in Memory of
Private Charles J. Sullivan
Company G 101st Infantry
Born: February 27, 1901
Killed in action at Aisne-Marne, France
July 21, 1918
I found this marker at Lincoln and Melrose only after hearing the story of Charlie Sullivan. Worcester has a longer memory than I thought. I turn the rest of this post over to Beth Savage:
"I'm not sure if I ever told you about my grandfather, Francis E. Savage. He dropped out of school at 16 to join the army during WWI. He ended up in the Emmet Guard, led by General Foley. (Foley Stadium, where my father worked, was named for him.)
"My grandfather joined up with his friend Charlie. About 6 months later, Charlie was killed by a bomb dropped from a plane. My grandfather carried him back to the trenches even though he knew Charlie was dead.
"He spent most of his time on the front lines in France where he received a Silver Star and later, a Purple Heart.
"After the war, he couldn't find a job as a plumber so he joined the Worcester Police Dept and became a detective. At the time, a bunch of the Emmets' became cops as well. He must have been a pretty well known figure (although I wasn't aware of it) since he had a scrapbook full of newspaper articles that referred to him. Some are related to his work as a cop and with the veterans, but there are also short little "sightings".
"My father and I have been working on finding out more about his ancestors and relatives- he never knew much about his aunts, uncles, and cousins on either side. I've got bits and pieces on this. Here's what I know:
"His name was Charles Sullivan. He lived in the North End, near the Armory, but I don't have an address. He and my grandfather lived next door to each other. I don't have an exact age, but he must have been pretty close to my grandfather. I think he was probably older since there's a comment about my great-grandmother having to give permission for my grandfather to join (required at 16), but nothing about Charles having to do the same.
"He would have been in the 101st Infantry, Company G, 26th division.
"They joined in April 1917. In the fall, they were part of the first American Expeditionary Force division to fight with the French on the front lines. My grandfather was also at Verdun, but I'm pretty sure that was after Charles died. I can go through my records again to check if it matters.
"The Emmet Guard was named for Robert Emmet and was mostly full of Irish soldiers.
"Charles died in July 1918 at Chateau Thierry along with some other friends of my grandfather.
"The quote I have from my grandfather is that he carried Charles back to the trench even though "I knew absolutely he was dead." The quote is from an article in the T&G about my grandfather retiring- I've seen it in another article as well.
"I also have the following and lots of info about the cemetery itself (including a nice brochure and a little video).
"Charles J. Sullivan
Private First Class, U.S. Army
101st Infantry Regiment, 26th Division
Entered the Service from: Massachusetts
Died: July 21, 1918
Buried at: Plot A Row 12 Grave 30
Aisne-Marne American Cemetery
Belleau, France
"I doubt that there's a memorial for him in Worcester since I'm sure my grandfather would have mentioned it. On the other hand… maybe there is one! If so, I'd love to know about it."
"I'm not sure if I ever told you about my grandfather, Francis E. Savage. He dropped out of school at 16 to join the army during WWI. He ended up in the Emmet Guard, led by General Foley. (Foley Stadium, where my father worked, was named for him.)
"My grandfather joined up with his friend Charlie. About 6 months later, Charlie was killed by a bomb dropped from a plane. My grandfather carried him back to the trenches even though he knew Charlie was dead.
"He spent most of his time on the front lines in France where he received a Silver Star and later, a Purple Heart.
"After the war, he couldn't find a job as a plumber so he joined the Worcester Police Dept and became a detective. At the time, a bunch of the Emmets' became cops as well. He must have been a pretty well known figure (although I wasn't aware of it) since he had a scrapbook full of newspaper articles that referred to him. Some are related to his work as a cop and with the veterans, but there are also short little "sightings".
"My father and I have been working on finding out more about his ancestors and relatives- he never knew much about his aunts, uncles, and cousins on either side. I've got bits and pieces on this. Here's what I know:
"His name was Charles Sullivan. He lived in the North End, near the Armory, but I don't have an address. He and my grandfather lived next door to each other. I don't have an exact age, but he must have been pretty close to my grandfather. I think he was probably older since there's a comment about my great-grandmother having to give permission for my grandfather to join (required at 16), but nothing about Charles having to do the same.
"He would have been in the 101st Infantry, Company G, 26th division.
"They joined in April 1917. In the fall, they were part of the first American Expeditionary Force division to fight with the French on the front lines. My grandfather was also at Verdun, but I'm pretty sure that was after Charles died. I can go through my records again to check if it matters.
"The Emmet Guard was named for Robert Emmet and was mostly full of Irish soldiers.
"Charles died in July 1918 at Chateau Thierry along with some other friends of my grandfather.
"The quote I have from my grandfather is that he carried Charles back to the trench even though "I knew absolutely he was dead." The quote is from an article in the T&G about my grandfather retiring- I've seen it in another article as well.
"I also have the following and lots of info about the cemetery itself (including a nice brochure and a little video).
"Charles J. Sullivan
Private First Class, U.S. Army
101st Infantry Regiment, 26th Division
Entered the Service from: Massachusetts
Died: July 21, 1918
Buried at: Plot A Row 12 Grave 30
Aisne-Marne American Cemetery
Belleau, France
"I doubt that there's a memorial for him in Worcester since I'm sure my grandfather would have mentioned it. On the other hand… maybe there is one! If so, I'd love to know about it."
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