The evening Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1918-1920, 1919-03-06
Concord


| Mr. and Mrs. Enanual Lillicrap
| have received the following letter
from Lieutenant C. C. Stull, Jr., in
regard to the death of their son
George E. Lillicrap, killed in action.
Champlette De Saone,
France, Jan. IL, 1919
Dear Mrs. Lillicrap:-
| have long intended writing you
| and only a few days ago your letter
reached me. You have asked for full
particulars, but | am sorry | am not
able to furnish detailed particulars of
your brave boys death. But / do
know the date and place of his death
and also the place of his burial He
was killed on the morning of Oct.
r, 1913, on hill over which his COM
pany was advancing in an attack. On
a large map of France you will lind
this hill between the River Aire and
the little village of Cornay. Corn
ay is in the west side of the River
Aire, just north of "Apremont." The
latter town is in the extreme south
eastern corner of the Ardennes Dept.
just where it joins the Dept. of the
Marine and The Mouse. He was kill
ed sometime during the morning and
am not positive if it was caused by
shell fire or machine gun fire. More
likely the latter. Now from your let
ter I Judge he was reported "offi-
cially killed in action Oct. 16, 1913"
I'll explain how such a discrepancy
in date is liable to occur in individual
cases. 1t is hard for me who has
never seen a modern battlefield to
realize that it is possible for man
to be dead for many days without his
body being located by the burial par
ties. Some one killed in unlikely
spots and often wounded men crawl
to some spot for protection and die.
there, unknown to their comrades
and then it is days later after the at
tack has advanced many miles be-
fore the battlefield can be. closely
searched. for the dead, and I am pos
tive that Corporal Lillicrap's body
was not found until the 10th or pos
sibly day or so later, and no evil
dence being available as to the ex-
act time of his death, it was neces-
sary for someone to set day on
which he was Officially killed" Such
things are absolutely unavoidable. He
was given a religious burial by one
of the Division Chaplains. His grave
is on the slope of the hill on the west
bank Of the Aire, not so far from the
scene of his death. Co. D, was prac-
tically wiped out on the 7th and 9th
of October and on the 10th the rem
nants of the company had advanced
quite few kilometers north and
when all the dead were buried, exact
details of each and every soldiers
death could not be had. The informa-
ton l am giving you as to his death
was furnished me by two men who
were wounded the same day and have
just returned to the company from
the hospital. Corporal Lillicrap was
one of our best and truest men.
He was in my platoon when we
went over the top on the morning of
the 18th and were in the first wave
of the attacking company and our
company certainly gained enduring
fame that day in the taking of the
deadly chill 100" and that hill is
stained in countless places by the
blood of our valient comrades. About
Is including one officer of the Cor
poral's comrades are buried in the
same place, having made the supreme
sacrifice in the same bloody advance. |
Regarding his personal effects they
Wer on his person presume, and if
if they were the chaplain would have
forwarded them to the effects Section
and they in turn would have them
properly forwarded to his next of
kin, along with his full pay So if |
there was anything of value on his
person you have either already re-
ceived it by this time or it will be
forwarded to you as soon as his
final papers are prepared.
His old Comrades join me in ex-
tending to the Corporals loved ones
our sincere and heartfelt sympathy. |
was with the Company when your
boy first joined "Co. D." and I knew
him well. You have every reason to
be most proud of your boy who gave |
his all to our "Old Glory and our
ideals carried forward to complete an
eternal Victory.
If I can be of further aid to you
please do not hesitate to call on me
Sincerely yours,
F Charles C. St111I TT
I n. 1fncarr r. I