Monthly Archives: April 2018

To view this or an earlier profile at any time, click on the veteran’s name on the WWI Brunswick County Veteran list, which is also accessible by the blue button on the top right of the webpage.

Submitted by Harry David Williams’ grandson.
Henry David Williams (sitting), Albert Warren Williams (standing)
Albert Warren Williams
Shallotte, Brunswick County, NC
US Army
Private, First Class
Served:
September 18, 1917 – April 7, 1919
Overseas:
May 12, 1918 – April 2, 1919
Severely Wounded: October 10, 1918

Henry David Williams
Shallotte, Brunswick County, NC
US Army
Corporal
Served:
October 7, 1917 – April 7, 1919
Overseas:
May 12, 1918 – April 2, 1919

Albert and Henry Williams were brothers born and raised in Shallotte, NC. A partial family tree is located in FamilySearch. Albert was 22 in 1917 when the country entered WWI. Henry was 25.

Albert’s WWI Draft Registration form shows he was single and a farmer. Henry was a widower, having lost his wife and infant a year earlier. He was also a farmer.

After receiving orders to report to the military board (Albert received orders for September 18, 1917; Henry for October 5, 1917), Albert and Henry were assigned to Company M, 119th Infantry, 30th “Old Hickory” Division. Refer to the previous posts outlining the history of the division and their famous Hindenburg Line assault.

Henry was not injured during his service. He was promoted to Private First Class on June 1, 1918; then to Corporal on October 15, 1918.

Pvt Albert Williams was wounded in the push after the September 29th Hindenburg assault, as the Allies continued their advance, capturing French cities and liberating the citizens.

Using the map and description of the advance during October 8-10, detailed in the previous post, it is possible to pinpoint the approximate location where Albert was severely wounded on October 10, 1918.

Page 59 shows that during the period of time when Albert was wounded, the following casualties were reported by the 119th Infantry.

56 KIA
6 Died of Wounds
66 Severely Wounded
110 Slightly Wounded
31 Gassed
1 Taken Prisoner
7 Undetermined Wounds

No sources were found that describe his injury. Pvt Albert Williams returned to duty November 11, 1918. The war ended that day.

Albert was promoted to Private First Class on January 1, 1918.

When Albert and Henry returned aboard the USS Huron on March 21, 1919, [source: ancestry.com] the passenger list described all as “Class A” which means fully fit.

Both Pfc Albert Williams and Cpl Henry Williams were honorably discharged from the US Army on April 7, 1919.

The 1920 census for Henry showed a familiar name. Henry was in New Hanover County, boarding with Harry Chadwick and his wife. (Harry Chadwick was the twin brother of Harvey Chadwick, who was Killed in Action in 1918.) Henry and Harry were working together as ship carpenters. (Henry’s first wife was the sister of Harry’s wife.) A 1920 census for Albert was not found, but he was married around the time of the census.

Albert married in March 1920. Henry was married in November. Both raised families in the area.

Henry passed away on December 8, 1972, at age 80. He was laid to rest in Gurganus Cemetery. No military honors are shown in findagrave. No obituary is available.

Albert passed away on August 2, 1985, at age 90. His obituary was published in the August 8, 1985 issue of Brunswick Beacon.

Albert W. Williams

Albert Warren Williams, 90, of Hubert and formerly of Shallotte Point, died Friday in the Veterans Hospital in Fayetteville.

The funeral was held Monday at Village Point United Methodist Church, with burial in the Gurganus Cemetery, Shallotte Point.

Williams was a veteran of World War I, serving in the U.S. Army. He was a member of the American Legion and lifetime member of Village Point United Methodist Church. Williams was also a past chairman of the church board.

He was the husband of the late Stella Lee Williams and the son of the late John L. and Susan Gurganus Williams.

Survivors include a daughter, Mrs. Vivian Milligan, of Hubert; five grandchildren; nine great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild.

Albert Warren Williams was also laid to rest in Gurganus Cemetery in Shallotte. Military honors are shown.

Most of the information gathered was from History 119th Infantry, 60th Brigade, 30th Division. U. S. A. Operations in Belgium and France, 1917-1919

If you would like to help us honor Albert Warren Williams, Henry David Williams, or another Brunswick County WWI veteran, please use the following links:

Click here for the announcement: Announcement: Honor a Brunswick County World War I Veteran
Click here for directions to donate and honor a veteran: How to Honor a Brunswick County World War I Veteran

Click the category: Veteran Profile here or at the bottom of any veteran profile post to see all of the veteran profiles published. Follow or subscribe to the blog to stay updated on all new profiles.

To view this or an earlier profile at any time, click on the veteran’s name on the WWI Brunswick County Veteran list, which is also accessible by the blue button on the top right of the webpage.

Photo courtesy of findagrave
Van Grissett Mintz
Goldsboro, NC
NC National Guard
1st Sergeant
Served:
June 23, 1916 – August 13, 1919
Overseas:
June 5, 1918 – April 2, 1919
Wounded: October 10, 1918

Van G. Mintz was born and raised in Shallotte, Brunswick County, NC. Van had one brother who also served in WWI, Pvt James Roland Mintz.

On June 23, 1916, Van enlisted in the NC National Guard, served in Mexico, then was eventually assigned to Company E, 119th Infantry, 30th “Old Hickory” Division.

Previous posts described training with the 30th Division at Camp Sevier, SC, the transportation to France, and events up to and including the Hindenburg Line assault.

The advance continued, as shown on this map.

(To zoom in further, use the map from the Source.)

The 119th Infantry began advancing at 3:30am October 8. They formed at Premont [see map]. They began capturing material and liberating French citizens who had been under German control for four years.

Upon the entrance of the Americans into the village and before the Germans had been driven entirely out, the civilians were in the streets offering the soldiers hot coffee. They could not be too kind to their liberators. It seemed to surprise them greatly that the troops occupying their town then were friendly Americans. They thought that the British had freed them and it was sometime before they could believe the truth.

They arrived close to Busigny, then waited until the following morning to resume their advance. Regimental HQ had moved to Premont and a runner was used for communications. Wires had been nearly impossible to maintain throughout the barrage, so pigeons and dogs were also often used for communications.

The advance continued without meeting very strong resistance until the town of St. Souplet on the west bank of the LaSalle River was reached; about 3:00 o’clock that afternoon.

Here the enemy apparently had time to make some preparation and to bring up a few reserves, as the Heights immediately east of the River were well protected. Heavy Machine Gun and Artillery fire was received from the entire ridge covering the Regimental front. It was practically impossible to advance up this open incline without the sacrifice of a great number of lives. Repeated efforts were made to cross the River, and at a few points were successful but due to the nature of the terrain and the terrific Machine Gun fire, it was deemed necessary to dig in and hold the line along the west bank of the River, as a counter-attack was anticipated, but never materialized. The left flank of the Regiment at this time was connected with the 25th British Division but the right flank was exposed as the 120th Infantry had not kept up, causing the line to bend back in front of several fortified Machine Gun posts.

Confronting these conditions, the line was ordered to halt and make good a general line along the west bank of the LaSalle River and gain contact with the 120th Infantry, which was done later that night. During the day’s operation the Regiment advanced to a distance of 4,000 yards and captured the towns of Escaufort, St. Souplet and St. Benin, liberating 706 French civilians. A large number of Machine Guns and several field pieces were captured with a large supply of ammunition.

That afternoon about 2:30 o’clock Regimental Headquarters moved from Premont to Busigny.

The night of the 9th-10th of October was spent in consolidating the captured position and to gain contact with the unit on the right which had been held up by Machine Gun fire. It was the plan that as soon as this connection had been made an Artillery Barrage was to be laid down on the whole front thus enabling the entire line to advance. The German position could not be taken without this preliminary preparation by the Artillery so strongly was it defended.

The Regiment then rested for five days. Cpl Mintz was slightly wounded during these operations. He returned to duty on November 1, 1918. The Regiment had completed another intense advance while he was recovering. They were now replenishing and filling their ranks with replacements for those killed or wounded. Van Mintz was now Sgt Mintz for “gallantry under fire” [see below]. The Regiment would not fight again, as the Armistice was signed before they were ordered back to the battlefields.

After returning to America, 1st Sgt Van Mintz required more hospitalization and was finally honorably discharged on August 13, 1919. He was reported as 35% disabled.

News and Observer [Raleigh, NC] 21 Aug. 1919, p.3, published this news from Goldsboro.

Sergeant Van G. Mintz, of Co. E, 119th Infantry, who served under Capt. E.H. Bain, of this city, in Mexico and later in France, and was promoted to sergeant for gallantry under fire, and who has been a patient at the government hospital in Asheville since the return of his division, has arrived in Goldsboro and is being cordially greeted by his many young friends here.

Camp Sevier, SC, became a tuberculosis treatment hospital for discharged soldiers after the war. Van Mintz was a patient there in 1920.

He was married in 1922 in Greenville, SC. According to the published notice, he had accepted a government job in Waynesville, NC, outside of Asheville. [Source: The Greenville News (Greenville, SC), 22 Nov. 1922, p.8.]

Van Grissett Mintz passed away on May 13, 1929, at age 36. His death record lists his occupation as salesman. He left behind a wife and young daughter (Elizabeth Mintz Hair).

Van G. Mintz was laid to rest in Mintz Cemetery. A military headstone is shown.

The information quoted above was from History 119th Infantry, 60th Brigade, 30th Division. U. S. A. Operations in Belgium and France, 1917-1919

If you would like to help us honor Van Grissett Mintz or another Brunswick County WWI veteran, please use the following links:

Click here for the announcement: Announcement: Honor a Brunswick County World War I Veteran
Click here for directions to donate and honor a veteran: How to Honor a Brunswick County World War I Veteran

Click the category: Veteran Profile here or at the bottom of any veteran profile post to see all of the veteran profiles published. Follow or subscribe to the blog to stay updated on all new profiles.

To view this or an earlier profile at any time, click on the veteran’s name on the WWI Brunswick County Veteran list, which is also accessible by the blue button on the top right of the webpage.

Photo Source
Calmer Thomas Clemmons
Supply, Brunswick County, NC
National Guard
Corporal
Served:
May 5, 1917 – February 28, 1919
Overseas:
May 11, 1918 – January 30, 1919
Wounded: September 29, 1918; October 16/18, 1918

Calmer Thomas Clemmons was born, raised, and lived most of his life in Brunswick and New Hanover Counties, NC.

On May 5, 1917, at the age of 22, Calmer enlisted in the NC National Guard by way of the Boys’ Brigade, as described in a previous post.

In October, the 30th Division was created from NC National Guard units. Cpl Calmer Clemmons was assigned to Company F, 119th Infantry, 30th “Old Hickory” Division.

Previous posts described training with the 30th Division at Camp Sevier, SC, the transportation to France, and events up to and including the Hindenburg Line assault.

Recall the following description of the operation.
Photo Source

Very early in the morning of September 29th the 60th brigade [119th Infantry, 120th Infantry, and 115th Machine Gun Battalion], with some units of the 117th regiment, assaulted this terrible line on a front of 3,000 yards, captured the whole Hindenburg system, then advanced still further and took the tunnel system with all the German troops hidden in it and next captured the towns of Bellicourt, Nouroy, Riqueval, Carriere, Etricourt, the Guillaine Ferme (farm) and Ferme de Riqueval; in this part of the assault advancing 4,200 yards and defeating two German divisions of average quality and taking from these (the 75th and 185th) 47 officers and 1,434 men. – Source

Cpl Clemmons was slightly wounded during the heroic assault on the Hindenburg Line on September 29, 1918. This injury was reported on his NC WWI Service Card. But he faced more serious injuries a few weeks later. Details of that battle will be covered in later posts, as several Brunswick County men were wounded during that time.

Source: Rockingham post-dispatch. [Rockingham, NC], December 05, 1918, p. 9

Cpl Calmer Clemmons was seriously wounded on October 16 [NC WWI Service Card] or 18 [119th Roster]. The date was probably recorded incorrectly because Cpl Clemmons was initially reported missing.

Cpl Clemmons never returned to service due to the seriousness of his injuries, which are unknown. On January 22, 1919, he left US Army Base Hospital No. 40 in Southern England and boarded USS Plattsburg to New York. The passenger list stated that all passengers were “Walking Cases.” [Source: ancestry.com]

The Charlotte Observer [Charlotte, NC] 1919 Feb. 13, p. 14 reported the following.

52 Carolina Soldiers, Wounded, Arrive Here

Sent to Camp Greene Base Hospital for Medical and Reconstruction Treatment.

Fifty-two Carolina soldiers, wounded in action in France but now almost well again, from a New York army hospital, arrived at the base hospital at Camp Greene for medical and reconstructive treatment, according to information given out there yesterday. With relatively few exceptions these men formerly were with the famous Thirtieth division. Others were with labor battalions, medical corps unit and artillery regiments.
[…]
Corporal Calmer Clemmons, Company F, 119th infantry.
[…]
Bugler William R. Smith, Machine Gun company, 322d infantry.
[…]

Bugler William R. Smith was also from Brunswick County. His WWI Profile is coming soon.

If you would like to help us honor Calmer Thomas Clemmons or another Brunswick County WWI veteran, please use the following links:

Click here for the announcement: Announcement: Honor a Brunswick County World War I Veteran
Click here for directions to donate and honor a veteran: How to Honor a Brunswick County World War I Veteran

Click the category: Veteran Profile here or at the bottom of any veteran profile post to see all of the veteran profiles published. Follow or subscribe to the blog to stay updated on all new profiles.