Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1919-04-09
ANNAPOLIS SOLDIERS
WERE IN OHIO DIVISION
Thomas 4. Lockett And Compan-
ions Served With Buckeyes
And Are Home Again
IN FRANCE AND BELGIUM


The story of nuIflfer of Annapolis
and Anne Arundel county young men
who were drafted just year ago, and
assigned to the division tased upon
the National Guard Or Ohio. and who
had started on their journey to the
z battiefields of France just sir weeks
after they left their homes, is told IN
an interesting manner hy Thomas T
i lI4ockett. youthful appearing. but
stocky. soldier, who has Just returned.
following the disqualification Of his or
ganization. the IS5th Machine gun bat
TALON.
LOckett was q nlemLer Of Company.
B of that battalion. and fellow mem
bers were Vernon Wayson who was
i killed on September IS. IN the AR
gonne; Richard Wells, formerly Of Ail-.
napoiis. Tut later resident Of Balti-#
more. who was killed u machine
gun bullet on November Q Corporal
4 William Stinchcomb, of Brooklyn,
Lester Jackson Of South River; Fred.
\ Flood and Melvin Saffield, of this
city; Marion Perry. of Niliwell and
4 Paul Shepherd, of brooklyn Ray
nond Davis, Of Annapolis. was a mem
Ter of Company A, and Valentine u
/ Brandon, formerly OF Washington and
later Of this city. belonged to the
Headquarters company Of the lat
ftalion, and was highly regarded ly the
major who commanded
This small colony Of Anne Arundel
A
Iers, soon wnn place for themselves
among the Ohio boys and they learn
led To lie good comrades At first. ac-
eording 10 Lockeft the guardsnlen
were inclined to sneer at them leeallse
they were drafted, but he said that
& this disappeared when they reached
the firing line, and the Maryland boys
soon made themselves respected
Not a man from Maryland failed TO
do his whole duty. Lockett said
Landing at Brest, two days we're
sh,erk at Napoleons barracks. and
then the journey was made to Verin-
court, where strenuous drilling took
place. and on July %. duty lii the
trenches comparatively quiet area.
Baccarat sector of the Lorraine front
was begun, During this period, the
battalion was frequently called upon
y to direct barrages as protection TO
the infantrymena who were raiding
German trenches. and to take part in.
defensive operations.
About the middle of September. the
division took part In seven-day drive
III The Argonne. the 135 battalion with
them, and on September 26. they were
ordered on reserve at ST MihieI The
lighting of the division in the Argonne
was all that could be desired and won
the approval or officers Of high com
mand
Late Iii October the division WAS or
dered to Tpres, the cockpen of the
whole va {. II Is understood that this
division, the 3Tth, known ais the Buck
eye division. was the first unit Of
American troops to enter Belgium On
October 80, the battalion went over the
top, and on Novemhert2. It repeiled D
severe German attack the platoon to
which Lockett belonged capturing five
Germans For his work al this time,
Lockett was cited. He was d member
of one Of the two squads that took
their guns to an elevated position and
resisted all attacks until the AEIuns
were finally repulsed
Lockett said that Melvin Saffield and
Valentine Brandon are 10th holding
down clerkslips III France at excel
lent pay. and for that reason did not
return to the United States with the
division Both have made good, he.
said Locketl Is making his home with
his sister. Mrs Oliver Howard. al
Eastport. and expects to return to his
employment with Charles A. Howard
on Monday. His knee was slightly hurt
BY rubbing Il on the ground 81 d shell
hole infected With mustard gas. but
Otherwise he was unhnrt. though there
had been reports that he had been
severely wounded
4