Lemka, Henry 1895 - 1918
LEMKE, LEMKA, LEMBKE, KLINK
Posted By: Reid R. Johnson (email)
Date: 11/20/2018 at 17:39:30
Posted by S. Ferrall:
Henry Lembke was born on Aug. 17, 1895, in Cox Creek township and died Nov. 19, 1918, in France, at the age of 23 years. He was the son of Louis and Bertha Klink Lembke of Cox Creek, living on the home farm until February 23, when he left to serve his country. He landed in France and was there a month, when he died of wounds received in action, just the day before the armistice was signed. He is survived by his father and mother one one sister Louise and one brother Louis, both at home.
~Elkader Register, Thursday, December 5, 1918
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Posted by Reid R. Johnson:
Elkader Register, Thur., 4 Aug. 1921. Condensed from an obituary nearly three newspaper columns in length.
The remains of Henry Lemka, son of Mr. and Mrs. Louis Lemka, who was killed in action in Flanders Fields, Nov. 10, 1918, are expected here some time tomorrow. Word has been received of the arrival of the body in New York and that shipment from there had been made yesterday morning.
Henry Lemka was the second of the local boys to make the supreme sacrifice "Over There" and the local post of the American Legion has honored him by incorporating his name as part of the name of the local post.
He will be buried with military honors next Sunday afternoon. Services will be held on the Court House lawn at 2:00 o'clock p.m. and interment will be made in the East Side Cemtery.
Rev. C. W. Hempstead will officiate and the Lemka-Stendel Post will have charge of the ceremonies.
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Elkader Register, Thur., 11 August 1921.
Last Sunday afternoon the remains of Henry Lemke, who fell in France in 1918, were laid in their final resting place in the East Side Cemetery with impressive ceremonies.
At the request of his parents they had been brought back to America reaching Elkader last Friday, August 5, in charge of a soldier of the regular army, detailed to accompany them here. On their arrival here they were met by a detail of the American Legion and taken to the home of his parents south of Elkader. (First several words of this sentence missing.) here for the funeral services which were held in the Court House park. Members of the Lemke-Stendel Post and veterans of the World War in uniform to the number of over one hundred assembled at the Opera House Sunday afternoon and headed by the Elkader band marched to the edge of town to meet the remains and friends. The procession then proceeded to the Court House where people from all over the county had assembled to do honor to our fallen hero, it being variously estimated that from fifteen hundred to two thousand people were in attendance. Rev. C. W. Hempstead preached the funeral sermon from the text: "Every man stood in his place," Judges 7:21, after which the procession marched to the East Side Cemetery and all that was mortal of Henry Lemke was consigned to the grave, with the full honors of the American soldier. The pall bearers were Joseph Beck, Ben Leonard, Alvin Miller, Harry Stephens, Ferdinand Kahrs, and Herman Kruse, all overseas veterans.
Henry Lemke, was born August 17, 1895, on a farm near Elkader, Iowa. He was the oldest son of Mr. and Mrs. W. Louis Lemke, and his life was spent here and he found enjoyment in the simple tasks of agriculture, looking forward to the time when he might superintend all the tasks on the farm. In 1917 he enrolled in the selective draft and in 1918 his number was called and he reported to Camp Dodge. He was here but a short time when he was transferred to Camp Logan; thence to Camp Upton and was soon upon a transport sailing for the field of honor. He reached France on May 30, 1918, and was in training only one month and then transferred to the active service, seeing some of the fiercest engagements of the war. He fell Nov. 10, 1918, one day before the Armistice.
It was in the center of the Bois-deHarville that Henry was hit by flying shrapnel from a bursting shell. It was at a time of very heavy shelling by the enemy. Unafraid and undaunted he stuck to his post and it will always be remembered by his comrades the courage he displayed under the heavy shell and machine gun fire. Under the cover of darkness the boys carried him back two miles to an aid station and the next day he was buried by Lieut. Egerton, the Chaplain. He was disinterred and buried in St. Mihiel American Cemetery, Thieucourt, (M-et-M.) A well kept cemetery of France.
His military record shows the following engagements:
1. Defense of Baizeny Sector, on the Vaden Line, under the third Corps of the British Expeditionary forces, July 17 to August 7.
2. Defense of Albert Sector, July 24 to August 25.
3. Defense of Troyon Sur-Meuse Sector, October 23, November 10, 1918.
In the Major of operations the following are noted: The Offensive of Cressaire Wood and Chipilly Ridge, August 8 to 19 with defensive engagement on Aug. 9 and 10. The Argonne-Meuse Offensive September 26. The Boise-deForges Defensive, Sept 27 to October 9; the Boise-du-Chaume Offensive, Oct. 8 and 9; the Boise-du, Plat-Chene Defensive, October 10; the Troyon Sur-Meuse Sector, October 23 to November 10 in which engagement he lost his life.
He leaves to mourn his untimely death his father and mother, a brother and sister and a host of friends.
Relatives and friends in attendance from a distance were: Mr. and Mrs. Robert Posar, Sr., Mr. and Mrs. Floyd Simpson, Mr. and Mrs. Henry Lemka, Mr. and Mrs. Jake Posar, Mr. and Mrs. Louis Ponsar, Mr. and Mrs. Robert Ponsar, Mr. and Mrs. Robert Ponsar, Jr., Albert Ponsar, Mr. and Mrs. Ed Ponsar, Mr. and Mrs. Will Ponsar, Mrs. Will Blodgett, of Maynard, Iowa, Mr. and Mrs. Clint Shafer, of Randalia, Iowa, Mr. and Mrs. Walter Whalen, Mrs. Augusta Stahl, Mr. Wm. Shea, of Oelwein, Iowa, Mrs. Otto Klink, Mr. and Mrs. Ed. Klink of Fayette, Iowa, and Mr. and Mrs. W. S. Pedley of Madison, Wisconsin.
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Notes:
Additional information & a photo of Pvt. Lemka can be found in Military records section (WWI Honor Roll) on the Clayton co. IAGenWeb site.
Clayton co. IAGenWeb
Clayton Obituaries maintained by Sharyl Ferrall.
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