W. M. Felknor in World War
I
It is not
known as to whether William enlisted or was selected to join the fight against
Germany. It is known he was inducted at LB 1, Fort Worth, Texas on May
20, 1918. His Serial Number was 2,718,646. The typical selection
process was done by drawing names from a goldfish bowl. At the time of
his enlistment, William was living at 108 West 23rd Street in Fort Worth,
Texas. William’s recruit training was done at Camp Meade as part of Company 22
of the 154th Depot Brigade, from May 23, 1918 to June 1, 1918. On June 1,
1918, William was transferred to Company B of the 604th Engineers Corps.
The 604th Engineers were a part of 6A-V Corps and the unit was sent to France
arriving at Le Havre Harbor in France. It was created as a temporary unit
but the unit was on the front lines during the Meuse-Argonne Battle. V Corps
was located in the center of the battle line. (See map). The name
Meuse is from the Meuse River and Argonne from the Argonne Forest which created
a salient between them. The unit may also have been fought previously in the
Battle of Belleau Woods. This battle was the first battle for the newly
arrived A.E.F. soldiers.
The
Meusse-Argonne offensive started on September 26, 1917 and ended on November
11, 1918 with an A.E.F./Allies victory. The German Army surrendered
shortly after the battle and the Armistice, Treaty of Versailles was signed on
November 11, 1918. An excellent movie about the Meuse-Argonne Offensive
is “The Lost Battalion”. This is a story about the 77th Infantry Regiment
and shows representative terrain and conditions encountered in the battle.
Other
locations of Company B of the 604th Engineers were noted in notes and
photographs( provided by Captain Ferrenz) included:
1. Company B soldiers stripping and drilling in a rock
quarry near Mandres, Frances. They were producing rock for road
construction.
2. Company B dugouts and rolling kitchen near Cheppy,
France.
3. Officer Quarters of the 604th Engineers were located
in Florent, France on December 8, 1918.
4. William’s half day signed pass from Florent, France to
St. Menehould, France. The pass was good from 10:00 am to 7:00 pm for
December 15, 1918. Pass signed by L. A. Martin. (or Bartin) as Adjutant
5. A 604th Engineers Regimental Newspaper published in
April 1919 contains the roster of the 604th Engineers and includes a Corporal
William M. Felknor with a hometown listed as Fort Worth, Texas and assigned to
Company B.
6. The 604th Engineers Corps Regiment was trained first
at Camp Leach, D.C. and later at Camp Glen Burnie in Maryland.
7. A letter, General Order 38-A, from G.H.Q. American
Expeditionary Forces dated February 28, 1919 states a Thank You for Service
from General John J. “Black” Pershing, Commander in Chief. Copy given to
Corporal William M. Felknor, 604th Engineers by Wasin(?) J. Young, Commanding
Officer.
After
the Armistice was signed, the 604th Engineers Regiment returned to the United
States at Newport News, Virginia aboard the ship U.S.S. New Hampshire.
The ship arrived back in the U.S. on June 22, 1919 where
the unit disembarked and marched in parade fashion up the main street of
Newport News.
William then
received his discharge from the U. S. Army (A.E.F.) on July 3, 1919. It
is not known where William was stationed between June 22, 1919 and his
discharge on July 3, 1919.
Photo below Felknor and his mess kit:
There were no other battles or any injuries reported on
his A.G.O. Card
William’s known U. S. Army Medals included:
Sharphooters Badge with “ladder chevrons” under it.
A.E.F. Service Campaign Ribbon for service in France
Written by: W. M. Felknor,
Jr.
File name: WMF-War Record12-25-02
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