New Britain herald., 1918-06-19
First New Britain Officer to Make Supreme Sacrifice Fell in France on June 1, Family Learns.
SCHOOLED IN FIRST CAMP AT PLATTSBURG

Rendered Provisional Licutenancy at Conclusion of Second Camp and
 Went Abroad, Taking Course in More Intricate Warfarc--BeIieved to Have Been in Battle at Chateau Thierry-Was Aged 2t Years. weut. Henry Leslie Eddy, son of ! Mir. and Mrs Horace ". Eddy of 24O West Main street, was killed in ac- N ton with the United States Marine Corps on June 1, according to a for mal war department telegram re- ceived by his parents last night. De- tails are lacking, but through the ' Red Cross and various branches of
 e war department the bereaved
 |nily is making every attempt to
 lrn further details of how the
 ung hero met his death on the vneld of honor
 Lieut.. Eddy is the first New Britain officer to lay down his life in France and is likewise the first Connecticut boy who was commissioned at Platts- burg who has been killed in action \ He was also one of the first Platts- burg officers to be sent overseas for \ ctual service and by his ability, 3cked up by a conscientious desire
 (perfect himself in military tactics, soon won a place of distinction ? among his fellow officers and some q time after arriving in France he was assigned to the Marine Corps, that < body of picked men who have done such wonderful work during the re- ceitl offensive
 .. Ycar1lcI for Active Service.
 Lieut.. Eddy was born in this city on July 30, 1894, having been scarce ly A years of age when his career was so tragicaIy cut short by a Ger 7 man bullet. He was a member of the First Baptist church and Sunday school and a gold star, the first to
 
 will shortly be dedicated to him in memory of his supreme sacrifice He attended the local schools and while student at the New Britain High school was prominent in athletics. He was football player of con- siderable ability and played quarter back on one championship team Aft er being graduated from High school In 1913 he attended Colby college in Maine. He also studied at Middle bury college at Middlebury. Vt. He left college however, to accept po- sition in the local office of the Cor bin Screw Division of the American Hardware Corporation and was en- gagged there when the first Platts- - hurgh Training camp opened about a year ago. He secured an appoint ment from this city and attended the first camp. Although he originallv desired to join the aviation corps. and did attend the ground school at q Cambridge for time, he soon trans ferred to the infantry as his lack of previous mechanical training would have hampered his progress so that 1t Mould have taken him much longer to qualify for a commission and get Into active service.
 At the conclusion of the First Off, 2ers Training Camp, Lieut.. Eddy re- turned to the second camp last Au- gust as an instructor. He stood very nigh in military affairs and when the second camp was graduated he was ssagiYen a commission as provisional sKond lieutenant of infantry. There We're comparatively few provisional second lieutenancies given out and for this reason the honor accorded the New Britain boy was more notable , provisional second lieutenancy pro- pided that the officer, upon making good in active service, should have aF~ opportunity to become an officer In the regular army. whereas the regular Plattsburg officers are held in reserve and at the conclusion of the war would go back into civilian life as reserve officers.
 Assigned to Gallant Marines.
 After spending a leave of absence A at his home in this city Lieut.. Eddy >nas ordered to report for active duty
 9Aly in the year and during the
 ionth of January was sent overseas. Arriving in France as an infantry of hcer, unattached, he was assigned to special school of automatic under the French military> authorities There he studied the more intricate bystems of warfare, including hand grenade work, bombing. automatic pistol rifle fighting, etc, and was i'll several engagements in the front line eS Nches with the French soldiers. He was graduated from this school with honors and was immediately picked ss& lContinued on Eleventh Pase,}