THE FRIENDS OF FORT TRUMBULL
2017 SPEAKER SCHEDULE
WORLD WAR I “THE WAR TO END ALL WARS”
The 2017 Speaker Series of the Friends of Fort Trumbull will commemorate the Centenary of the United States’ entry into World War I.
Rather than examine the overarching narrative of the causes of the war, important battles, and short and long term effects, this series will focus upon war as a personal experience. Our study will examine how communities in Connecticut such as New London and Hartford contributed to the war effort. We will also examine the World War I women’s contributions, which were then used to fortify women’s struggle to obtain the right to vote.
One of the presentations will focus on the very personal experiences of Sergeant Paul Maynard of Torrington. In addition, we will examine the music and art of the period to illustrate the variety of attitudes that people held toward the war.
Finally, we will examine an industry crucial to the southeastern Connecticut economy - the role that submarine warfare played in the war. In addition to the experiences of a soldier, our focus will be on the experiences of everyday Americans and the state of mind that prevailed in Connecticut and the nation.
The tragedy and sheer disillusionment of the generation that fought this war should not be forgotten. All of the eyewitnesses have gone, but the war and its aftermath indelibly influenced their lives and the lives of their descendants.
Therefore, we especially remember the words of Canadian physician, Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae as he wrote in his poem “In Flanders Fields”.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
June M. Hoye
LOCAL BACKGROUND
ARTICLES ABOUT LOCAL PARTICIPATION IN THE WAR
I would especially like to recommend the award winning feature series by John Ruddy of The Day-“World War I: The cost of freedom”
ARTICLE 1
http://www.theday.com/article/20140823/NWS09/140829892/0/search
ARTICLE 2
http://www.theday.com/article/20140825/NWS01/308259952/0/search
ARTICLE 3
http://www.theday.com/section/specialreports&Profile=1148
ARTICLE ABOUT JOHN RUDDY’S AWARD:
http://www.theday.com/article/20150522/NWS01/150529785
LOCAL SITES OF INTEREST WORTH EXPLORING
In the New London Town Hall, there is a bronze plaque, dedicated in 1921, honoring the local citizens who participated in World War I. As Mr. Ruddy relates, “That board, containing about 1,600 names, is in the City Hall lobby across from the City Clerk’s office. If you’ve never seen it, it’s worth a trip downtown. The craftsmanship is really impressive, and those who died have a star beside their names.”
New London City Hall181 State Street New London, CT 06320PHONE (860) 447-5200HOURS Monday-Friday8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Another memorial worth visiting is a Tiffany stain glass window in St. James Episcopal Church in New London.
St. James Episcopal Church
76 Federal Street (at Huntington & Federal)
New London, CT. 06320-6601
(860) 443-4989 (office),
This Tiffany window depicts poet Jack Morris Wright and his friend, New London native Richard Mansfield. The naive attitudes of some participants were poignantly illustrated when Wright wrote to Mansfield,
“Are you coming with me? Or will you spend your years of youth and adventure in conventional America that anyone can see at any time?” They both died in 1918- one in France and one from typhoid as he was training to enter the war.
http://net.lib.byu.edu/estu/wwi/memoir/Wright/Jack1.htm
FURTHER SITES OF IMPORTANCE