Thomas F. Darcy, Jr. letter to Mr. John C. Shaw - January 2, 1919
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[Salvation Army letterhead] Germany Jan 2 - 18 [sic 1919] Mr. J.C. Shaw. [Bonner Springs, Kansas] Dear Mr. Shaw : Your communication of [November] 29th at hand, and I am indeed sincerely sorry that the letter that was sent to you in regard to your son Walter’s death should have miscarried. The company cmdr. wrote you and I, too, intended in riting, but I was wounded very shortly after Walters most untimely end - & only recently rejoined
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my regiment. Walter met his death in the town of Charpentry — near the Argonne Forrest, during a night Bombardment — & is buried near this same town. Walter alone, was instantly killed by a shell — but many comrades were severely injured by the same shell — and after that night’s work, only six Bandsmen — including myself, remained unharmed (by some miracle.) Your son Walter was a steady reliable boy — and a very studious one as well. He was exceptionally popular among the Band boys — & his
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genial spirit & peculiar sense of humor gained him a host of friends in the Regiment, who keenly felt his loss. You may justly feel proud, Mr. Shaw, in being the father of one of the bravest boys I have ever seen in action. He has been with me a number of times when we were exposed to extreme danger — but he apparently did not mind his position in any way. His “nick name” among us was “Peggy” — as he may have written
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you — and it is as “Peggy” that we refer to him when we speak of him, or of the unfortunate recurences of that nights bombardment. I would have written you — but the nature of my wound (thru muscle of my right upper arm) made this impossible. We, his comrades, can well understand your grief — & I assure you you have our sincere sympathy - yet it must be a source of some satisfaction to know your son met his end fighting a just fight — and met it courageously — I am Yours sincerely [Thomas] F. Darcy Jr. Band Master A.E.F. 18th U.S Infty
Details
| Title | Thomas F. Darcy, Jr. letter to Mr. John C. Shaw - January 2, 1919 |
| Creator | Darcy, Thomas F. |
| Source | Darcy, Thomas F., Jr. Letter to Mr. John C. Shaw. 02 January 1919. Walter Gray Shaw Collection, 1917-1919. 1982.83.74. National World War I Museum, Kansas City, Missouri. |
| Description | In a letter written by Thomas F. Darcy, Jr. ,Shaw's band master, to Mr. John C. Shaw, Shaw's father, Darcy wrote to explain the death of Shaw and express his sympathies. |
| Subject LCSH | United States. Army. Infantry Division, 1st |
| Subject Local | Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery |
| Site Accession Number | 1982.83.74 |
| Contributing Institution | National World War I Museum and Memorial |
| Copy Request | Transmission or reproduction of items on these pages beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the National World War I Museum and Memorial: (816) 888-8100. |
| Rights | The text and images contained in this collection are intended for research and educational use only. Duplication of any of these images for commercial use without express written consent is expressly prohibited. |
| Date Original | January 2, 1919 |
| Language | English |