Sgt. George A. Wilkinson (1918)
BALCH, WILKINSON
Posted By: Mary Welty Hart
Date: 1/4/2008 at 20:17:20
The Winterset Madisonian
Winterset, Iowa
Wednesday, November 13, 1918GEORGE A. WILKINSON
Mr. and Mrs. Henry Wilkinson received a government dispatch this morning, announcing the death of their son, Sgt. George A. Wilkinson of Co. A. 168th Infantry, on Oct 15th, 1918 from a machine gun bullet in the heart.
________________________The Winterset Madisonian
Winterset, Iowa
Wednesday, November 27, 1918GEORGE A. WILKINSON
George Arthur Wilkinson was born in Winterset, Iowa, Sept. 10, 1892 and died in France Oct. 15, 1918. He was killed in action by a machine gun bullet through the heart.
He united with the Church of Christ at the age of 12 years. He enlisted for service on the Mexican border June 1, 1916, but was rejected because of height; later, however, he was accepted in the commissary department and detailed as baker in the regular army and finally at his urgent request, was made a private, in which capacity he served until the end of the border trouble, returning with Co., A, in February, 1917.
When war was declared on Germany, he was one of the first to enlist for overseas service. He was on the ship which returned on account of boiler trouble, finally embarking in November, 1917, via Halifax, preceding the terrible explosion there only two days. He was promoted to sergeant in the spring of 1918 and expected to attend officers' training school in July or August, but was wounded about that time by a machine gun bullet in the left leg, and was taken to the hospital in Paris and later to southern France, where he was kept until complete recovery, Sept. 4th, when he again went into action with Co. A, so the news of his death came as an unusual shock, as the family supposed him to be in training.
He leaves to mourn his loss a father and mother, Henry A. and Minnie Wilkinson of Winterset; one brother, Clyde L. of East Peru and one sister, Mrs. Harry Balch of this city, besides a great number of other relatives and friends.
_______________________
The Winterset News
Winterset, Iowa
Wednesday, September 21, 1921
Page 1, Column 4WINTERSET HONORS GEORGE WILKINSON
George A. Wilkinson, Member of Company A, is Buried with Military Honors
The military funeral of George Wilkinson, son of Mr. and Mrs. H.A. Wilkinson, was held Sunday afternoon at five o'clock at the pavilion. The body arrived Saturday morning from New York, having been sent there from the burial grounds in France.
George was a popular member of Company A and was one of the best sergeants the company ever had. He possessed a likable disposition and has a host of friends in and outside of the community. He was with the company in all of its hard fighting and was killed by a bullet in the Argonne drive of October 16, 1918.
The chautauqua platform was beautifully and fittingly decorated with a huge rainbow as a background surrounded by all kinds of late summer flowers. Rev. L.F. Davis, former pastor of the Church of Christ, of which George was a member, conducted the services. An obituary of the hero's life was read by Major Aikins. The G.A.R., W.R.C., members of Company A, the women of the American legion and the Headquarters company were present to pay their last respects. The pavilion was filled with the many friends of the fallen hero.
The immediate relatives who mourn the loss of a loved one are the parents, Mr. and Mrs. H.A. Wilkinson, a brother, Clyde Wilkinson, and a sister, Mrs. Harry Balch.
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