Willard Densmore Wire (1888-1917)

WIRE, TILLOTSON

Posted By: Dorian Myhre (email)
Date: 2/25/2022 at 23:21:37

From Nevada Representative September 10, 1917 (page 1)

FIRST STORY COUNTY BOY KILLED ON EUROPE'S BATTLE FIELDS

WILLARD WIRE OF CAMBRIDGE, A HERO OF VINY RIDGE, WOUNDED AND DIES AFTER NOTABLE SERVICES WITH THE CANADIAN CONTINGENT

Willard D. Wire, son of Mr. and Mrs. Gid J. Wire, is dead on the battle fields of war torn Europe, the first Story County boy to give his life for the cause of Democracy in this great world war which is raging so bitterly.

Thus the great world struggle is brought home to each and every one of us, for now the war is at our very doors and we can each feel a distinct loss that one of our own has given up his life in the great struggle. Willard was one of the first of the sturdy American volunteers, who in their anxiety to fight for the cause of democracy and enlisted under the British flag who has fallen and today his wife an baby, his father and his mother in the little city of Cambridge mourn his loss and at the same time have a feeling of pride in that their boy, their husband and father, should have been the first of the Story County contingent at the front in the great world war to sacrifice his life for the cause of freedom.

Ever since early in April, 1916, Willard has been with the Canadian troops and after a season of training in England was sent to France and with the rest of the boys from the Dominion has done notable service in all that they have been called on to do. In fact at the battle of Vimy Ridge he was one of thirteen American young men in the Canadian Division who took part in that historic engagement. Eight of them lost their lives during the battle and young Wire and four others coming out of it unscathed. Since then his family have had several letters from the young man, in all of them he spoke of the great interest he was taking in the army life and the exciting times that he had enjoyed, as he head chanced to see a lot of action, both in and out of the trenches in France.

In a recent letter he spoke of an injury to his hand but did not seem to think of it as a serious matter at all. In fact he rather joked about it and this was about the last letter that his family has received, until, the fateful telegram was received on Friday afternoon from the authorities in charge of the British Army in Canada. That was but a brief message stating that the young man had lost his life on the 18th of August in France.

Of course, his father, Gid J. Wire, at once took steps to find out more of the particulars of the death of his son, but as yet had been able to gain little information, it being supposed that the Canadian authorities had nothing but the casualty lists on which to base their first message to his family.

The message which was received was as follows:
"It is with regret that we have to inform you that 871797, Willard Densmore Wire was killed in action on the 18th of August, 1917."
(Signed) Board of Control of Canada

All to brief in its wording and almost cruel in its meaning, the family of young Wire at once sent a wire to the Canadian government asking for more details and as to the chance of having the remains sent to America for interment but up to press hour today had received no word of any kind from them.

Mr. Wire would have been twenty eight years old, had he lived till the 25th of August and was married seven years ago this month to Jessie Tillotson at Omaha, Neb. One child has blessed that union a daughter Winnie who is living with her mother on a farm one mile east of Cambridge.

About eight years ago Mr. Wire took over a farm at Kerroberts Canada and has since made his home at that place, enlisting on April 1, 196. He served in Canada till the first of the year, when he went to England and from there to France. He was a member of the 183 battalion, Company D. of the Canadian forces. Since getting to England his frequent letters home have been full of information regarding the work at hand, the life of the soldiers an the experiences of the trenches. In his last letter which was dated "Somewhere in France," on August 3d, he spoke of having had his turn out of the trenches for some time and just returning to them for another period. In mentioning his injured hand, he said that it has been struck by a bit of flying schrapnel but was not a serious enough injury to keep him out of the firing line for even a day.

That was the last written word the stricken family has had from their boy, husband and father and no doubt the last they will ever receive unless there is a message on the way written after the date, which is unlikely as the soldiers in the trenches where he spoke of retuning to, do not have a great opportunity to write letters.

Thus it is that Story County loses her first boy in the real fighting of Europe and we feel sure that every man, woman and child in the county will join with the Representative in extending to the bereaved family out hearty sympathy and condolences and also take an additional pride in the fact that as in everything else Story County is right at the forefront when there are things to be done for the good of the country and for world wide democracy.