It is South Boston Today’s honor to publish the remaining half of the photos and the names of South Boston’s World War I heroes. In last week’s issue, we ran the first half of the photos that are on display in the memorial case located in the corridor of South Boston High School. In total, there are 101 images of the 104 men known to have given their lives in battle or as a result of participating during what was called at the time ‘The war to end all Wars’.
As was mentioned in the two previous issues of South Boston Today, there is an active committee working on plans for special dedications and memorials to honor these fallen service members as the 100th anniversary of America’s entry into that was will come next month in April.
The plans for the big event that will take place on April 29th in the auditorium at South Boston High School are rapidly coming together – the public is invited and encouraged to attend. Committee members are very interested in reaching out to the family members of these men and to invite them to attend and to participate and to also share any memories or information about them for the upcoming memorials.
Anyone who may have information about any of the service members in the photos are encouraged to contact Mary Ryan; one of the organizers by email at SouthBostonWWl@gmail.com Also, if anyone knows of others whose names and photos are not part of the memorial and should be mentioned to contact the committee as well.
This week’s group of photos pictured here includes Michael Perkins, a Medal of Honor recipient, Major Christopher Lee, for whom one of South Boston’s Playgrounds is named in his honor and Roland Winterton, the only member of the South Boston Yacht Club known to have lost his life in that war who had died in a plane crash during the conflict. The committee informs us that among the men being honored and who considered South Boston to be their home are those who had emigrated from Belgium, Ireland, Italy, Denmark, Lithuania, Russia and Canada.
