New Britain herald. [microfilm reel] (New Britain, Conn.) 1890-1976, 1918-12-28
SERGEANT WRITES
Of BILL O'DELL
Tells Grief Stricken Mother Her
Son Died as a Brave Man Should

by Mrs. J. f. O'Dell of Blake court,
Meriden, who is now IL France with
Company I, 1929 regiment. Sergeant
Lamont led into battle on the morn
ing of April 20, the platoon in which
was William F. O'Dell, who was kill
ed in action on that date, in the bat
tie of Seicheprey. Private O'Dell was
only Is years of age.
MY Dear Mrs. O'Dell:
II have a few minutes to spare this
afternoon and know that you would
boy.
Dear Mrs. O'Dell, I feel that you
must be proud but still, as a mother,
you are grief stricken, too, for your
brave son. I feel deeply sympathetic
for you and your family.
IT will write you all I knew before
and up to the time that Bill went to
heaven.
Private O'Dell came to my fourth
platoon August 5, 1917, at Yale field
in New Haven, along with about 20
other soldiers from Company I, First
Connecticut infantry, N G., together
with Company I, Second Connecticut
infantry, N. G. We had So bright
any in the united 1920 y. S. infantry.
We drilled hard, played, too, and all
| were as brothers. I took a liking to
Bill at once. We got along fine and
he picked up the wig-wag and Morse
code signals fast. AS you know, we
| left New Haven on September for
Montreal, Canada, boarded H. M. S.
Canada and sailed down the st. Law
renee river to the port of Halifax. We
came across 1.-The pond" with 3 other
| transports to Liverpool, England, by
| train to Southampton, to a rest camp,
and then across the channel to La
| Havre, France, to Cirtileaux. That
| was to be our training place Bill
was made a first class private by my
| recommendation, around September
| %.
Then, from Oct. 9Th It'll Feb. 4th,
we trained hard, in all kinds of
| weather. / was short Of corporals, at
| one time, and had Bills name in for
| it, but the Lieutenant thought Bill
| was too young. When we left for
| our trench life, in the then quiet sec
| tor of Chennin des Danes, Bill made
| good. Also, the great March 18th
| Hun gas attack. Bill was there again.
| He was for time, Lieutenant Lovett's
| runner, and while in this capacity, as
| you know. he was gassed and sent to
| the hospital. 1t was not long, how
ever, before he was back with us
| again. We were all glad to see him
| and he said that he had been eager
and anxious to be back with his COM
| pany again.
| Then, came our turn at the Lor-
| raine Front, north of Toul. We did
few turns in the cold, muddy
| trenches. We were relieved from the
| second line Of support on April 10Th,
| and hiked to a little town called
| Mandre, for we thought a weeks rest.
| On arriving, we turned in to sleep,
| but only for about two hours, as the
| Huns shelled us with wicked gas, for
| most all the early morning. Early
| that morning, my Lieutenant ordered
| my platoon to eat roll our packs,
| load upon ammunition, and to march
| to Seicheprey Support Line, as the
| Huns were in the village of Seiche-
prey. My boys fell in, and I split the
platoon in three sections. We had
three miles to cover, and I made 1t
| without losing one of my boys Going
up the Communicating trench was
nerve racking. Bill was with us and
| remarkably cool. Next, came the
steady rain of high explosives,
| shrapnel, and gas shells, all day long,
| barrages in box circles and searching.
All we could do was to pray to God
| to spare us. There were no dugouts
in our sector. Lieutenant Milum, my
| friends Sergeant Shumsky and acting
Sergeant Madely and I crawled around
! to the corporals and men, cheering
1 and trying to make it easy for them.
| And every time we came around,
| there was always q smile and cool re-
ply from your boy, Mrs. O'Dell
Seems as If I had just turned to Cor
| poral Fleichaer's place, when I was
| knocked down and almost stunned.
! Got up and went back, and there was
| a sight to behold Sergeant Socovitch
| Corporal Paulson, Private Murdoch of
| the first platoon were gone to Heaven.
Privates Goldsmith and ODeH were
with them, wounded. Bills voice sang
! out, They've got me, Sergeant, but
you boys stick to It,! He also said,
| let me have 81 cigarette which I
! did. He joked as he was laid on the
! stretcher, and said, I only wish I
could be in the counter-attack.' I
never saw a Drawer or cooler lad, and
he was so young! You have great
cause to be proud Of him, Mrs. O'Deu
HE died near Co. K on the
| stretcher
| corporal VIM. Turner was severely
| wounded soon afterward, and Private
| Stahellech, she'll shocked, so had my
| hands full. Then, the counter-a attack
came, and for u while, we were crazy
to do our best to get all we could of
| the Huns. 1t was q success, but the
price was hard to pay. Every boy
who went through that scrap has
something to never forget. And think
of the glory of it! 1t was won by
| boys, most of them, boys of dear Bits
age. We were almost all in, two days
| later, when we were relieved.
| "I visited tho Cemetery Whera all