No. 13148 James E. Walsh on the left
Photograph contained among service records maintained by Dr. Nathaniel Royal Perkins. During World I, Dr. Perkins was employed by the draft registration board to examine young men for the draft. During this job, he befriended many servicemen and kept track of their military service during the war. Dr. Perkins died in 1922, and his widow, Clara, donated the collection to the Dorchester Historical Society in 1924.
No. 13184 James E. Walsh
News clipping about James E Walsh. Contained in an album at the Dorchester Historical Society of about 150 photos kept by Nathaniel R. Perkins, MD, who examined thousands of men who were going into the war, 1914-1918. Given by Mrs N. R. Perkins in accordance with
James E Walsh 32 Huntoon St enlisted April 28, 1917, in the old ? Regiment. Has received 2 citations for bravery. Qualified as scout and sharp shooter
James Edward Walsh. Written by Donna Albino.
James Edward Walsh was born in Boston on December 12, 1896. His parents, Michael Walsh and Mary (Donlan) Walsh, were Irish immigrants living at 32 Huntoon Street in the Lower Mills section of Dorchester. Michael Walsh worked in a chocolate mill, most likely the Walter Baker Chocolate Factory, and Mary stayed at home with their five children.
In June 1917, when he was 20 years old, James enlisted in the war effort with the National Guard. He enlisted with Company E 9th Infantry from Boston, which was redesignated as the 101st Infantry Regiment after the United States joined the Allied Powers in the Great War. The regiment mustered in its new form in August 1917 in Framingham, Massachusetts, and arrived in France in September. It was the first Army National Guard unit of the American Expeditionary Force to arrive in France, and was also the first National Guard unit to enter frontline combat. Alongside the French Army, the 101st made a raid into German lines in February 1918, marking the first time an American unit had launched a raid in the war.
The 101st Regiment engaged the Germans in numerous battles along the Western Front, and James took an active part in all the big drives of his regiment, including four listed on James’s service card: Champagne-Marne (July 1918), Aisne-Marne (July-August 1918), St. Mihiel (September 1918), and Meuse-Argonne (October-November 1918). James was commended for gallant conduct and bravery displayed on Sept 13, 1918, while attacking a machine gun nest under heavy enemy fire in the St. Mihiel sector. James sent the citation home in a letter to his mother, who framed it for prominent display in the family living room. James served with his regiment until the last shot was fired in the war, and he came out of it with no injuries. His regiment was mustered out of service in April 1919 at Camp Devens in Massachusetts, and James was discharged shortly after
James returned to his parents’ home after the war, but only for a brief time. In 1921, he married Irish immigrant Delia Theresa McEvoy in Boston. By 1930, they had four children in a rented home at 60 Burt Street in the Ashmont section of Dorchester, and James was working as an electrician in building construction. By 1940, James had become a servicer of oil burners, and the family lived at 61 Lithgow Street in the Codman Square section of Dorchester.
James was an active member of American Legion Post 102 and Dorchester Lower Mills Council, Knights of Columbus. He passed away on February 13, 1959 in Belmont, Massachusetts, and is interred at New Calvary Cemetery in Mattapan, Massachusetts.
Sources:
Ancestry.com. Massachusetts, Birth Records, 1840-1915 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2013.
Ancestry.com. Massachusetts, Marriage Index, 1901-1955 and 1966-1970 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2013.
Ancestry.com. Massachusetts, Death Index, 1901-1980 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2013.
Year: 1900; Census Place: Boston Ward 24, Suffolk, Massachusetts; Page: 10; Enumeration District: 1528; FHL microfilm: 1240687
Year: 1910; Census Place: Boston Ward 24, Suffolk, Massachusetts; Roll: T624_624; Page: 13A; Enumeration District: 1631; FHL microfilm: 1374637
Year: 1920; Census Place: Boston Ward 21, Suffolk, Massachusetts; Roll: T625_739; Page: 5A; Enumeration District: 525
Year: 1930; Census Place: Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts; Page: 1B; Enumeration District: 0463; FHL microfilm: 2340689
Year: 1940; Census Place: Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts; Roll: m-t0627-01675; Page: 7B; Enumeration District: 15-580
The National Archives at St. Louis; St. Louis, Missouri; World War II Draft Cards (Fourth Registration) for the State of Massachusetts; Record Group Title: Records of the Selective Service System, 1926-1975; Record Group Number: 147; Series Number: M2090
Wikipedia, 101st Infantry Regiment (United States) in WWI
The Boston Globe (Boston, Massachusetts) 06 Feb 1919, Thu page 9
The Boston Globe (Boston, Massachusetts) 15 Feb 1959, Sun page 46
Walsh Family Tree, compiled by David Bristol, Ancestry.com