Bates County Historical Society and Museum World War I Collection
The Bates County World War I Collection contains material related to the service of James P. Arnold and John Jurgen Dykman. Arnold attended Kemper Military School in Boonville, Mo., from 1912 to 1915. During World War I he trained at Fort Niagara in New York and served overseas as a captain in the 18th Infantry, 1st Division. Captain Arnold was wounded in the chest at Beauvais Oise, France, on May 28, 1918. He died of his wounds on June 4, 1918 and received a citation for bravery in action.
John Jurgen Dykman was born to Henry Klaus Dykman and Helena M. Bohlken Dykman on March 16, 1895. Dykman was sent to Fort Riley, Kansas, as part of the Medical Officers Training Camp during World War I. Shortly after his arrival, Dykman contracted the Spanish influenza and died of pneumonia on March 26, 1918.
This collection consists of photographs and documents related to Arnold and Dykman’s military service, as well as other soldiers from Bates County who fought in the war.
