Kenneth Figg 1920 – 2001

So Many Memories

Kenneth Figg – Camp Davis North Carolina
March 27, 1943

We received a box of tattered scrapbooks at the shop. They were donated and we were amazed to see some of the images contained with in.

Kenneth Figg was a resident of Fishers Island, New York, just off the coast of Connecticut (near Mystic). Kenneth was born June 12th, 1920. He enlisted in the US Army for 3 years during World War two and received four battle stars. They included Normandy, Northern France, The Bulge and The Rhineland. He was married to Marianna Gabriel in 1954. He moved to Bridgeport Connecticut and worked for Heppenstall Company in Bridgeport.

His Grandmother was Eva Sears from 20 Pearl Street in Bridgeport.

Figg served in the US Army during World War Two. He was with the 274th Ordnance Maine Company, Anti Aircraft. The collection of papers that were about to be lost to history reveal a detailed history of a a few years of Figg’s life in the Army. In his own words I will present this forgotten soldiers life.

January 4, 1942 – Sworn into the Army at Hartford, Conn.

January 12, 1943 – Reported at Fort Devens, Mass and stayed there 2 1/2 days.

In 1940, at the onset of World War II, Fort Devens was designated a reception center for all men in New England who would serve one year as draftees. A massive $25 million building project was begun, including more than 1200 wooden buildings and an airfield. (1)

January 15, 1943 – Got on troop train and went across Mass., NY., Penn,.Ohio, Indiana, to Chicago, Ill., then down through Ill., Ky., Tenn., to Miss.

January 18th, 1943 – Arrived at Camp Flora, Miss. Located about 25 miles from Jackson, Miss.

January 19, 1943 – Started Basic – Training in the Army.

Map of North Carolina pointing out Camp’s that he was stationed at. Drawn by K. Figg

February 23, 1943 – Boarded troop train for Camp Davis, N.C.. Went through Miss.,Ala., Ga., S.C. to Camp davis.

February 27. 1943 – Arrived at Camp Davis, N.C. for Continued training.

April ?, 1943 – Went to school at Sears Landing for over two weeks – Took up the height – finder. Also took up two weeks of schooling on the M5 director and a week on the oil gears for the 40MM guns.

May 28, 1943 – Promoted to T/5 and ordered to go to the ordnance school at Aberdeen, Md.

In August 1942, the Ordnance Department assumed responsibility for procurement and maintenance of all wheeled and motored vehicles. Aberdeen Proving Ground (APG) is the U.S. Army’s oldest active proving ground, established on October 20, 1917, six months after the U.S. entered World War I. At the peak of World War II, APG had billeting space for 2,348 officers and 24,189 enlisted personnel.(5)

1944 version of the M5 gun director, the US-made version of the Kerrison Predictor

June 1, 1943 – Left Camp Davis for Aberdeen – Went to New London by train with George Conklin. We had 16 hours there before going to Aberdeen.

June 3. 1943 – Arrived at Aberdeen, Md. – studied the M5 director which was a four week course.

July 3, 1943 – Graduated from school and left for a furlough.

July 4, 1943 – Got home and my furlough started.

July 14, 1943 – Arrived at Camp Davis but found out the company had moved to Fort Fisher, N.C. Located 50 miles away and on the Carolina Coast. Rejoined the Company a few days later.

Letterhead from Fort Fisher, South Carolina. Note the Anti Aircraft gun.

July, August, September 1943 – spent the Summer at Fort Fisher.

almost one year before the surprise attack by the Japanese on Pearl Harbor construction was started on a new military camp in Holly Ridge, N.C.. Camp Davis was in business by the spring of 1941. It was one of the seven Anti-Aircraft artillery training facilities in the United States. This is were a young man from Fishers Island, NY would spend his days and nights learning the finer points of the 40mm Anti-Aircraft Gun. (2)

Fort Fisher’s claim to fame was as a Confederate fort during the American Civil War. It protected the vital trading routes of the port at Wilmington, North Carolina, from 1861 until its capture by the Union in 1865 by an seaborne invasion force of 8,000 Union soldiers, sailors & marines who landed and took the fort by force. (3) This would serve as shades of thing to come in June of 1944 along the coast of France.

Fort Fisher became a live fire range during World War two with target tug aircraft flying from Camp Davis, providing Searchlight & gunners a target rich environment. (2)

September 1943 – We moved back to Camp Davis still continuing our training.

December 24, 1943 – Left on three day pass for Charlotte, N.C. with four other fellows. We received this in place of a second furlough home.

January 11, 1944 – We left for Camp Kilmer, N.J. to prepare to go overseas.

Camp Kilmer, New Jersey is a former United States Army camp that was activated in June 1942 as a staging area and part of an installation of the New York Port of Embarkation. The camp was organized as part of the Army Service Forces Transportation Corps. Troops were quartered at Camp Kilmer in preparation for transport to the European Theater of Operations in World War II. Eventually, it became the largest processing center for troops heading overseas and returning from World War II, processing over 2.5 million soldiers.(4)

January 18, 1944 – We boarded the “U.S.S. Exceller” at Staten Island and shipped out of New York Harbor the next day. This made exactly one year ago to the day that we arrived in Miss. to commence basic training.

January 31, 1944 – Got off the boat at Barry, Wales after a 12 day voyage across the Atlantic in Convoy. We went by train through Cardiff, Wales and up into the Midlands of England. We arrived at Leek late in the night and went by trucks to a Camp called Blackshaw Moor about 3 miles outside of the city. Leek was a small city of 20,000 people.

February 20. 1944 – I went of detached – service to Macclesfield located about 12 miles North of Leek. Their was 58 of us. We stayed at Macclesfield nine days. I went to Liverpool for rations while there. Macclesfield had 35,000 people.

March 10, 1944 – We moved from Blackshaw Moor right into the city of Leek.

March 17, 1944 – Most of the company moved out by train for a camp in Southern England.

March 18, 1944 – I left Leek by Convoy. We went through Hanley and Stoke, then Wolverhampton, Worcester, Cheltenham, and to Cirencaster where we stayed overnight at an English staging area. We continued on the next day to a Camp called Whitechurch where the rest of the company has already arrived. Whitechurch was a little Camp about 25 miles from Bournemouth on the coast.

Figg’s journey through basic, his ongoing training as well as the ramp up to the invasion appears to have been documented after the war. These 5 pages give an brief look into what the average solider had to do to prepare to go off to war. But the story doesn’t end here. Figg included a map of his trek across England that takes up till the launch to Normandy. He aslo included a one page recount of his units activities during the Battle of the Bulge.

BATTLE OF BULGE
1 – Begins on December 16th, 1944

2- 274th Ord. A.A.A. stationed at Malines (Mechlen) Belgium

3 – detachment of 40 men sent to Namur, Belgium to support A.A.A. being used as anti-tank as well as regular dutirs on Dec 16th, 1944

4 – Detachment billeted in school-house in Namur and later moved into tents on top of hill (AAA Guns stationed on this hill to guard bridge below which crossed the Meuse River.

5 – I had New Years day dinner in Mess-Kit and used the fender of an Army truck for a table – There was deep SNOW all over ground.

By Ken Figg
I was one of the 40 men.

We know from photo captions that Figg was at Chamoix, France on a mountain in the Snow with a friend and two French-Alpine soldiers on June 22, 1945

Historic records show that Kenneth died December 25th, 2001 in Bridgeport, Connecticut.

Jack Donaldson and Kenneth Figg with a German 88mm Gun in Augeburg Germany October 1945

Kenneth Figg taken in a B-17, outside Bergen-op-Zoom, Holland April 1945

Arty Burgess & Kenneth Figg in a Jeep. taken outside Bergen-op-Zoom, Holland April 1945 (In his own words “I look like a shady-looking character in this one)

Taken outside Bergen-op-zoom Holland
L-R Arty Burgess, Watertown, Mass., Kenneth Figg, and Oscar Dippi, N.Y. City April 1945

Kenneth Figg taken outside Bergen-op-Zoom, Holland April 1945

Jack Donaldson (Akron, Ohio) and Kenneth Figg Augsburg, Germany October 1945

Marked as “Cury” Possibly Augsburg, Germany October 1945

From the Kennerth Figg Collection – Unmarked

From the Kennerth Figg Collection – Unmarked

From the Kennerth Figg Collection – Unmarked

From the Kennerth Figg Collection – Unmarked

From the Kennerth Figg Collection – Unmarked

EUCOM 98th MP – From the Kennerth Figg Collection – Unmarked

3 Soliders – From the Kennerth Figg Collection – Unmarked

Some members of the “T/5 Machine” with their Indian haircuts, taken at Weymouth, England just before leaving for Normandy. June 1944
Jim Davidson, Art Burgess, A. Conkling?
Leo R Cormier – Possibly Kenneth Figg?

Kenneth Figg & Tom Hissing of Boston, Mass August 1945

Kenneth Figg taken in front of his barracks at Augsburg, Germany October 1945

Section-Chief & Kenneth Figg Camp de Brasschaet, Belgium April 1945

Kenneth Figg – Farmer boy – Fort Danvers, Mass October 20, 1942

Kenneth Figg taken Augsburg, Germany August 1945

Taken at Chamoix, France on a mountain. Snow in the background and two French-Alpine soldiers in the right of the picture. June 22, 1945

Kenneth Figg – Belgium 1945

unmarked – Kenneth Figg Collection

Kenneth Figg – at Camp Brasschaat, Belgium April 1945

Kenneth Figg – at Camp Brasschaat, Belgium April 1945

“Mulll” – This appears to be an acquaintance of Figgs. He appears several times. – Kenneth Figg Collection

“Mulll” – This appears to be an acquaintance of Figgs. He appears several times. – Kenneth Figg Collection

Kenneth Figg with company. Figg is wearing sunglasses and smoking on the extreme left of the shot.

Kenneth Figg with company. Figg is wearing sunglasses and smoking on the extreme left of the shot.

unmarked – Kenneth Figg Collection

unmarked – Kenneth Figg Collection

unmarked – Kenneth Figg Collection

unmarked – Kenneth Figg Collection

This story will updated if more is learned from the archives.

Bibliography

1. Wikipedia Fort Devens – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Devens

2. North Carolina Historic Sites – http://www.nchistoricsites.org/fisher/ww2/ww2.htm

3. Wikipedia Fort Fisher – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Fisher

4. Wikipedia Camp Kilmer – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camp_Kilmer

5. Wikipedia Aberdeen Proving Ground – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aberdeen_Proving_Ground

D-Day: June 6, 1944

Mount Vernon, New York Grand Army of the Republic Civil War Monumnet

Erected by the Citizens of Mount Vernon to her loyal sons who fought for the Union.

Deep in Mount Vernon, New York just a few blocks from the Wakefield section of the Bronx stands a Solitary Sentry from a different time. With the not to distant sound of ambulance sirens piercing the quiet morning, Our Sentry stands in the shadow of Mount Vernon Hospital at the corner of North 7th Ave and Roosevelt Square North. He stares out onto the city with his weathered face and eyes. Those eyes ever scanning a very busy city. The Sentry seems almost an anachronism to the time and place. At a time in our history when smartphones, ipods and google glass are the important items in life, our valiant solider still watches over his city, but one must wonder if the people who pass him buy know who he is or even care about his story and the sacrifice his contemporaries made.

This beautiful monument  is surrounded by brick columns and wrought iron fencing, gating the monument in.  The morning I photographed this, a city worker arrived to hoist the colors.  He gave me full access to the site and I was honored that he asked if I would assist with the flag. Around the site are also small cannon.

Mount Vernon’s silent sentry is that of a solitary Union infantry solider.  Standing a silent vigil since 1888 at Farnsworth Park on the triangular piece of ground which now is in front Mount Vernon Hospital.  In his 8 foot splendor , he stares off into the city forever at parade rest, wearing a kepi and great coat, prepared for the harshest of weather.

The four sided base of the monument is  ringed with 4 bronze medallions , on fore each branch of the service; Army, Calvary, Artillery and Navy. The heavy green patina shows the age of several of the medallions with their condition slightly eroded away.

The main pedastal is about 10 feet tall and it is inscribed on two sides. One side states ““Erected by the Citizens of Mount Vernon to her loyal sons who fought for the Union.” On the obverse side it recognizes the many contributions of the women of the Civil War. “To the noble women who, from home, hospital and field contributed to the preservation of the Union.”

Colonel Henry Huss a Bavarian immigrant who served in the battles of Chancellorsville, Fredericksburg and the Florida campaign. Following the War he was President of the City Board of Trade and deeded the plot that that accommodates the monument. (1)

The monument was dedicated May 30, 1891 and cost around $2000.

To visit the site bring quarters for the meter. Here is the map page. 

The entire set of photos can be seen  here

1. http://newyorkhistoryblog.org/2013/03/19/westchester-county-civil-war-monuments-part-two/#sthash.0GegOQMm.dpuf

Phillpsburg, Pennsylvania Civil War Memorial

13 Inch Seacoast Mortar – This and two other Civil War seacoast mortars in Shappell Park in Phillipsburg are part of a rare collection.

Just off I-78, between PA & NJ,  in the border town of Phillipsburg, NJ is a pretty interesting monument to the Union Army. On South Mainstreet at the fork in the road is Shappell Park.

Shappell Park, formerly known as Lovell Square, is the former site of Phillipsburg’s Town Hall. The park is triangular in shape, bounded by S. Main St., Sitgreaves St. and Jersey St.

In 1906, on the 10th of May, the Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument was dedicated and unveiled on the grounds of the Lovell School building, in the presence of Governor Edward C. Stokes, the G. A. R., and the Second Regiment of the National Guard of New Jersey. The total height of the monument is just shy of 50 feet.

According to the newspaper of the period, The Easton Expresss, the monument cost the citizens of Phillipsburg, New Jersey $4,800.00, most of that funding was raised during a thirteen day fair that took place May 8, 1905 through May 20, 1905.

Of particular note are the Three 13 inch Sea Coast mortars. This was the last place I would have expected to find this big old artillery pieces standing in silent witness.  I was not able to view the 4th one which was located at a cemetery near by.

“The three mortars around the monument and the one on the soldiers’ plot in the cemetery are the property of Tolmie Post. They were a donation made by the War Department through a special act of Congress.”

It seems that all of these 13 inch behemoths have a service record;

• Two were in the siege at Vicksburg, Miss., during the engagements there in 1862 and 1863
• One was captured and recaptured three times at Island No. 10;
• One was at the front in the engagement at Fredericksburg, Va.

“On July 4, 1870, General Theodore Runyon dedicated a Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument in the Phillipsburg Cemetery, which was afterwards removed under very peculiar conditions which constituted the highest grade of vandalism ever permitted by the loyal citizens of an enlightened community.”(1)

If you are passing through the area it is worth the pit stop. The next town over has a beautiful monument as well located in Easton, PA, home of Crayola Crayons.

In 2009 the mortars were removed and restored. The story can be found here. (2)

(1) http://history.rays-place.com/nj/war-phillipsburg.htm

(2) http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/news/index.ssf/2009/01/28/

Hudson County NJ – World War One Memorial “Dough Boy” – Forgetting Our Past?

Edward J. Malone
NJ Archives

“The Master said, “A true teacher is one who, keeping the past alive, is also able to understand the present.”
(Analects 2.11)”
― Confucius

I would like to introduce you to Edward J. Malone. Edward was born, raised and lived in Jersey City, part of Hudson County, New Jersey. Edward was married to Dorothy Malone and they lived in a modest little home on 65 1/2 Jefferson Street in Jersey City.  Edward lived during a time of great turmoil in the world but living in the United States, a neutral country, he was far removed from the conflict known as “The Great War”. That was until April 6th, 1917 when the United States declared war on the German Empire.

On September 23, 1917 Edward answered the call of his country.  He was 30 and a half years old when he was inducted to the US Army. He started as a private and was quicly promoted to Private First Class on October 25 and then Corporal  on October 27, 1917! By April 5, 1918 he held the rank of Sargent. On May 21st, 1918 Edward shipped out to France to Fight in the Great War. He was a “Yank” or a “Dough Boy” He spent the summer fighting across France until late October on the 26th day, Edward J. Malone, became a statistic. Edward Malone would never see Jersey City or his wife again. He was Killed in Action.  One can imagine his widow receiving the news in time for Thanksgiving or Christmas.

93 years, 10 months, 16 days has passed since Edward J. Malone lost his life in a far off country trying to protect freedom. His family lost a man in the prime of his life. But how is his life or the other 146 men who are listed on a memorial plaque at the base of a statue in Jersey City regarded?

There is a park know as “Dr. Leonard J. Gordon Park” located in Jersey City Heights. It is best is best known for the sculptures of Buffalo and Bears The larger-than-life stone statues of the buffalo and bear were the work of sculptor Solon Hannibal Borglum (1868-1922) Brother of Gutzon Borglum, of Mount Rushmore fame. But but along Kennedy Blvd. high atop the hill, is a silent sentinel watching over the heights. This bronze watchman, eternally on patrol,   commemorates the fallen of the First World War. On November 9, 1930, the Hudson City Soldiers and Sailors Welfare League, Inc. placed a World War I memorial statue simply called “Dough Boy” in the park. The bronze statue was cast by Eagle Bronze Works in New York.

There was also an American eagle atop a granite shaft that was placed there by the Raymond Sipnick Post of the Jewish War Veterans. Today only the bronze plaque exists.

The Smithsonian Institution “Save Outdoor Sculpture”  survey describes the memorial as such; Full-length figure of a World War I soldier. He wears a uniform and hat. His proper left arm is outstretched and he holds a rifle in his proper left hand. In his proper right hand he holds a grenade which he is positioned to toss. The painted bronze sculpture stands on a white concrete base. 

Inscribed on the plaque is a dedication;

In the glory of God we dedicate this monument in grateful remembrance of the Hudson City soldiers, sailors and Marines who made the supreme sacrifice in the World War. Their deeds are immortal and they have earned the historical gratitude of our country.

Below the inscription, 147 names, now mostly obscured by many layers of gold paint , list the dead of Hudson County. The base of the monument is eroding needs attention to shore up it’s perch on the hill side.

It is simply not right to see so many sons of New Jersey being potentially lost to history. In 1930 the dedication of this memorial was to make sure that these men were never forgotten.

With changing demographics, poor maintenance and simply the march of time they are endanger of being lost to the ages.

Weathered, unreadable plaques and memorials imply they have been neglected, which implies a lack of importance.  It conveys the message that the thought, consideration, hard work, expense and purpose were not worth it.  What was originally meant to be a symbol of honor and recognition becomes just a dilapidated old relic that people bypass and ignore.  

James Walker – Walker Metalsmith

Restoration and preservation of a plaque like this is relatively straight forward.  The material cost, less than $200 and a day or two of labor of one or two volunteers. Simply using a non caustic paint stripper, cleaning with water and then waxing the plaque can be cleaned safely and properly.  With yearly maintenance, of about $7 in wax, it would be preserved for generations to come.  If requested the writer of  Monument Man is willing to assist in saving this small part of history by donating part of the labor.

I guess the real question becomes this, When demographics shift drastically, will they care? Will they bother to learn the history? Will Edward J. Malone, husband of Dorothy, Son of Jersey City be lost to history?

Leonard J. Gordon Park is located on Kennedy Boulevard between Manhattan Avenue and Hutton Street; West to Liberty Avenue in Jersey City, New Jersey. There is parking across the street from the park.

Sources:

Jersey City Past & Present 

Smithsonian Institution – Save Outdoor Sculpture  

James Walker – Walker Metal Smith.com

New Jersey State Archives Searchable Database

Private John H. Reynolds

Private John H. Reynolds

121st Regiment, New York Infantry

M551 Roll 117

Organized at Herkimer and mustered in August 13, 1862. LeftState for Washington, D. C., September 2, 1862. Attached to 2nd Brigade, 1st Division, 6th Army Corps, Army of the Potomac and Army of the Shenandoah, to June, 1865.

SERVICE.-Maryland Campaign September 6-22, 1862. Duty at Sharpsburg, Md., till October 30. Movement to Falmouth, Va., October 30-November 19. Battle of Fredericksburg, Va., December 12-15. At Falmouth till April, 1863. “Mud March” January 20-24. Chancellorsville Campaign April 27-May 6. Operations at Franklin’s Crossing April 29-May 2. Battle of Maryes Heights, Fredericksburg, May 3. Salem Heights May 3-4. Banks’ Ford May 4. Gettysburg (Pa.) Campaign June 14-July 24. Battle of Gettysburg July 2-4. Pursuit of Lee to Manassas Gap, Va., July 5-24. Duty on line of the Rappahannock and Rapidan till October. Bristoe Campaign October 9-22. Advance to line of the Rappahannock November 7-8. Rappahannock Station November 7. Mine Run Campaign November 26-December 2. Campaign from the Rapidan to the James May 3-June 15, 1864. Battles of the Wilderness May 5-7; Spottsylvania May 8-12; Spottsylvania Court House May 12-21. Assault on the Salient, “Bloody Angle,” May 12. North Anna River May 23-26. On line of the Pamunkey May 26-28. Totopotomoy May 28-31. Cold Harbor June 1-12. Before Petersburg June 17-18. Siege of Petersburg to July 9. Jerusalem Plank Road June 22-23. Moved to Washington, D. C., July 9-11. Repulse of Early’s attack on Fort Stevens and the Northern Defences of Washington July 11-12. Expedition to Snicker’s Gap July 14-23. Sheridan’s Shenandoah Valley Campaign August 7-November 28. Near Charleston August 21-22. Battle of Winchester September 19. Fisher’s Hill September 22. Mt. Jackson September 23-24. Battle of Cedar Creek October 19. Duty in the Shenandoah Valley till December. Moved to Petersburg, Va., December 9-12. Siege of Petersburg December 12, 1864, to April 2, 1865. Dabney’s Mills, Hatcher’s Run, February 5-7, 1865. Appomattox Campaign March 28-April 9. Assault on and fall of Petersburg April 2. Sailor’s Creek April 6. Appomattox Court House April 9. Surrender of Lee and his army. At Farmville and Burkesville till April 23. March to Danville April 23-27 and duty there till May 24. March to Richmond, thence to Washington, D. C., May 24-June 3. Corps Review June 8. Mustered out June 25, 1865. Veterans and Recruits transferred to 65th New York Infantry.

Regiment lost during service 14 Officers and 212 Enlisted men killed and mortally wounded and 4 Officers and 117 Enlisted men by disease. Total 347.

Member of GAR Post 378 Port Chester, New York.

The afternoon was devoted to an examination of the large main camp, particularly the New York State allotment. The veterans from this State expressed great admiration for the excellent manner in which they were being treated, both in tentage and subsistence. Every sanitary precaution for health known to camp life had been adopted by the United States authorities.’ Good roads traversed every portion of the camp. Hydrants, with ice attachments, abounded, affording plenty of cold water for the benefit of the veterans.

It may be well to note here that the United States government authorities and the Pennsylvania Commission had provided complete hospital accommodation in Gettysburg, while hospital tents were erected on every road and byway, in charge of Red Cross nurses, and communicating with each other and the main hospitals by telephone and telegraph. Ambulances traversed every road, ready to pick up and relieve any disabled veteran. To this magnificent service is due the small number of casualties which occurred during the encampment. It is estimated that 70,000 Union and Confederate veterans attended the celebration, about 55,000 of whom were in the large camp. According to the official report of casualties, only seven veterans died during the encampment — an extraordinary low percentage for the large numbers who attended, and considering the excessive heat which prevailed. Two of the death casualties were New York veterans — John H. Reynolds, of Port Chester, N. Y., and Otto L. Starn, of Almond, N. Y. Both these veterans died of organic diseases. The sunstrokes were not many and there were no deaths from that cause. The roads and streets were patrolled by U. S. cavalry, and the State Constabulary of Pennsylvania, with police powers, and the utmost order prevailed.

 

Tarrytown, New York – World War One Memorial

On the western shore of Westchester County, along the Hudson River, lies a quaint town called Tarrytown. Tarrytown is famous more for Washington Irving’s story “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow”. The name “Sleepy Hollow” comes from a secluded glen located in Tarrytown and is not the name of the town in which the story takes place. In the mid-1990s the residents of North Tarrytown voted to have their name changed to Sleepy Hollow in honor of the story.  Tarry town during World War Two saw Grumman Aircraft building torpedo bombers along the Hudson River. But today we look at her silent sentinel honoring World War One veterans and keeping an eternal watch over the area.

The bronze statue was designed and sculpted by  Joseph P. Pollia, a New York Sculptor.  Pollia was born in Italy in 1893 moving to America he lived in the Bronx, NY, dying in 1954.  He trained at the school connected to the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. Pollia sculpted many memorials during his life. Two notable sculptures of his are the Spanish-American memorial on San Juan Hill in Cuba and a statue of Union General Philip Henry Sheridan at Sheridan Square in NYC. In 1934, Pollia made a Peace Statue which depicted a WWI soldier, in Orange, MA. It was dedicated to the residents of Orange who served in the war. A bronze plaque at the base reads: ‘It Shall Not Be Again.’  In 1935 he made a sculpture of John Brown the abolitionist, and a slave boy, for John Brown’s farm in North Elba near Lake Placid, NY. Pollia was also the sculptor of the famous Stonewall Jackson Statue at the Manassas (or Bull Run) Battlefield in Manassas Virginia  for the National Park Service. It seems that public reaction from veterans and members of Confederate organizations caused a bit of a situation. It was dubbed the ‘third’ battle of Manassas, as people thought Jackson looked to much like Union General Ulysses S. Grant and that Jackson’s mount, Sorrel, looked more like a plow horse than a prize mount. Pollia responded to his critics with ‘patience, fortitude and gallantry” according to a local newspaper. He was a member of the National Sculpture Society and the National Academy of Design.

The Tarrytown World War One memorial is located at 18 North Broadway, The Landmark Condominiums. The site used to be the former Elizabeth Van Tassel House.   The Monument facing North Broadway looks toward the Hudson River to the west.  

The statue is a 10′ tall full-length figure of a uniformed World War I soldier. He stands at a gravesite.  His left foot rests on a small hill and his left hand rests on his knee. He holds his rifle and his round helmet in his right hand as he looks down at the grave.

The base is rough grey granite about 4’x3′. 3 Sides have bronze plaques. The bronze plaque on the front of the memorial has a large eagle at the top and reads:

MEMORIAL
TO THOSE WHO PAID
THE SUPREME SACRIFICE
IN OUR/WORLD WAR
UNVEILED MAY 30th 1927
*
Russell V Cantwell
James F Dick Jr
Stachy Montanaro
Kenneth Pollock
Lawrence G Spencer
Lester Storms
Waslaw Wolpiuk
William C Wright Jr.

 LET THOSE WHO COME AFTER
SEE TO IT
THAT THEIR NAMES BE NOT
FORGOTTEN

On the north and south face of the memorial are a pair of plaques dedicated to the men of Tarrytown (A thu K (north) (L thru Z (south), Glenville and East View.

TO HONOR THOSE OF TARRYTOWN, NY
WHO SERVED THEIR COUNTRY IN
1917  – THE WORLD WAR -1919

There is a small marker for Russell V. Cantwell – US Navy locates about 20 feet diagonally from the monument under a tree. Cantwell died at sea.

While a popular Sculptor of the period these seems to be little written or recorded about Joseph P. Pollia. A visit to the Memorial if in the are is defiantly worth the stop. In addition there are many nice restaurants & cafes around the area to justify the side trip.

Links

Sites of Memory

Elizabeth Van Tassel House – Very interesting read

Map

World War One Memorial – Weehawken, NJ

World War One memorials commemorate the events and the casualties of World War One. Each of these monuments you see in a town square or near a VFW hall represents the sacrifice men made almost 100 years ago. Each slab of granite or statue was dedicated to remembering those involved in the conflict. Huge numbers of memorials were built in the 1920s and 1930s, with around 176,000 erected in France alone! This was a new social phenomenon and marked a major cultural shift in how nations commemorated conflicts. As the decades past on and other wars took place the interest in World War I and its memorials faded. in the late 80s and into the 90s a rennisance took place as intrest in the memorials increased significantly in Europe, some  national and civic memorials continue to be used for annual ceremonies remembering the war here in the USA.

The sculptor of the Solider & Sailor Memorial was Giovanni (John) Rapetti. He was born in Como, Italy in 1862 and studied in Milan, Italy and Paris. While in Paris Rapetti worked as an assistant to Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi. Bartholdi was the man behind the Statue of Liberty and Rapetti worked on the statue. His name is inscribed on the crown as one of the creators.  In 1889, William Ordway Partridge persuaded  Rapetti to accept employment in his studio. He came to the United States and worked of the Colombian Exposition. In addition, locally in Weehawken he did the famous Alexander Hamilton Memorial. 

Rapetti created Weehawken’s World War One Memorial in bronze. The Memorial is located at Boulevard East and Hudson Pace. It sits silently guarding the the cliffs of Weehawken, with the island of Manhattan as a backdrop.

The memorial consits of a pair of Bronze Eagles, a “Doughboy” and a Sailor.

What was a ‘Doughboy? No it isnt a form of baked good from Pillsbury. “Doughboy” was a popular nickname for the American soldiers and Marines during World War I.  While soldiers and Marines of the American Expeditionay force were also referred to as Yanks, or Sammies( an unpopular term not appreciate by the men), the name “Doughboy” became the term that most people envison when they think of a WW1 Soldier.

When you think of World War One the US Navy doesn’t immediately come to mind. The American navy focused on countering enemy U-boats in the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. In addition they escorted convoys of  men and supplies to frontlines in France and Italy. Due to her late start in the war, the United States Navy’s capital ships never engaged the Germans and only a few decisive submarine actions occurred. Four United States Navy ships were lost during America’s involvement in the conflict, only two by enemy action though six merchant ships with armed guards aboard were also destroyed.

The bald eagle was chosen June 20, 1782 as the emblem of the United States of American, because of its long life, great strength and majestic looks, and also because it was then believed to exist only on this continent.

It is said the eagle was used as a national emblem because, at one of the first battles of the Revolution (which occurred early in the morning) the noise of the struggle awoke the sleeping eagles on the heights and they flew from their nests and circled about over the heads of the fighting men, all the while giving vent to their raucous cries. “They are shrieking for Freedom,” said the patriots.
Thus the eagle, full of the boundless spirit of freedom, living above the valleys, strong and powerful in his might, has become the national emblem of a country that offers freedom in word and thought and an opportunity for a full and free expansion into the boundless space of the future.
–Maude M. Grant

The Smitsonian Institute, in their Save Outdoor Sculpture, New Jersey survey, 1994 describe the memorial as such; Two full-length bronze figures flank a square granite column. The figure on the left is a World War I sailor. He is dressed in uniform and wears a sailors cap. He holds a rifle in front of him with both hands placed on the barrel of the gun. The butt of the gun rests on the ground in front of him. The figure on the right is a World War I doughboy. He also wears a uniform and helmet and holds a gun in the same position. Both figures are positioned with their backs to the monument column and stand on granite bases which rest flush against the column. The capitol of the column is decorated with bas-relief elements. A bronze bas-relief eagle, perched on an olive branch with wings outspread, is centered on the front and back faces of the column.

The Weehawken World War One Memorial is dedicated for her twenty-one sons who made the supreme sacrifice in the World War One. A visit to Weehawken, N.J. is very easy from New York City as it is directly opposite the Lincoln Tunnel entrance .  There are many great restaurants in the area and the views of Manhattan can’t be beat.

Rapetti was a long time resident of Weehawken N.J. and died in his home in Weehawken on June 23, 1936.

GPS: 40.772203, -74.015882

Sources include:

Wikipedia

World War One.com 

Bald Eagle.info

Smithsonian Institute

Stanziales Restaurant First Annual Corsair Cruise Car Show on Sept. 9th 2012 (10am till 4pm) at 595 Main Street in Stratford, Connecticut to benefit the Corsair Restoration

Stanziales will be hosting it’s First Annual Car Show – Corsair Cruise – on Sept. 9th 2012 (10am till 4pm) at 595 Main Street in Stratford, Connecticut

Stanziales Restaurant will be hosting it’s First Annual Car Show – Corsair Cruise – on Sept. 9th 2012 (10am till 4pm) at 595 Main Street in Stratford, Connecticut across from the Stratford Army Engine Plant. The proceeds from the show will benefit the Connecticut Air & Space Center and the Corsair Restoration Project. Weather permitting the Sikorsky Memorial Corsair which is under full restoration will be present and on display as well as Gustave Whitehead 1901 No. 21 Flyer Replica that Flew in Bridgeport. Registration is $10 for a chance at a trophy and the first 50 cars receive a special dash plaque commemorating the event. Admission is free, but donations to the Museum will be accepted.  Please join us for a great day of Cool Cars, Cool Corsairs and gear food and fun.

It’s All Coming Back to Me Now

Ed McGuinness starts the reassembly process by installing the first pully’s and brackets.

No. The title does not infer Celine Dion or a Wagnerian Rock Ballad. The Sikorsky Memorial Corsair is coming back to life. A little over two and a half years ago I wandered into this Connecticut Air & Space Center looking to kill a few hours helping sweep a floor or clean some parts. It was just a few months after my 40th birthday when I found the Corsair.

40 was a birthday that I dreaded in no unspeakable terms. You see my biggest fear is when I die I will be forgotten, that I will fade away into time, falling into the eternal vortex of the past. Pretty dark, I know.  This morning I had this realization that not only was 40 nothing to be mournful of, hell life really just became interesting.  Not only am I now in charge of the Connecticut Air & Space Center (Promoted Aug. 2011), last year I spent a month at Ezell Aviation in Breckenridge, Texas, I have helped save the Sikorsky S-60 from destruction (Igor’s last personal project at Sikorsky), I have Cannonballed across the US (legally) and been to Hawaii meeting so many great people in the Museum business and learning more in 2 years that I did in the past 10.  The museum is growing by leaps and bounds, our volunteers are some of the best in the museum business and did I mention that my wife, Laura, and I had a beautiful baby boy named Henry Howard! Yeah life is good.

Henry Howard, the nest generation of Aircraft Restorer. Note his Corsair pin. It was a gift from Scott Ramos on the day of his birth. I met Scott via the Corsair project and we spent almost 2 weeks in the Texas Heat last year becoming fast friends.

But to get to the point. It’s all coming back to me how much I love this stuff. Every project goes through doldrums especially when all you are doing is cleaning parts and trying to find the bits and pieces that are missing.  On Saturday August 18th, 2012,  Ed McGuinness installed the first brackets back into the painted cockpit. Now we begin the road to reassembly.

Mark Corvino has been working for almost a year getting the Cowl flap system  restored and wow does it look amazing.  Mark Knopick spent almost 9 months in the media blasting room cleaning lines and fittings that were all coated with corrosion.  Our 92 year old Chance Vought veteran, Bill Digney has almost finished rebuilding the Oil Cooler sections. Tim Benson has made signification progress on tearing down the R-2800 engine.  We still have a long way to go but were in gear and heading forward.

The Corsair with a fresh coat of Interior Green. Courtesy of Mike Proto.