George Addison Curthoys (23Apr1894 - Apr1973) |
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| Born: |
23Apr1894 at Buffalo, NY |
Father: |
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| Died: |
Apr1973 |
Mother: |
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| Children: |
Jacquelin Curthoys
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Siblings: |
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1900 Census Buffalo NY
James Curthoys 28 b. NY
Louisa M Curthoys 24 b. Canada
George A Curthoys 6
Edmond T Curthoys 4
Arthur B Curthoys 2
1905 NY Census Buffalo NY
James T Curthoye 34
Louise M Curthoye 30
George A Curthoye 11
Edwin T Curthoye 9
Arthur B Curthoye 7
Clara L Curthoye 4
Albert J Curthoye 2
Herbert F Curthoye 7/12
1910 Census Buffalo NY
James L Crathoys 37
Louise M Curthoys 35
George A Curthoys 16
Edwin T Curthoys 14
Arthur V Curthoys 12
Clara L Curthoys 10
Albert J Curthoys 8
Herbert F Curthoys 6
James C Curthoys 4
Roy H Curthoys 0
US Veterans Administration Master Index, World War I Info
1918 U.S. Army Transport Service, Passenger Lists, 1910-1939
Departure Date: 13 Apr 1918
Departure Place: Boston, Massachusetts
Address: 107 Edison Street
Residence Place: Buffalo, N Y
Mother: Louisa M Curthoys
Ship: Karoa
Military Unit: Company "A" 306th Machine Gun Battalion
Rank: Private
Service Number: 1711421
Notes: Company "A" 306th Machine Gun Battalion
WW I Military Service
Image
Army serial number: 1,711,421
Organizations served in: Co A 306th MG Bn [Battalion, I think] to disch
Grades with date of appt: Pvt Feb 25/18 Pvt 1cl
Engagements: [blank]
Wounded in action: Degree undetermined Sept 15/18 [15Sep1918]
Honorably discharged on demobilization: May 9/19
1920 Census Buffalo NY
James T Curthoys 48
Louisa Curthoys 44
George Curthorp 26
Edmund Curthoys 24
Clara Curthoys 19
Albert Curthoys 17
Herbert Curthoys 15
James Curthoys 13
Roy Curthoys 10
Carl Curthoys 8
Donald Curthoys 6
Olive Curthoys 2
1925 NY Census Buffalo NY
Kinda looks like 3 of the family are living beside the rest of the family
15Aug1925 Marriage
Name: George A Curthoys
Gender: Male
Marriage Date: 15 Aug 1925
Marriage Place: Manhattan, New York, USA
Spouse: Hilda Reuning
Certificate Number: 21768
1930 Census Baltimore MD
George Curthoys 35
Hilda M Curthoys 33
Jacquline Curthoys 2
1940 Census
George A Curthoys 46
Hilda Curthoys 43
Jacquelin Curthoys 13
World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942
1973 SS Death Index
US Department of Veterans Affairs BIRLS Death File, 1850-2010
Uncle George:
Company "A" 306th Machine Gun Battalion
Co A 306th MG Bn to disch
Departure Date: Departure
Place: Boston, Massachusetts
Address: 107 Edison Street Residence
Place: Buffalo, N Y
Mother: Louisa M Curthoys
Ship: Karoa Military
Unit: Company "A" 306th Machine Gun Battalion
Rank:
Private Service Number: 1711421
Notes: Company "A" 306th Machine Gun Battalion
Wounded in action: Degree undetermined Sept 15/18 []
Honorably discharged on demobilization: May 9/19
The Seventy-seventh Division was organized in August, 1917, at Camp Upton, N.Y.
154th Infantry Brigade: 307th and 308th Infantry; 306th Machine Gun Battalion
Company C of the 306th Machine Gun Battalion of the 77th Division
Selected parts from link above of Memories of Talbot M. Brewer [FR: Note Brewer was in Co C while Uncle George was Co A]
He then joined the Army as a 2nd Lieutenant when we declared war against Germany. He was in Company C of the 306th Machine Gun Battalion of the 77th Division, and was wounded in the Argonne. His outfit two weeks later was part of what became known as the "Lost Battalion", under Major Whittlesey. His replacement was killed in this engagement. At the war's end, he was a 1st Lieutenant. He wrote a memoir about his war experiences.
TRAINING OF THE 77TH DIVISION AT CAMP UPTON, YAPHANK, LONG ISLAND, NY
September 12, 1917 to April 12, 1918
After several weeks, a British Machine Gun Major, Heywood, arrived as our training officer. He conducted a school for the Division M.G. officers, the first session of which I attended. All we had to practice with were a couple of old and obsolete Colt guns of the Spanish-American War era, known to Major Heywood as the “Joke Guns”. We were taught the British method of stripping and re-assembling the gun while explaining aloud in rigidly standardized language each operation. Eventually we had to do this blind-folded. Also we learned “automatic action” in clearing jams, target and identification by the reference point and clock system, and the tactical use of M.Gs. Thereafter I took over a similar schooling of our company Non-Coms.
We left Camp Upton on the rainy afternoon of April 12, 1918. After a false start and considerable delay, we marched to the R.R. station where the men were hurriedly loaded on the cars with no attention to unit organization. The officers had sleepers; the men day coaches. The C Company officers were Captain Gaston, 1st Lieutenants Paul Cushman and Henry Ralph, 2nd Lieutenants Rice, ...
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Started for the R.R. cut on the night of Aug. 21 with Lt. Scratt and six gun squads – Corps. Belmore, Young, Fanning and Ruoff from the 2nd Platoon, Corps. Propheter and Sampson from the 3rd, and Sgts. Pearson and Wagonbrenner. Major Richardson wished us good luck. Reached the cut with no incidents. The squads were led away to their positions by B Co. guides. Lt. Nachazel told me about the German barrage that morning and felt sure a raid was due. Just then a German mortar “Pig” came tumbling in behind us and Nack took off without further ado with B Co.
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FR: This has to be Sep since the prev date seen was Aug 21. Uncle_George_was_wounded_Sept15
noon_13th
We were told that we were to be relieved on the night of the 15th, but nevertheless at noon on the 13th, we were ordered to put down an indirect fire barrage in support of a combined French-American attack on Revillon and the Petit Montagne. In the early afternoon, without previous reconnaissance, Scott loaded up the men with guns and tripods, and with Philips and I, and led them out on the completely bare hillside under German observation. We found a little trench near the road and parked the men in it for some cover. Scott picked a position in the open, just barely within range, lining up the gun positions with six guns on each side of the road. Philips and I persuaded Scott to take the men back out of sight while we did the computations for the indirect fire with the aid of the goniometers and set the aiming stakes and flash screens.
Then we went back and worked out some final data by candlelight in the Elephant’s back. We were to start the barrage at
date_14th5:30 A.M. and continue until 9 A.M. Then, if no word came back to us that the 3rd stage of the attack was to be staged, we were to go back. At 3 A.M. Fiske led an ammunition detail forward, Scott, Paul Cushman, and I following shortly with rest of the Company. We got the guns placed and started shooting on time. When the attack started, there was an amazing display of fireworks. As the sun came up and the mist cleared, we must have been under observation. There were a number of planes overhead, both Allied and German, but they seemed so busy chasing and fighting each other that the Germans failed to spot us. One plane was shot down, we thought an American, but were not sure. We started back over the hill to Blanzy at 9 o’clock and as soon as we had left our position, the Germans started shelling it, accurately and heavily, and also the road back to Blanzy, but we zig-zagged through the fields and had no casualties.
No sooner had we gotten back then we received orders to go forward again and put down an M.G. barrage on Petit Montaque. This meant finding a new position considerably further forward than in the morning in order to be within range of Petit Montaque and advancing with the whole Company carrying guns, tripods, and ammunition under full observation of the German artillery in broad daylight. We had little ammunition left and had to send back for more but started with what we had. We were shelled, but with luck and some right and left obliques, no one was hit. We came to a wooded ravine leading up from Merval. The x_3rd platoon crossed to the far side and set up their guns there; the other platoons remained on the south side. We did not have enough ammunition for a regular barrage and could only fire a clip once every three or four minutes. Every time we did fire, it brought down shell fire near us, but not close enough to cause casualties. Two or three infantrymen brought a badly wounded man into the ravine for cover and first aid and Captain Scott protested violently, fearing that it would attract more shelling to our positions. We were expecting to spend the night there and the men had begun digging funk holes into the sides of the ravine when the order came for us to return to Blanzy. By then it was dark, and we were not shelled on the return trip. The infantry attack which we were trying to support was a complete failure with heavy losses. We were lucky indeed to have had no casualties.
night_14th
morning_15th__Uncle_George_was_wounded_Sept15
Most unhappily, however, the luck did not last. The next morning at dawn the Germans started shelling our support hide-out in the Blanzy valley and made a direct hit on the hole occupied by three of our best and most intelligent men, Corps. Hehre, Hemburg, and Pvt. Scott, killing or fatally wounding all three.
night_15th
We were relieved that night by an Italian Division who came through Fismes and across the Vesle with an incredible amount of noise – lanterns, cigarettes, matches, and everything but a brass band. For the first time in two weeks there was no shelling. On any previous night they would have been cut to pieces. After the Italians’ arrival we made our way back through Fismes as quietly as possible and after a few kilos were taken by truck to Arcy-le-Ponsart, out of range of the German artillery. Everybody was feeling happy because of the supposedly sure rumor that we were going to a rest area for re-equipment and replacements. I had a comfortable billet with a bath and clean sheets.
date_16th
Next day I put on clean clothes and field boots, believing the rumor. Next day the transport started south with new mules to replace the losses and at about 7 P.M. we climbed into French trucks, driven by the usual stone-faced little Indo-Chinese soldiers, and proceeded at a fast clip with no stops. The trucks had no springs and the going was incredibly rough. We passed through Eperney, Chalon, and Vitry-le-Francois in the moonlight. Suddenly thereafter, we realized that we were headed north again and the morale sank out of sight.
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Brief Histories of Divisions, US Army 1917-1918
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