The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1918-10-17
LIEUT.. THOMAS DIES
IN AERIAL BATTLE
Flushing Filler Lost While
Fighting Five Enemy
Machines.
SERGEANT HIT 3 TIMES
Brothers Hold Outpost; One Is
Wounded and Taken to .
Safety by Other.

August IS. when six aviators from his
command were attacked by twenty
Fokker machines over the German lines
He was 81 years old and a son Of Mr..
and Mrs. r. C. Thomas Of $50 Broad
way, Flushing. L. I. The story OF how
he met his death was contained in let
ter dated September 20. received by
Thomas w. Donohue OF Baltimore from
his son, Lieut.. John Donohue, also In
the Seventeenth Squadron. It was for
warded yesterday by Mr.. Donohue to
Lieut.. Thomas's father. and said:
yesterday there was a big scrap and
Gerald failed TO- return. and. worst OF
all, we think he has been killed. Our
formation after crossing the German
lines was broken up by twenty Fokkers,
who opposed our six machines. FIVE
closed in on Gerald and went at him
with their machine guns. Gerald put UP
n great hght. but the odds were too
much and the last we saw OF him he
was hurting to the earth in his ma
chine"
Lieut. Thomas entered the aviation
service In August, 1917, receiving his
training In Texas. He was a graduate
OF the Flushing High School and OF
Lawrenceville School at .Lawrencevilie,
N j.. where he was captain OF the track
team. He was a member Of the class OF
1918 at Princeton. His brother, Lieut..
r. C. Thomas. Jr.. who is a Princeton
graduate and formerly a well known
runner, Is in the 304th Field Artillery.
His father was formerly member OF
the Queens Board Of Education.
wounded Sergeant Returns.
A letter received by the parents Of
Sergeant John L. Toole Of Company q,
106th Infantry, who live at 212 Four
teenth street. Brooklyn. tells how, after
having spent twenty-three days In a
hospital with a wound on his right hand.
he went back to the front line trenches
to receive three wounds in the left arm
He is now recovering in q base hospital
in England. In writing OF his second
injury Sergeant Toole says:
I'VE went over the top In face OF a
tremendous fire OF all kinds. and I was
in action about forty-five minutes when
received a shrapnei wound on the left
hand, between the index finger and
thumb. AS we are short Of sergeants
over here I carried on for about two
hours when one OF the boys fell. and
while I was trying to get him into a
the same arm. This made me very
: peaceable citizen. Il rested for a while
and then started to crawl back again.
helping some Of the boys who were
wounded when one OF Fritxie's snipers
donated another bullet Of the INT ex-
plosive type. which hit me on the same
arm. breaking my wrist. The medical
treatment and nursing is Just wonderful
over here, and may God bless them all
for their kindness"
Andrew Burns. vice president OF the
2 Simons Manufacturing Company. re-
ceived word at Port Chester. N. Y. yes
terday that his son. Private Roy Liv-
ingston Burns of Company e. 3o6th
Infantry. had been killed in action Sep
TENDER "a. He was a member OF the
law firm OF Peck, Schmidt & Burns al
Port Chester and was the FIRST man
from that place to be killed in action
He was a graduate OF Wesleyan Uni.
versity and the New York Law School
and was clerk OF the village In 1914
He wrote home September 1 that he
and a comrade were the only survivors
OF a patrol of ten which was doing
special duty.
Charles A. Brown, son Of Mr.. and
Mrs. Charles Brown OF a. Harrison
street. Morristown. N. j.. was foul
times wounded by shrapnel on the
night OF August IS. according to a let
ter received by his parents. He Is ou
of danger and Is now recuperating II
n base hospital In England He en-
listed In the Seventh New York ir
June. 1917. when he was president o.
the senior class of the Morristown High
school, His brother. Russell, who en-
listed at the same time. has since beer
awarded the Distinguished Conduc
Medal for gallantry in action on th'
same day that Charles was wounded.
Brothers at Outpost.
In a letter to his parents Russell
told how the two brothers had been II
an advanced outpost all day. When re
turning to the trenches that night {
ternch mortar shell wounded Charles
Russell helped to bring his brother Il
q dressing station on a stretcher. HI
was mentioned In dispatches ant
awarded the d. c. NJ for his work.
William A. Grace of Company II
106th Infantry, wounded August 80
had been a patrolman in the New Yorl
Police Department for two years whei
he enlisted I'm the Twenty-third Infan
try at the outbreak OF trouble will
Mexico. His mother. Mrs. Minnie
Grace, lives at 1851 Culver street
Brooklyn.
After having worn his gas mask TO
four days Thomas r. Ward, Jr., OF IL
Rogers avenue. Brooklyn. wrote hi
parents that he took II of for few
moments and was promptly overcome b!
the vapor on August Il. He was takei
TO a hospital, where he is recovering
He is a member Of the Headquarter
Company of the 30Sth Infantry and or
derby TO Chaplain ]. ]. Halligan.
News has reached Mr.. and Mrs
Patrick j. McGrath OF 104 Summit road
Elizabeth. N. j.. that their son. Jane
c. McGrath. has been decorated witt
the Croix de Guerre with palm leaf 70
bravery In action on September ii
when he was wounded. He wen
through the battles at Chateau Their
and Belleau Wood unscathed, but wa
hit In the fighting which followed. H
enlisted in August. 1917. in Company
of the Twenty-third Infantry. II
has brother, William, in the Marin
Corps.
Dies Protecting Mates.
How Corporal Fred Haupt of Com
pany +, 137th Infantry, gave his If
September while trying to protect hi
comrades Is told In a letter from hi
commanding officer received by hi
mother. Mrs w. r. Bolton Of 81
Adams. L. l. Corporal Haupt and hi
squad were on patrol duty when h
discovered a machine gun nest an
ordered his men to cover lie. waitin
for all OF them to pass behind a sligh
elevation OF ground before seeking pre-
t~ction himself received a machine gu
bullet. from which he died.
Haupt had lived for twelve years
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