Earl C. Wilson

Although museums and libraries are the largest contributors to Missouri Over There, descendants of veterans and private collectors also provide valuable material to our staff. Their willingness to share family heirlooms and collectibles greatly enhances our ability to tell the story of Missourians in World War I.

Earl C. Wilson, right

Project staff recently met with a descendant of Earl C. Wilson. An electrician living in Bolivar, Missouri, Wilson was 25 years old when he was inducted into the service at Jefferson Barracks on June 2, 1917. He was assigned to the Headquarters Detachment of the 1st Engineers. This unit was part of the 1st Division, one of the best known American divisions of the war. Corporal Wilson served overseas from August 6, 1917, to February 28, 1919, and was gassed by German troops in the Battle of Soissons on July 20, 1918. Wilson described his experiences in a letter on April 28, 1919. Although unfinished, the completed portion vividly describes the effects of German artillery fire.

 

Earl C. Wilson, right

Wilson’s unit completed 72 days in the trenches on July 18, 1918, and he expected they would be sent to a rear area. Thus, he did not worry about being unable to get a replacement for his damaged gas mask. A break from the action became impossible when the Germans launched an unexpected attack and were able to get one of their divisions around the Allied flank. This put Wilson and his unit behind the quickly advancing German forces. Wilson’s company was acting as part of a reserve force for the 28th Infantry when the Germans broke through. Although they were shelled heavily throughout the day, the fire was inaccurate and caused only a few casualties. On the morning of July 19, Company C and

Wilson’s Headquarters Company advanced against the Germans. The men were exposed to heavy artillery fire as Wilson described, “Can you imagine 2 companies of men getting up and walking in broad daylight under observation right down a big road towards the Front? They couldn’t get to us with machine guns but every piece of artillery they had could and did.” The shelling continued all day and night. Remarkably, the men got used to it and Wilson admitted [they] “hardly considered to duck for a lousy little old 6 inch shell and a “whiz Bang” wouldn’t make us bat an eye.”

On the afternoon of July 20, the Germans started firing gas shells. Wilson wrote the concussion from one shell “drove my nose half way through my rifle stock and just literally blew one of my best pals into strings but he still was conscious so when he got to the dressing station he made our lieutenant promise to have me come see him so I beat it down there.” Wilson also described watching the white gas clouds drifting overhead. Growing tired of constantly putting his mask on, Wilson just held his breath until the cloud passed.

The effects of gas exposure came over Wilson slowly. After eating some corned beef hash, he started vomiting and could not keep up on the march to a new position. Thinking the meat had been spoiled, Wilson did not realize he had been gassed until a doctor confirmed it at a dressing station.

Earl Wilson earned a Purple Heart and Silver Star for his service in France. He was discharged from the army on March 11, 1919, and returned to Bolivar where he ran a car dealership. A member of the American Legion and the Veterans of Foreign Wars, he died in Bolivar on February 25, 1951, and is buried in Greenwood Cemetery.

Springfield (Mo.) Leader & Press, February 26, 1951.