have been murdered on the high seas by order of the Kaiser; American ships, manned by American sailors and carrying American passengers, have been sunk upon the ocean, without excuse, or warning, in defiance of humanity and regardless of any law. Thus America has joined in the suppression of the Kaiser and to rid the world of an autocracy forever.

The inevitable has happened, and the United States is now in the world war, and will have to take its share of the burden to carry it to a successful finish. The decision was made over a year ago, when the McLemore resolution to warn American ships and American citizens to keep out of the war zone was defeated by a decisive vote in Congress. In insisting that Americans had a right to travel anywhere on the seas President Wilson was correct on a well established principle of international law, and it was so admitted at the time; but many felt that this right could be waived, in view of the dangers ahead, without dishonor to the nation. But the majority decided that the old established usages of international law should prevail, and that American citizens should be protected in their rights on the seas within the war zone as well as without. 

Based on the established usages of international law—which we decided to uphold—there is not the least doubt that Germany has, by sinking American ships and destroying American lives, grossly violated our rights on the sea, and the choice last week was between declaring war and withdrawing our support pledged to our citizens who travel on the seas. The latter course would be too cowardly to be considered. The former is going to cost us great sacrifice. If the conclusion is marked by the disappearance of all kings and emperors from the earth, and the establishment of governments by the people in every land, as is highly probable, the sacrifice will not be in vain. That is the least that America can insist on as a conclusion. (WP 04/12/1917)

Policemen across the United States were made emergency members of the U.S. Department of Justice for the purpose of detecting spies on American soil. Within the Minnesota Legislature, there was debate over whether citizens of foreign countries who were in opposition to the United States in the war be required to register and carry passports (Warroad Pioneer 04/12/1917).

Several boys joined the military as soon as war was declared and before the draft in August. These included:

• Enlisted April 1917
• Marshall Hall, Warroad, Army
• Irenee Belanger, Warroad, Army
• Leon H. Guibault, Warroad, Army
• Edward G. Guibault, Warroad, Army
• George Sawyer, Warroad, Army Aviation Service
• George Sperling, Warroad, Army Engineer Corps
• Charles Townsend, Warroad, Army
• Joseph Galipeau, Warroad, Army
• Nels Gulbrandson, Warroad, Army
• Glenn A. Perkins, Warroad, Army
• Ray Giddings, Warroad, Army
• Charles Baggot, Warroad, Army
• Henry Winat, Warroad, Army
• Enlisted May 1917
• Adelore Laramie, Warroad, Navy
• Enlisted June 1917
• Walter Conners, Roosevelt, Army Veterans Corps
• Glenn O. Voightlander, Warroad, Army
• Enlisted July 1917
• Rinhold J. A. Klinger, Clearriver, Army

Francis "Shorty" Joyce, at the time working as an apprentice to barber Ed Toulouse in Warroad, determined to enlist in the US Navy in April 1917. He was given a hearty farewell party from the community at the Odd Fellows Hall in town (WP 04/26/1917). Unfortunately, he was soon sent home after failing the naval physical examination; the problem lay in a slight deafness in one of his ears. 

On May 10th, the Pioneer noted that claims of insanity were being offered up across Roseau County and other regions in northern Minnesota to avoid serving in the armed forces. The Selective Service draft was occurring across the country, and only those with "mental deficiencies" or those holding jobs of importance to the production of food and military supplies would be eligible to remain stateside for the duration of the war. After several weeks of debate, the age of conscription was set for those between 21 and 30 years old, while volunteers could seek enlistment if they were between the ages of 18 and 40. Registration for conscription occurred at various township or village halls on June 5th.

The schoolhouse in America township was closed for a week in May in order for teacher Burt Mason to attend the Officers' Reserve Corps Training Camp at Fort Snelling, but he returned the next week after twice the anticipated number of recruits appeared at the fort. Meanwhile, Chester Carlquist was appointed by Congressman Steenerson to sit for an examination into the US Naval Academy in Annapolis (he would later be found to have a slight defect to one of his ears the disqualified him from the academy). 

In late May, local forestry Ranger E. A. Linder received a letter from the State Forester, W. T. Cox, asking for towns to send in names, addresses, and qualifications of young men in the area who had expertise or experience in logging, forestry, or millwork who could be used for a new "forestry regiment" to be sent to France as soon as possible. The purpose of this unit was "to convert available timber into material suitable for bridges, railroads, trenches, and other construction work with the least possible waste." (WP  05/31/1917) Ranger Linder made it known that he would be volunteering for this service himself. 

Shorty Joyce and friend examining trench signage. It is likely these trenches were built by members of the Army Forestry Regiment.
(Source: Joyce's World War I photo album, Warroad Heritage Center)

Amidst preparation for draft registration on the 5th, the town celebrated Memorial Day, also known as Decoration Day, a then-unofficial government holiday that honored fallen troops of the United States military. The day was a product of Civil War memorial services. A patriotic program was given at the Warroad school, and the Warroad town band played several songs for veterans of the Civil War and their widows in attendance. The audience of people, including the Boys Home Guard Corps, Daughters of Columbia, Red Cross nurses, members of local organizations, school children, and residents of all local areas then joined a march in a parade for five blocks. Notable attendees of this program were three Civil War Union Army veterans: Patrick W. Moran, Robert K. Jones, and Henry S. Freeman

Henry Freeman, Civil War Veteran

The next few enlistment attempts noted in the Pioneer included Frank Begg and William Whilsie, Jr., who joined the Army; Clarence Helliwell, who failed his physical examination for the Navy; and Bert Hanson and William Marvin, who traveled to St. Paul to enlist in the quartermaster's corps of the National Guard. 

In Roseau County, 1,141 men registered for Selective Service. Each man was given a number, Edward Guibault of Algoma township receiving No. 1 and Julius Begg of Warroad receiving No. 1141. Then, on July 26, the entire front page of the Pioneer included a list of Roseau County registrants and the order in which they would be called for service. 119 men were required by Roseau County's quota for the first call, and many from Warroad, Roosevelt, and the surrounding townships in eastern Roseau County would be "sure to go" unless found to be exempt. The order in which this first round of men were called into service is listed below. 

Called August 6th

• Levi G. Pieper, Cedarbend
• E. A. Zahratka, Roosevelt
• Valentine Murray, Warroad, Navy

Called August 7th

• Mort Jones, Clearriver
• Calvin Carlson, Roosevelt, Army
• Hilbert Johnson, Warroad
• Clay V. Whaley, Warroad, Army
• Otto Hassenstab, Warroad, Army
• Phillip Huerd, Warroad, Army Engineer Corps

Called August 8th

• George S. Gibson, America, Army Forestry 
• Earl J. Sutton, America
• Anthony Carlson, Roosevelt
• Robert L. Carpenter, Roosevelt
• Joseph Sidle, Swift
• James Clarence Green, Swift
• Victor Lundbohm, Warroad
• John E. Simmonds, Warroad, Army
• George St. Antoine, Warroad
• Donald W. Mayher, Warroad

In Roseau County, of the first 200 men called to be examined for duty, only 56 passed the physical examination, including only a few of the above listed men. Of these 56, it was noted that several filed claims for exemption due to their married status or for other reasons. The Pioneer concluded that only about 25–30 men were expected to go. Another round of men were called in the Pioneer on August 9, 1917.

Called August 9th

• William E. Turner, Roosevelt 
• Julius Begg, Warroad, Army Forestry Regiment

Called August 10th

• John J. Brandli, America
• Ernest O. Bailey, Roosevelt 
• Andrew O. Matson, Swift, Army
• Charley Standfield, Warroad

Called August 11th

• Roy Sutton, America
• William Streiff, Clearriver
• G. W. Milender, Clearriver
• A. M. Briley, Roosevelt
• Walter Johnson, Warroad, Navy
• John Huerd, Warroad
• D. L. Abrahamson, Warroad

Called August 13th

• Luke M. Fish, Clearriver
• Alfred W. Norquist, Roosevelt
• Peter E. Pearson, Swift
• William J. Haycock, Warroad
• Dwight E. Gorham, Warroad
• John McAnanny, Warroad

Called August 14th 

• Elsworth Fish, Clearriver
• Charles Cory, Clearriver
• Vern A. Grill, Roosevelt
• Earl R. Eisenrich, Warroad
• Edwin H. Wilcox, Warroad
• Gustaf J. Wiborg, Warroad, Army

Called August 15th

• Alexander Cameron, Roosevelt, Army
• Bert Hanson, Warroad, Army Quartermaster Corps
• Roy Brewster, Warroad

The newspaper was filled with short messages sent home by enlisted men. Some were sent to St. Paul, others to Texas and Iowa, while still others were in Washington, D.C. awaiting transport overseas. Other short blurbs were of relatives of local citizens who were joining the ranks of both Canadian and United States military services. On August 30th, the Pioneer held a copy of letters sent to George Marvin.

Fom Bill Marvin, serving with the Minnesota Quartermasters Corp at Camp Logan in Houston, Texas:

Have put in quite a few bum days here 115 in the shade; flies, ants, and no wind. Today my partner was put in charge of the flour and feed depot. He is a Sargent [sic] in our bunch but well versed in the flour and feed business. His name is Hevener, of Jameson, Hevenor and Griggs of the Twin Cities...

We change our clothes at night and go to town in civilian clothes. We get a big one for a nickel. Finances are low with most of the boys now but the big show will be on just after pay day.

From George Gibson (brother of George Marvin's wife, Almina), American University Engineers Company E, Forestry Regiment, Washington, D.C.:

This body that the boys from Warroad joined is a Military Unit the same as any other branch of service. We are drilled like the Infantry to start with. Our daily routine is as follows: First call in the morning at 5:30, roll call 5:45, breakfast at 6:30, drill 7:30 to 11, dinner 12, drill 1:30 to 4, supper at 6. We are fully equipt [sic] and drilled to protect ourselves. Our logging outfit and moto and trucks are shipped with us. We have also our own surgeons. Woodsmen are assembled from all over the U.S. for this regiment. It is a very popular branch of service. Troops are whipped into shape in record time; we are drilling under the hot Washington sun, every possible day put in. All the Warroad boys like Washington. There are lots of orchards here and we have fruits and vegetables every day. Julius Begg is driving four mules here and is keeping them in fine shape. Well George, here's hoping everybody in Warroad is fine and dandy, send my regards to Bill [Marvin] and Bert [Hanson].

 From Julius Begg:

Well Friend—I will now take the greatest pleasure of dropping you a few lines to let you know that we are having a hell of a time up here. The only trouble for us is to get cigarettes, but they sure treat us fine. We go to Washington Saturday afternoon and do not need to get back until Monday morning. I do not know when we will leave for France, we hear it could be sometime in September. If we do not go until then, we will take a run to Warroad. We have had a lovely time ever since we left Warroad. We were in Chicago about five hours and the same in St. Louis, that was where we had our last drink. After that we had our uniforms. Greet all friend [sic] for us.

Labor Day weekend in Roseau County was spent at a reception in honor of Roseau County soldiers gone or preparing to leave. Attorney Charles Loring of Crookston gave a "masterly presentation of the case of the U.S. against the Kaiser." (WP  09/06/1917).

Roseau County contingent, 1918
Charley C. Green is back center

On September 13th, the Pioneer carried a message from President Wilson to the drafted soldiers of the nation: 

To the soldiers of the national army: you are undertaking a great duty. The heart of the whole country is with you. Everything that you do will be watched with the deepest solicitude not only by those who are near and dear to you, but by the whole nation besides. For this great war draws us all together, makes us all comrades and brothers, as all true Americans felt themselves to be when we first made good our national Independence. 

The eyes of the world will be upon you, because you are in some special sense the soldiers of freedom. Let it be your pride, therefore, to show all men not only what good soldiers you are, but also what good men you are, keeping yourselves fit and straight in everything and pure and clean through and through. Let us set for ourselves a standard so high that it will be a glory to live up to it and add a new laurel to the crown of America. 

My affectionate confidence goes with you in every battle and every test. God keep and guide you.

In late September, Clayton Whaley, James Clarence Green, Andrew O. Matson, and Calvin Carlson were among several Roseau County men who left the area for Fort Dodge in Des Moines, Iowa. It was noted that about one hundred people showed up to bid the boys farewell (WP  09/27/1917).

Clarence Green and Clay Whaley, 1917

On October 11, 1917, the Pioneer reported that Julius Begg, John J. Bachtel, George Gibson, John McLaughlin, Delbert McLaughlin, and Philip Huerd had all landed "safe and happy" in France. This was the first report of Warroad soldiers arriving in Europe with the U.S. Army (though some from the area had arrived in Europe earlier with Canadian contingents). 

Army Forestry Agents L-R: George Gibson, John McLaughlin,
Delbert McLaughlin (seated), Phil Huerd, Julius Begg

Warroad was already seeing the cost of war within the first few months. The government began setting the price of goods, such as flour and sugar, fairly soon after the war declaration. Herbert Hoover, appointed by President Wilson to oversee the United States Food Administration—a new organization that would be abolished at the end of the war—urged Americans to conserve sugar in order to conserve the dwindling supply and save money that could otherwise be given to the war effort. Likewise, the Warroad branch of the Red Cross steadily knitted and sewed all manner of things for the army, including clothing, bedding, hot water bottle covers, and flags. The first round of Liberty Bond sales in Warroad were estimated in late October 1917 to be over $10,000 (current USD: $219,400).

Letter to the Editor from Reuben Servis, United States Army:

We are getting along quite well here now. At first it seemed tough but the more they drill us, the tougher we get. We have learned a good deal, considering the time we have been here; we have learned the school of a soldier and are now taking up the manual of arms. Each regiment has a Y.M.C.A. which furnishes all kinds of amusements free for the boys. A number of the boys are attending a non-commissioned officers school, preparing to help teach the new drafted men, who are coming here next week. It will be up to us to work hard and study late, that we may not be set back to first class private, again...

Letter to Mrs. Dana of the Loyalty League, from Adelore Laramie, Navy Camp, Chicago: 

...We moved into Camp Dewey last Friday and had three miles to carry our baggage, were pretty tired when we got here. We came from Camp Paul Jones, we were in tents until we left. The boys get shore leave every Saturday and Sunday, they have from twelve to thirty-six hours to visit the surrounding cities. 

Mr. Daniels of the Navy was here Monday and informed us that we would go to the sea about the first  of the year. I had been planning on going home for Christmas but now I guess it is out of the question...We had a little snow this morning but now it is all gone now. It made me rather lonesome for Warroad, while it lasted, for I think it will be quite a while ere [sic] I see home again.

Letter from George Gibson, Forestry Regiment, about his time in England and France:

...Well this is a change for me, as I have never seen such strange and pretty dwellings as there are here. The English and French are grand soldiers and I think we can soon finish the Kaiser's hosts. The English and French are very grateful to us for coming here and we are anxious to show them that we can stand anything for our country. 

To be away from the front a man would never know America, France and Britain were at war, except for the soldiers. I have seen some of the gallant troops Australia and Canada have sent overseas to fight for democracy. The Allies are in the war with the determination to do or die. I hope you people encourage the boys that are way down the draft list to enlist and do their part for our country, as we have the most noble cause we ever fought for... 

Letter from Francis "Shorty" Joyce, Marine Corps Camp, Illinois:

The the Ladies of Warroad, and Loafers of the Club Pool Room; I am in receipt of your package and am glad that my former friends have not altogether forgotten me. I wish to express my sincere thanks for the useful expression of their memory...I am now a sea-going Marine and you will probably rejoice that in this salty air I am becoming less "fresh" every day. However that is not the only advantage of a sea-going life. It is very interesting and educational. I now fall down the "ladder", slip and fall on "deck" and bump my head on the "overhead"... 

Of course we are eagerly waiting for an early end to the Kaiser's dream and the war. We have had peace declared quite a few times, among ourselves, but it does not seem to matter with the Kaiser just what we happen to think about it...

Francis "Shorty" Joyce, 1917
(Source: Joyce's World War I photo album, Warroad Heritage Center)

In early December, the regulations for conscription were suddenly changed. Those men who were declared exempt from service before December 15 had that status revoked, making everyone once again eligible for the draft (WP  12/06/1917). Looking at the record from Roseau County, which likely mirrored a good number of other counties across the nation, the number of exemptions and physical examination failures was likely a major cause of this decision. With so few men seeming "fit for duty," it was only a matter of time before the exemption rules were revised. 

Enlistments & Draft Calls reported in September 1917

• Reuben Servis, America, Army
• Carl Moen, Warroad, Army
• Frank A. Murray, Moranville, Army

Cpl. Frank Murray, whose uniform is currently
on display at the Warroad Heritage Center

Enlistments & Draft Calls reported in November 1917

• August Olson, Roosevelt, Army
• Carl Lindgren, Roosevelt, Army

Enlistments & Draft Calls reported in December 1917

• John W. Taylor, Warroad, Army

At the start of the new year, Harold Brubber of Zippel Bay was court martialed at Camp Dodge as a "slacker" and was sentenced to fifteen years hard labor at Leavenworth federal prison. Brubber was arrested in Baudette by Deputy Sheriff Dundas in late 1917 for failing to register for the draft and failing to file for an exemption on the grounds of being the sole provider for his mother and sister. Instead, Brubber asserted that "he was a member of the Bible Students Association, and that the rules of this order prohibited him for engaging in war even for the United States." The Pioneer stated that "up to the time of his arrest, Brubber was considered a fine young man, and it is thought that he has been the victim of false friends, who will be lucky if they escape the same punishment that he is to suffer." (WP  01/10/1918)

Enlistments & Draft Calls reported in January 1918

• George McDermott, Cedarbend, Army
• James L. Morgan, Warroad, Army

Enlistments & Draft Calls reported in February 1918

• William Streiff, America, Army
• Joseph DeRochers, Cedarbend, Army
• Hoy Hawley, Clearriver, Army 
• Fredolph Peterson, Clearriver, Army
• George Cole, Clearriver, Army
• Claude Huftile, Clearriver, Army
• Charles Cory, Clearriver, Army
• Norman Harris (underage), Clearriver, Navy
• Luke M. Fish, Clearriver, Army
• Ira J. Fish, Clearriver
• George W. Milender, Clearriver, Army
• P. A. Pearson, Moranville, Army
• Francis "Frank" Cole, enlisted in the Canadian Army
• Esias E. Hagstrom, Roosevelt, Army
• Anthony Carlson, Roosevelt, Army
• Ernest O. Bailey, Roosevelt, Army
• Mathias Landin, Swift, Army
• Victor E. Lundbohm, Warroad, Army
• Clarence P. Helliwell, Warroad, Army
• Oliver Huerd, Warroad, Army
• William Dumais (underage), Warroad, Army Engineer Corps, French Interpreter
• John Vog, Warroad, Coast Guard
• Walter Johnson, Warroad, Navy
• Gustav I. Wiborg, Warroad, Army
• Frank B. Umhauer, Moranville, Army

Enlistments & Draft Calls reported in March 1918

• Almo Russell, Algoma, Army
• Leon Whilsie, Cedarbend, Army
• Matt P. Mauer, Clearriver, Army
• Floyd Squire, Hereim, Army Engineer Corps
• Burt Roberts, Warroad, Army Engineer Corps
• James Mathews, Warroad, Army Engineer Corps
• Earl Johnson, Warroad, Army Coast Artillery Corps
• Edmund Carpenter, Warroad, Army
• Wilbert Goulet, Warroad, Army Engineer Corps
• Stewart Tuttle, Warroad, Army Engineer Corps
• Chester Carlquist, Warroad, Army
• Jerial I. Southwick (underage), Warroad, Army Engineer Corps

Meanwhile, the town was undergoing numerous trials at once; food shortages due to travel restrictions and government price fixing, teacher shortages due to men of draft age being called away, labor disputes between employees of the Great Northern Railroad and the Canadian Northern Railroad ongoing across the state and between the U.S. and Canada, and bond referendums and construction for an entirely new school building to serve the Warroad area. Village elections were being held in Warroad, Swift, and Roosevelt. The Red Cross was holding regular meetings with local charitable organizations, membership organizations like the Freemasons, and even Junior Red Cross clubs in the schools. 

This is all without mentioning the small epidemics seeming to break out in northern Minnesota and southern Canada. Diptheria outbreaks frequently closed railroad travel to certain areas in Canada, and smallpox was slowly making a resurgence. This would be compounded by the eventual outbreak of influenza (the Spanish Flu) that would overtake both the nation and the international community. Yet, the war effort cared not for the local goings-on of this small northern town. Men continued to be called for the draft or, in the case of some, ambitious and impatient young men enlisting to see some fighting before the war's end.

The first reported serviceman death from this area occurred at a training camp in Battle Creek, Michigan on April 15, 1918. Clarence P. Helliwell began his military journey at Camp Dodge, along with most other Warroad boys. He was considered "exceptionally well qualified in mathematics and otherwise desirable for the service" and was assigned to the field artillery unit. When the unit was moved from Camp Dodge to Michigan, Helliwell wrote home that a delayed train from Iowa meant the soldiers were left standing in the rain for hours, and the train they boarded had no heating system. Thus, Helliwell fell ill and was soon hospitalized with pneumonia.

The Pioneer was first alerted to his illness in late March, when Clarence's father received a telegram about his son's hospitalization. He quickly went to Michigan to be with his son, who at the time was only 23 years old. Initial reports from his father indicated that Helliwell was recovering, but a sudden turn for the worst resulted in his death. His body arrived in Warroad on April 18 and the funeral was planned for the next day. 

Of the deceased, Pioneer Editor Widsten wrote: 

One of "our boys" has passed away in the service of our country, and the world catastrophe called war has been brought directly to us; the grief of the parents deprived of an only son, the regrets of friends from childhood up, the general sorrow of the community for one of its most promising young men; all these things are being enacted in nearly all parts of the civilized world, and has come to us.  

 

To the parents we must extend our sympathy, to the departed soldier an honorable memory, and then we must go on with greater effort than ever to do our duty to the country in assisting to overcome the enemy, to vanquish and abolish the system which makes war, to forever drive kaiserism from the world. Henceforth, when we speak of loyalty, of patriotism, of sacrifice in the community the name Clarence P. Helliwell will come to mind as our first great sacrifice to the cause of liberty.

Helliwell's funeral was attended by citizens of northwest Minnesota from all areas of Roseau and Beltrami counties. The procession was reportedly half a mile long to the Riverside Cemetery where he was laid to rest. The Home Guards of Baudette and Spooner provided a military salute. The local Masonic lodge donated a flower arrangement in the likeness of the U.S. flag, with red and white carnations, white roses for the stars, and a blue bed of bachelor's button flowers.

Despite being the first announced death of a local serviceman in World War I, Clarence Helliwell was not the first to die. In fact, the first Roseau County boy to die—also a Warroad boy—in the war did so 11 days earlier on April 4, 1918. Emil Guibault had served for three years with the United States Navy before returning home in 1917 and re-enlisting with the signal corps. At 28, he departed for France with his company and took ill with tuberculosis at a Red Cross hospital in Paris. He was buried in an American cemetery near Paris with a flag-covered casket. His brothers, Adelard and Joseph, were also servicemen at this time, in the Navy and Army Aviation Service, respectively. 

Emil Guibault

Enlistments & Draft Calls reported in April 1918

• Albert A. Story, Clearriver, Army
• William H. Bernard, Roosevelt, Army
• Jens P. Hanson, Roosevelt, Army
• William Campbell, Warroad, Army
• Ray R. Johnson, Warroad, Army Aerial Photographer
• Harry B. Stoskopf, Warroad, Army
• Thomas E. Hardy, Warroad, Army
• Pierre H. Cugnet, Warroad, Army
• Joseph T. Guibault, Warroad, Army Aviation Service

Enlistments & Draft Calls reported in May 1918

• Carl Norman, Cedarbend, Army
• Alfred Green, Laona, Navy
• Harvey Neumiller, Lude, Navy
• Harry Clark, Northwest Angle, Army
• Albert Federspeil, Northwest Angle, Army
• Helmer Olson, Roosevelt, Army
• William Jordan, Roosevelt, Army
• John B. Conover, Swift, Army
• Charley C. Green, Swift, Army
• Adolph Berglund, Warroad, Army
• Oscar Bergvall, Warroad, Army
• Louis Caron, Warroad, Army, French interpreter
• Sam Meyers, Warroad, Navy
• Raymond Goulet, Warroad, enlisted in the Canadian Army
• George Rademaker, Warroad, Army
• George Clark, Warroad, enlisted in the Canadian Army
• Walter Morris, Warroad, Army Aviation Service
• Edward F. Kennetz, Warroad, Army

Letter from Edward F. Kennetz, May 31, 1918, stationed at Camp Lewis, Washington:

...After our arrival in Crookston, we were hustled into the dining room for supper before our train was made up for our long journey west. As the time for departure neared a dense crowd gathered on the platform and the Crookston Junior Band was on hand to furnish music. We started on our journey at 8 o'clock, over the Great Northern, our train consisted of fifteen coaches and a caboose, our next stop was Grand Forks. There our bunks were made up and we again started on our westward trip. In the morning, shortly after daybreak we entered Williston, N.D. From then on all we could see was ranches and bluffs... 

 

All the boys are in the best of sprits, this Roseau bunch sure whoops it up on the road. We are in bed last and up first. There are 35 in this bunch from Roseau. The smallest bunch from one county has 4 men and the largest 103 men. Representatives from 10 counties are on this train, another train follows within half an hour. One hour after leaving Tacoma, we landed in Camp Lewis. After standing all afternoon and getting two shots in the arm for typhoid, we were treated to our first meal in the camp, also our first meal since 6 that morning. All of the Roseau bunch got thru [sic] all right. It is nearly mess time, I must close, wishing you all good health.

Up through May 1918, it doesn't seem that any local boys from eastern Roseau County or the Northwest Angle were yet fighting in France. For the most part, they were filling training camps across the nation, or in the case of a few, traveling overseas that spring. Only the boys from the Forestry Regiment appear to have been in France by the spring of 1918. Despite the lack of information from the warfront contributed by the boys in the military, those still at home continued to enlist, to ration, to donate to the Red Cross efforts, and to pray.

Shorty Joyce's (standing, far left) Company, France 1918
(Source: Joyce's World War I photo album, Warroad Heritage Center)

It was announced in the Pioneer in June 1918 that women between the ages of 21 and 35 who held a high school education or equivalent were eligible to join the Army School of Nursing through the War Department. Although women had served in the nursing corps in the Spanish-American War, no official organization for training women was even considered until the twentieth century, in large part because of their contribution in the Philippines and Cuba with the Red Cross. The military was extremely reluctant to allow women into military spaces in 1900, and it took intense lobbying to create the Army Nurses Corps in 1901. However, the United States quickly went into peacetime, meaning that the truest test of the Army Nurses Corps would come only once the United States entered World War I. 

Because the country had been in a time of peace prior to the war, there was no great need to encourage enlistment in the Nursing Corps, meaning most women who joined were already certified when they joined school. The Army School of Nursing was only introduced in July 1917, when large numbers of nurses was desperately needed and not enough women were trained in the area. For the first time in American history, the United States Army was actively training and employing women for war.*

(Source: Samuel P. Hayes Research Library, Perkins School for the Blind, Watertown, MA)

Enlistments & Draft Calls reported in June 1918

• Abraham Hinden, Clearriver, Army
• Phil Holtzman, Northwest Angle, Army
• Alvin Norton, Roosevelt, Army
• George P. Keefe, Roosevelt, Army
• Harold J. Newton, Roosevelt, Army
• Wendell Horrocks, Roosevelt, Army
• Jens Tvedt, Roosevelt, Army
• Forrest P. Howe, Roosevelt, Army (previously in Canadian Army)
• George Kittelson, Swift, Army
• Conrad Kittelson, Swift, Army
• Wilbert Story, Swift, Army
• James Melvin Akre, Warroad, Navy 
• Alfred Stoskopf, Warroad, Army
• Frank Streiff, Warroad, Army
• James "Frontie" Parker, Warroad, Army
• Karl O. Johnson, Warroad, Army Engineer Corps
• Hubert S. Rademaker, Warroad, Army

Letter from Stewart Tuttle, June 1918, France:

I am at the rest camp, and am now in the Y.M.C.A. and the soldiers are singing and seem very happy. Burt Roberts and Marshall Hall are here and we are sitting on the floor writing. Floyd Squire and Earl Johnson are also here. I saw Jerial Southwick yesterday and had a long talk with him. He is looking fine and you wouldn't believe it was the same Jerial, as he has improved wonderfully. He left this morning, and I don't know where he went. This is sure a pretty country. The people are nice, but they seem odd.

Enlistments & Draft Calls reported in July 1918

• Henry Hamlin, America, Army
• William Oliver, America, Army
• Hubert M. Hooper, Cedarbend, Army
• Edward Goos, Cedarbend, Army
• James P. Christianson, Cedarbend, Army (discharged for injury)
• William F. Ault, Clearriver, Army
• Judd Fealy, Clearriver, Army
• Lester Douglas, Clearriver, Army
• Lawrence H. Stoskopf, Moranville, Army
• Elmer E. Norton, Roosevelt, Army
• Glen H. Chase, Roosevelt, Army
• Casca Adams, Roosevelt, Army
• Arthur Springsteel, Warroad, Army
• Charles Springsteel, Warroad, Army
• Millard Dickinson, Warroad, Army
• Bernard Evenson, Warroad, Army
• Arthur W. Fish, Warroad, Army
• Frederick Ringling, Warroad, Army
  

Enlistments & Draft Calls reported in August 1918

• Carl E. Norman, Cedarbend, Army
• Clifford H. Seeley, Clearriver
• Harvey Palmer, Clearriver, Army
• James D. Fish, Clearriver, Army
• Phil S. Smith, Oak Island, Army Engineer Corps
• Earl Cannon, Roosevelt, Army Quartermaster Corps
• James H. Bailey, Roosevelt, Army
• Garfield A. Fransson, Warroad, Army
• William T. Bruce, Swift, Army
• Arthur R. Fransson, Warroad, Army
• William H. Harrison, Warroad
• Edward J. Holland, Warroad
• John H. Pryor, Warroad, Army
• Roy C. Smith, Warroad, Army

The first news directly from the battlefront to appear in the Pioneer was an article paraphrasing a letter from Ervin Temple, whose parents lived just south of Salol:

Ervin Temple, who is in the navy, went east last Saturday, after spending a few days with his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Cary Temple, who live on the summer road south of Salol, and will join his ship at Norfolk, Virginia.  

 

Young Temple has been in the navy for over a year, and has spent most of the time on a ship which is patrolling the North Sea between England and Norway. He says that a year ago it was quite common to see submarines, there was hardly a day passed by that they [did not see] one or more, but now they often do not see any for a week at a time. He says the submarines are considered harmless to a battleship, and they do not get excited about seeing one. They attack the merchant ships, which are either unarmed or have only a few guns, which are not equipped for range finding, and whose shots are consequently not accurate. A battleship is so well equipped with guns that it is suicide for a submarine to get close enough to launch a torpedo. He says the troop ships are fully as safe as the battleships as long as a convoy of the fighting ships are with them, and the loss of the Tuscania [sunk by a U-boat in February 1918, killing 210 people, including many American troops; Pvt. Claude Huftile of Clearriver was onboard, though unhurt] is said to have occurred because they were so close to the coast of Ireland that no danger was believed to exist from submarines and the convoy had left. Since that they are taking absolutely no chances.  

 

He [Ervin] says that men in the army and navy have abundant food, but the civil populations in England and France are on very short rations and that this is particularly true in England. While on leave, at Calais, France, recently, he met Delbert McLaughlin and Toddles [Julius] Begg, who were also spending a short vacation there. He says they look to be in first-class shape. 

—Warroad Pioneer, 29 August 1918

The first known casualty to occur on the battlefield was Clarence Green, who was shot in the left leg, just below his hip, on August 10. Green, a PFC in the United States Army, was taken to the nearest base hospital in France and was in relatively good spirits by mid-September. Thankfully, it was not more serious. Another casualty occurred soon after, on August 17, when Charles Johnston was wounded in battle. He was the son of Rev. Johnston of Canada, who filled in at the local Episcopal Church frequently in those days. Thankfully, Johnston also recovered from his injuries.

Brothers Alfred (left) and Clarence (right) Green

Others were not so lucky. On August 12, Pvt. Esias E. Hagstrom of Roosevelt was mortally wounded in France and buried in Oise-Aisne American Cemetery and Memorial in Picardie, France. Ira Fish of Clearriver suffered a gunshot wound that August and died in a hospital several months later, in January 1919. 

In mid-September, the Customs and Immigration Department of Canada began giving instructions that no men of military age could cross into Canada unless the local registration board had first permitted it. Likewise, train conductors and ticket agents were not to sell tickets to such men if they could not produce one of these permits (WP  09/19/1918).

Enlistments & Draft Calls reported in September 1918

• Robert Nelson, Algoma, Army
• Nels O. Kofstad, Malung, Army
• George Murray, Moranville, Army
• William E. Norquist, Roosevelt, Army
• Hans Bakke, Warroad, Army

September brought with it one of the most famous battles of World War I, the Meuse-Argonne Offensive. Beginning on September 26, the American Expeditionary Forces launched the Hundred Days Offensive, under then-Colonel George Marshall. The Allied forces pushed their way to the Meuse River, one of the most important waterways of the Western fronts, and towards the Argonne Forest. For a total of 47 days, the American, French, and Siamese (Thai) troops fought against the Germans in one of the largest U.S. offensives in American military history, surpassed only by the D-Day Invasion of Normandy in 1944. An estimated 26,277 American troops were killed and another 95,786 wounded. The local participants in this offensive included Luke Minor Fish, Frank Streiff, Frank Murray, and John W. Taylor. William Streiff and Charley C. Green were both wounded in this battle. The battle lasted until the armistice was signed on November 11, 1918.

Charley C. Green, 1917

In late September, the Pioneer's tone suggested a shift in the war effort towards a conclusion. Editor Widsten noted that "the kaiser and his allies appear to be weakening on all the fronts, while the allies are strengthening. There is a general feeling developing that the end of next year will see the finish of the war," (WP  09/26/1918). As we know from history, the end was far closer than the editor imagined.

Peace was much closer in October, as the new German Chancellor Max von Baden sent word to President Wilson that he may be amenable to negotiations. Von Baden would be ousted only a month later during a mini-revolution in Berlin that brought about the Weimar Republic and the end of the war. At the same time Von Baden was making moves towards peace, President Wilson's Fourteen Points was becoming a hot topic of conversation, though it had been around since the beginning of the year. The premise of the League of Nations was a change in foreign policy matters for the United States and was certainly controversial.

While the Spanish Flu was mentioned occasionally, it was not yet causing fear in the community until October 1918, when news arrived that Adelard Guibault had died in Brooklyn, New York from influenza. Only 22 years old, Adelard was the second son of Joseph Guibault Sr. to die, after his brother Emil died several months earlier from TB. Further compounding this father's horror was the loss of his daughter only a few days earlier in Webster, Massachusetts. The Navy offered Adelard's father the option of shipping his remains home via train. Instead, Joseph traveled to New York to collect the body himself. Adelard was interred in St. Mary's Cemetery just east of Warroad. Soon after, it was reported that Alfred Green was also sick with influenza at a training camp in Seattle, Washington (The rampage of influenza that overtook the town in 1918 and 1919 will be addressed in a separate blog post).

Adelard Guibault

Enlistments & Draft Calls reported in October 1918

• Oscar I. Olson, Algoma, Army
• Samuel M. Sutliff, America, Army
• Fred M. Fish, Clearriver, Army
• Charles C. Peckham, Laona, Army
• Theodore C. Arneson, Roosevelt
• Howard Chase, Roosevelt, Army
• Erick O. Landin, Swift, Army
• Martin Landby, Swift, Army
• Ralph D. Chase, Warroad

Enlistments & Draft Calls reported in November 1918

• Lawrence Hedberg, Roosevelt, Army

In October, Cpl. Harold Newton of Roosevelt was killed in action. More bad news arrived in early November that Victor Lundbohm was wounded in action in France a month before and was taken to the base hospital. It was later revealed that the "wound" he sustained was the result of mustard gas usage during the war. His lungs were understandably harmed and it took some time for him to regain his voice, he stated in a letter home.

Shorty Joyce demonstrating wearing a gas mask, France 1918
(Source: Joyce's World War I photo album, Warroad Heritage Center)

On November 11, 1918, at 11 o'clock, the armistice treaty was signed by all involved parties, ending the war in Europe. Yet, the time for many men in France was not yet over. Many young men in the American Expeditionary Force were being induced to stay in France to help in restoration and clean-up services in war-torn France. Many area men took the offer and remained overseas for several months after the war's end. Those who had been selected for service in the October draft were released from their duties and allowed to return home.

A celebration for the surrender of Germany was marked by the closure of several businesses in the village. The fire bell chimed and the local band played in the streets with joy. A doll meant to look like Kaiser Wilhelm was burned in front of Roberts' garage in town, with the crowd cheering as the blaze was lit (WP  11/14/1918).

News of returning soldiers soon rang throughout the county. The first troops to arrive home were primarily those stationed at various stateside camps. 2nd Lt. William C. Marvin  returned home from officer training school in Jacksonville, Florida in mid-December. He was described as being "the picture of health and well becoming to the uniform of his rank." At the time of his arrival, his father, George Marvin, was sick with influenza. This left William to jump immediately back into work, leaving little time "to receive the cordial welcome from his many friends." (WP  12/12/1918)

William C. Marvin, 1917

The first veteran to return home from fighting overseas was Wilbert Goulet, who suffered the aftereffects of gas from the frontlines. He served as a messenger and interpreter during the war and reportedly had "some very narrow escapes from death." One can only imagine the joy of his father, Peter Goulet, to have his son home when he had lost three daughters to influenza only a few months prior. Over the next six months, hundreds of Roseau County veterans would return home.

The end of the war failed to bring good news for everyone, however. Among the less serious injuries faced in France was Sam Nash of Swift, who suffered a head wound in September and a leg wound on November 10. Thankfully, he made a complete recovery and returned home around June 1919. Also wounded at the end of the war was Lester F. Johnson of Roosevelt. Additionally, Oscar Bergvall took seriously ill while in France and spent the next few months in and out of European hospitals. He finally returned home in February 1919. Further letters indicated that Albert Federspiel of the Northwest Angle was also severely wounded.

Some local citizens were the victims of a slow and uncertain communication system. In late December 1918 another son of Rev. Johnston from the Episcopal Church, Fred Johnston of Baudette, was reported both wounded and Missing in Action. The news worsened when it was initially reported that his other son, Charles Johnston, was killed in action on October 20. It turned out that Charles was not dead, but instead a prisoner of war in Germany. It is unthinkable, the heartbreak and mistrust the family must have felt for any such news from the war department after this point. Finally, in late February 1919, Rev. Johnston reported that he was able to speak with all of his sons, clearing up much of the confusion. They were reported to be in good health.

Two deaths in particular seemed to mark the end of the war with heartbreak. The first occurred on December 18, 1918, at a hospital in France. The article in the Pioneer read as follows:

Jerial Southwick Died in France

Washington, D.C. Jan. 7, 1919 

Mr. John Southwick, Warroad,  

Deeply regret to inform you that it is officially reported that Private Jerial Southwick, engineers, died of pneumonia, December 18.

Harris, adjutant general

The above telegram conveys the deepest feeling of sadness to nearly every man, woman, and child in Warroad. For Jerial Southwick was one of the few young men whose personality gained admission to the attention of the entire population of our little city. 

It is the irony of fate that a man who withstood the hardships of the over sea fighting until victory crowned the efforts of the allied nations, then to fall victim of that dreaded disease, pneumonia. 

Jerial Southwick was a member of the 1918 graduation class from the Warroad High School, and enlisted March 15 [1918] and on the 17 left for Camp Dix, N.J. from which camp he left, after a short course of training, for oversea duties. At first his parents tried to discourage him from enlisting until he became of age, but the true American blood tingled in his veins until he finally won the consent of his parents by arguing with his father that the struggle for freedom demanded the service of either one of them and as the father was too old to be accepted, it was up to him to do his bit. 

Jerial was the second Warroad boy to die overseas and the fourth from the village to give up their life in the service of the country. The last letter received from Private Southwick, by his parents, was dated November 27 and written to Lorrain, in which he stated that they were on their way to Copa, Germany. 

Jerial Southwick was born in Ottertail county [on] February 21, 1899 and moved to Warroad with his parents in 1910, where he resided at the time of his enlistment. Mr. Southwick will have the remains removed to Warroad, if such arrangements can be made. The family has the sympathy of the entire community in their bereavement.

 As is evidenced by the above article, the loss of Jerial Southwick, just when the city believed all would finally return to normal, was a harsh blow. Unfortunately, Jerial's death was only the first of two postwar deaths that rocked the community.

At the end of the war, the family of Erick Matson was notified that their son, Andrew O. Matson, was severely wounded in battle. This information soon changed, when he was later declared missing in action. It was not until almost a year later that the fate of Andrew Matson was realized:

Andrew Olaf Matson Fell in Battle

The doubt which has existed  as to the fate of Andrew Olaf Matson, soldier, son of Mr. and Mrs. Erick Matson, of Swift, came to an end this week [September 29] when Mr. Matson received from the government eleven months' payment on his policy of $10,000 together with the information that he was killed in battle at some time between Oct. 1st and Oct. 12th, 1918. 

The exact date and place seems to be unknown, but the dates coincide with the beginning of the big drive of the American army into the Argonne forest, where the casualties were very heavy. He was reported missing, and until the prisoners taken by the Germans had all been checked over there was hopes that he might be still among the living. 

Andrew Olaf Matson was born in Jämtland, Sweden, and was 27 years old. He came to this country with his parents at an early age and lived with his parents in Swift until called to the war, in one of the first Roseau County contingents. He was an excellent young man and the parents have the sympathy of their many friends in their loss.

Andrew was the last reported casualty of the war, and one of four men from eastern Roseau County to have died in battle or from injuries sustained in battle, alongside Harold Newton, Esias Hagstrom, and Ira Fish. 

In June 1919, a group of veterans from what was called the Great War determined that Warroad should organize its own American Legion post. The initial signatures of willing participants in the venture included: William C. Marvin, George Sperling, Lawrence Stoskopf, Phil Huerd, William Streiff, Oliver Huerd, Julius Begg, Joseph Guibault, Victor Lundbohm, Bert Hanson, James Mathews, Louis Caron, Albert Federspiel, Fred Mende, Herbert L. Johnson, John Pryor, and Wilbert Goulet. By July, membership was up to 30, all soldiers who served with the Army or Navy at any time. The post was designated to cover the area of eastern Roseau County. Bert Hanson was named chairman of the organization and Victor Lundbohm as secretary. 

Members of the Warroad American Legion A. O. Mattson Post #25, 1940s
L-R: Clarence Green, ?, ?, Shorty Joyce, Bert Hanson, Elwin Richardson, ?, John Pryor, ?,
Hoy Hawley, Alfred Stoskopf, Frontie Parker, William H. Harrison

Shortly after the report about Andrew Matson's death, the American Legion sought a name to use for their post in Warroad. It is likely that they considered those names of the fallen in battle, such as Ira Fish and Harold Newton, or others whose deaths were especially hard on the community, like Jerial Southwick and Clarence Helliwell. In the end, the post determined to use Andrew O. Mattson as its formal name, becoming the American Legion A. O. Mattson Post #25. 

In 1921, Andrew Matson's body was finally returned home and laid to rest under the direction of the American Legion post named in his honor. And so marks the end of the local tales of World War I.

_______________

*Information on the Army School of Nursing found in: Milbrath, G., "A New Approach to Preparing Nurses for War: The Army School of Nursing," The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing 24, no. 3, manuscript 4 (2019), https://ojin.nursingworld.org/MainMenuCategories/ANAMarketplace/ANAPeriodicals/OJIN/TableofContents/Vol-24-2019/No3-Sept-2019/Preparing-Nurses-for-War-Army-School-of-Nursing.html.

The Warroad Historical Society and Heritage Center would like to thank everyone in the local community who has served or currently serves in the United States military. We understand the deep sacrifice you have given and must be prepared to give in the name of freedom. We wish you a very warm: Happy Veterans Day.

~Erin Thompson, Museum Manager