MERIDEN, Conn. — Pvt. William Henry Washington wasn't considered fit
to serve under the American flag during World War I because of the
color of his skin, but France was only too happy to have him.
Phyllis Timm of Meriden was aware that Washington, her uncle and a
Meriden native himself, was killed on the battlefield 90 years ago in
France, on the day that an armistice should have put an end to the
violence. His name is engraved on the city's World War I memorial, a
testament to his bravery.
But Timm, 81, wasn't aware that her uncle served under the French
flag because the Americans didn't want him.
"I had no idea there was all this adversity," she said.
When the United States joined the three-year-old war in 1917, young
men from across the country volunteered, including 2 million African-
Americans eager to show their patriotism.
"Let us, while this war lasts, forget our special grievances and
close our ranks shoulder to shoulder with our white fellow citizens
and the allied nations that are fighting for democracy," W.E.B. Du
Bois wrote at the time, as editor of the NAACP's newspaper. "We make
no ordinary sacrifice, but we make it gladly and willingly, with our
eyes lifted to the hills."
But whites in the segregated U.S. Army weren't ready to fight
alongside blacks, so the military, instead of putting blacks in
fighting units, stationed them behind the front lines to unload cargo
ships and build roads.
The Army flooded into France with 10,000 men a day, putting pressure
on the exhausted German lines. But the French Army, worn down by
numerous disastrous charges against German trenches, was desperate
for more men. It saw an opportunity in the black Americans unloading
cargo at the coast.
The black soldiers were formed into the 92nd and 93rd Divisions by
the U.S. Army, which turned four regiments over to the French for
combat.
Washington served in the 372nd Infantry Regiment of the 92nd
Division, assigned to the French Army. The soldiers were armed with
French equipment and put under the command of Gen. Mariano Goybet,
whose men were trying to stop a German advance. The black soldiers
suffered 1,600 casualties, but held their positions and eventually
counterattacked to overrun the German line.
The French government honored them with the Croix de Guerre, a
citation given to units that distinguish themselves in combat. Goybet
is said to have been extremely proud of the black units.
"I want to tell you as a leader and as a soldier from the bottom of
my heart how grateful I am," he wrote in one of his last orders
before the end of the war. "Our friendship has been cemented in the
blood of the brave and such a link will never be destroyed. Remember
your general."
A battered portrait of Washington in his high-collared American
uniform hangs on a wall in Timm's Shore Drive home. The portrait,
along with two documents commemorating Washington's death — one from
President Woodrow Wilson and one from the French government — came
into Timm's possession after the death of Washington's last brother
several years ago.
The story was lost to the family until Timm's son, Jesse Timm,
happened to see a television show about the black soldiers, and saw
his great uncle's regiment listed. He did some research and found
that it was indeed the same unit, and said he was extremely proud of
his uncle.
"There were so many adversities he had to endure when he was trying
to serve his country," Phyllis Timm said. "He gave his life for it."
Source: WorcesterTelegram.com
__._,_.___
to serve under the American flag during World War I because of the
color of his skin, but France was only too happy to have him.
Phyllis Timm of Meriden was aware that Washington, her uncle and a
Meriden native himself, was killed on the battlefield 90 years ago in
France, on the day that an armistice should have put an end to the
violence. His name is engraved on the city's World War I memorial, a
testament to his bravery.
But Timm, 81, wasn't aware that her uncle served under the French
flag because the Americans didn't want him.
"I had no idea there was all this adversity," she said.
When the United States joined the three-year-old war in 1917, young
men from across the country volunteered, including 2 million African-
Americans eager to show their patriotism.
"Let us, while this war lasts, forget our special grievances and
close our ranks shoulder to shoulder with our white fellow citizens
and the allied nations that are fighting for democracy," W.E.B. Du
Bois wrote at the time, as editor of the NAACP's newspaper. "We make
no ordinary sacrifice, but we make it gladly and willingly, with our
eyes lifted to the hills."
But whites in the segregated U.S. Army weren't ready to fight
alongside blacks, so the military, instead of putting blacks in
fighting units, stationed them behind the front lines to unload cargo
ships and build roads.
The Army flooded into France with 10,000 men a day, putting pressure
on the exhausted German lines. But the French Army, worn down by
numerous disastrous charges against German trenches, was desperate
for more men. It saw an opportunity in the black Americans unloading
cargo at the coast.
The black soldiers were formed into the 92nd and 93rd Divisions by
the U.S. Army, which turned four regiments over to the French for
combat.
Washington served in the 372nd Infantry Regiment of the 92nd
Division, assigned to the French Army. The soldiers were armed with
French equipment and put under the command of Gen. Mariano Goybet,
whose men were trying to stop a German advance. The black soldiers
suffered 1,600 casualties, but held their positions and eventually
counterattacked to overrun the German line.
The French government honored them with the Croix de Guerre, a
citation given to units that distinguish themselves in combat. Goybet
is said to have been extremely proud of the black units.
"I want to tell you as a leader and as a soldier from the bottom of
my heart how grateful I am," he wrote in one of his last orders
before the end of the war. "Our friendship has been cemented in the
blood of the brave and such a link will never be destroyed. Remember
your general."
A battered portrait of Washington in his high-collared American
uniform hangs on a wall in Timm's Shore Drive home. The portrait,
along with two documents commemorating Washington's death — one from
President Woodrow Wilson and one from the French government — came
into Timm's possession after the death of Washington's last brother
several years ago.
The story was lost to the family until Timm's son, Jesse Timm,
happened to see a television show about the black soldiers, and saw
his great uncle's regiment listed. He did some research and found
that it was indeed the same unit, and said he was extremely proud of
his uncle.
"There were so many adversities he had to endure when he was trying
to serve his country," Phyllis Timm said. "He gave his life for it."
Source: WorcesterTelegram.com
__._,_.___