Family of four siblings in WWI

[Bob Hudson]

You may have seen my recent thread about WWI Army Nurse Agnes Reid, who was my wife's great aunt: http://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/ind...showtopic=28685

 

I had known for some time about the WWI military service of Agnes and her brother Bill - my wife's grandfather and namesake of my 10-year-old son Will.

 

Last week while helping my mother-in-law sort through old storage boxes in the basement I discovered that Bill and Agnes has two other brothers who were also in uniform in WWI and I found photos of them, letters, newspaper clippings and somethng very important: the flag their mother flew in her home's window during World War I, with a star for each child. This originally had two starrs on it be she later sewed on two more. These were known as 'Service Stars" and Mrs. Reid was active in an organization called the "Silver Star Legion," which is represented in one of the pins attached to the flag.

 

 

 

 

The Silver Star Legion pin has ribbons denoting the group's 926 convention in La Crosse, Wisconsin, the Reids hometown.

 

[Bob Hudson]

So here are the four World War I veterans from the Reid family of La Crosse

 

Agnes Reid, Army Nurse, apparently the only one of the four who was on Europe during the war:

 

 

William Reid, who spent the war as a flight instructor, apparently flying Jennnies.

 

 

Jack Reid was with the Army Motor Transport Corps at Camp Custer, Michigan:

 

 

Brother Harold Reid opted for the Navy instead of the Army. Tonight I found a couple of wartime letters from him and I'm hoping they'll have a clue about his service.

 

 

The father of these four was himself a former military man and would have been quite proud of their service, but sadly he died a few years before the war on his 60th birthday. He served with the Cameron Highlanders before emigrating from Scotland to the US in 1880.

 

 

His name was also William and it is very cool that my son Will will have photos of his great-grandfather and great-great-grandfather in uniform. We are going to put together a framed display with the the flag, photos and other paperwork, plus some artifacts sichs as Agnes' WWI diary and her medal.

[Bob Hudson]

Here are some photos from Bill the aviator (and as I mentioned in the Nurse Reid thread, his portrait hangs in the ice cream parlor at the University of Missouri, where he was dairy science Professor William Reid, a specialist in ice cream production).

 

 

 

 

[Bob Hudson]

I have yet to read most of the wartime letters I found: there aren't a lot, but that early 20th century cursive writing is a bear to read.

 

The letter in this one was actually easy, and somewhat sad to read. It is from a classmate of Bill's who is very depressed because he somehow shattered his arm and a painful surgery has seemingly done no good. He writes that he is darn near ready to desert in order to get proper care. Notice the return address and the cancellation stamp:

 

 

 

This one has an envelope provided by the YMCA:

 

 

[Bob Hudson]

This is brother Jack:

 

 

[Bob Hudson]

In with the stacks of photos were a few different items handed out to the troops by various businesses.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Bob Hudson]

As I said above, I have thread elsewhere featuring photos from Agnes tour of duty in wartime France. That thread show this photo of Agnes and Harold, the only photo that shows two siblings together in uniform:

 

 

In 1919, Harold got together with his two brothers and they also posed for their first photo together as newly designated civilians.

 

[FightenIrish35]

Thanks for shareing,i find this very amazing,you should be very proud of the amount of history withing youur family

[ADMIN]

Now that's neat!!! I'm anxious to see what else you find out!

[Brian Keith]

Really great stuff.

Thanks,

BKW

[Bob Hudson]

This stuff has all been stowed away but recently we got the WWI flying helmet and goggles that were worn by my wife's grandfather and decided it was time for a display. I am using a cabinet that has glass doors and shelves and downward pointing lights. We've had a crackle glass collection in there and for now it's all crowded into another couple of shelves.

 

It's nice to have the 79th Cameron Highlanders photos of the father of these four US WWI veterans. He died before the war, but we do have the service star flag created by his widow.

 

 

 

 

[Bob Hudson]

My son is named after this pilot, his great-grandfather.

 

[ADMIN]

Very nice display!!! Your son will be so happy to have these items preserved!

[RustyCanteen]

Hi Bob,

 

 

That is fantastic you have preserved family history (and awesome pieces and history at that!) For your son.

 

RC

[katieony]

Bob,

 

Really great story and display...thank you for sharing it!

 

Mike

[Bob Hudson]

The cabinet is about six feet tall and on top of it we have a nice scale model of the exact type of Curtiss JN-4 "Jenny" he flew as a WWI Army Air Service instructor.

 

I am only using two top shelves for now, buy I intend to put in other displays of military ancestors: my dad was 20-year Navy, seven years as a blimp aircrew. I have some photos of gravestones of ancestors who served in the Civil War as well as photos of the type of uniform worn by my 5th great-grandfather who was a Hessian soldier in the American Revolution. I also have a souvenir of the last Japanese battleship of WWII - my wife's step-father was a recent Annapolis grad who was assigned to his first ship just in time to sail into Tokyo bay for the surrender.

 

This is how it looks for now with the doors closed. All of the light in the cabinet comes from two downward-pointing lights so stuff on lower shelves is lit by light coming through the glass shelves. It's a little tricky to arrange it all to get good light on it, but it looks pretty dramatic in person.

 

[dave peifer]

now that is really outstanding......what a great family history,thanks for posting..............dave

[Lee Ragan]

That is one super looking display! Really classy and a nifty way to honor ancestor military service..

[Mr.Jerry]

From a flag perspective that is a really great service flag.

From a family military history perspective that is a AWESOME group!

 

Agnes had 3 OS stripes! That was more than many units did!

[Bob Hudson]

 

Agnes had 3 OS stripes! That was more than many units did!

 

I think she must have arrived in France before 90% of other units. I'd always kept hoping one of her uniforms would show up, but I'm so glad we found what we did. Agnes' diary and French medal had been in my wife's possession for many years, but no one in the family knew of the existence of the service flag, the photos, newspaper clips, theater-made AS patch, etc. packed away for decades in a basement box. That flag had been rolled up and probably unseen from 1919 to 2008.

 

None of her three brothers went to the AEF so it must have been with a lot of pride that she wore her uniform stateside.

 

[bobgee]

Wonderful family grouping and display! Congrats! Bob

[Rakkasan187]

Wonderful story and nicely displayed..

 

Thank you for sharing with us your family's history and service

 

Leigh

[Bob Hudson]

Here's some details of the helmet and goggles (more photos at http://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/index.php?/topic/263206-fs-wwi-air-service-pilot-helmet-and-goggles/?p=2115639 )

 

 

Here wrote this on the back neck flap:

 

 

[Bob Hudson]

Lt Reid did not pursue flying after the war, except as a passenger and he was an early frequent flyer, even back in the 30's when passenger air travel was quite exotic.

 

Actually his career sounds like something a little kid made up, "I want to fly airplanes and make ice cream."

 

His portrait hangs in Buck's Place, the ice cream parlor at the University of Missouri, Columbia. Here's why:

 

 

And his early research helped pave the way for modern chocolate ice cream production, as noted in this excerpt from some scholarly ice cream document:

 

 

[sundance]

Great collection. I'm sure sis must have had some fun at holiday gatherings telling her siblings what it was like...over there. A family to be proud of.