The Kansas City War Dead Memorial

Corporal Charles Manfre
2005.4.1

On the east side of the large exterior deck of the National World War I Museum at Liberty Memorial sits one of two original structures, Memory Hall.  Memory Hall is home to a portion of the Panthéon de la Guerre, computer kiosks that provide the history of Liberty Memorial, and temporary exhibits (currently “Harmonies on the Homefront”).  While each entity engages patrons in a variety of disciplines, none captures the sentimental and commemorative nature as well as the “Kansas City War Dead” tablets.

Major Mark Hanna
1999.10.6

Located on the walls of Memory Hall, a series of large bronze tablets feature the names of the “Kansas City War Dead.”  Arranged alphabetically by rank and service, these tablets illustrate the physical loss confronted by the citizens of the greater Kansas City metropolitan area because of World War I.  Nettie Thompson Grove stated in “World War Soldier Dead Memorial,” a volume of the Annals of Kansas City, Missouri published by the Missouri Valley Historical Society, “When it was realized that the names on that first list numbered 507, the loss of Greater Kansas City, it seemed that the long list of names must have been born of a nightmare, from which we would shortly awake.  All knew of a few mothers crushed by the loss of her son--but 507 families in our midst bruised to the heart by the war?  The crashing realization found us physically remote in the mid-west, our peaceful prosperity in contrast to the ravages of that war.”

Captain William T. Fitzsimons
1940.2.26

Because of mistakes made in early records, the final list of names on the tablets dropped from 507 to 441.  While the list mentions 66 fewer individuals, based on census reports, Grove initially concludes that approximately one out of every 725 Kansas City residents lost his life in the battles of World War I.  Grove also notes the dates of greatest loss for Kansas City as September 28-29, 1918.  On these dates, nearly 70 Kansas City soldiers lost their lives in the Meuse-Argonne Offensive.

Of the 441 names listed on the tablets, the research center at the National World War I Museum holds collections of at least six fallen soldiers, two of which are under consideration for digitization by the Missouri Over There project.

Major William J. Bland
1980.92.20

Captain William T. Fitzsimons- Army Medical Corps, Base Hospital No. 5; KIA September 4, 1917
Major William J. Bland- Company A, 356^th Infantry, 89^th Division; KIA September 12, 1918

Corporal Lloyd L. Adams- Company E, 356^th Infantry, 89^th Division; KIA October 6, 1918

Corporal Clyde C. Chilson- Battery B, 129^th Field Artillery, 35^th Division; Died of pneumonia October 16, 1918

Corporal Charles Manfre- Company G, 354^th Infantry, 89^th Division; KIA October 26, 1918

Major Mark Hanna- 356^th Infantry, 89^th Division, KIA November 11, 1918

Corporal Clyde C. Chilson
1977.13.17

For a complete list of names featured on the bronze wall, visit the National World War I Museum and Memorial website at

http://theworldwar.org/visit/plan-your-visit/about-museum-and-memorial/kansas-city-war-dead

Bibliography

Adams, Lloyd L. Collection.  2013.119.  National World War I Museum, Kansas City, MO.

Bland, William J. Collection.  1980.92.  National World War I Museum, Kansas City, MO.

Chilson, Clyde C. Collection.  1977.13.  National World War I Museum, Kansas City, MO.

Fitzsimons, William T. Collection.  1940.2.  National World War I Museum, Kansas City, MO.

Grove, Nettie T.  “World War Soldier Dead Memorial.”  Annals of Kansas City, Missouri 2, no. 1 (1925-1926).

Hanna, Mark Collection.  1999.10.  National World War I Museum, Kansas City, MO.

Manfre, Charles Collection.  2005.4.  National World War I Museum, Kansas City, MO.