Pfc. Talmage Edward Dawson, U.S. Army in France during WWI

        My Maternal Grandfather Talmage Edward Dawson was an American WWI 'Dough Boy' Veteran. He was born in 1894/5 (dates vary) in Topeka, Kansas, to David Bennett Dawson & Alvira Elizabeth Mansfield, being one of five Dawson siblings, including Cora Vihara, Frank Claude Burtle, Margaret May, & Charles Mann. Native of Kansas. His Granddaughter Jeanene Michele Forshey says Talmage was raised Mormon. His 1st Marriage to Mabel was in the Baptist Parsonage, possibly indicating a Baptist slant in religion or his 1st Wife's religion. His Father David Bennett Dawson died in a railway accident in Topeka in 1902 as mentioned later in a newspaper article, thus making Talmage a Half-Orphan. His Mother later remarried. It appears that Talmage spent most of the rest of his childhood in Kansas, attending Washington School in Concordia. At the time of WWI, he failed to earn an exemption from the Draft on the basis of Marriage because he applied for the exemption too late. Talmage was drafted/enlisted into the U.S. Army from May 28, 1918 to June 8, 1919. He saw action in the Great War, also known as "the war to end all wars" due to its unparalled scale, devastation, and loss of life. In the postwar period, Talmage's Generation was described as 'the Lost Generation,' by both Gertrude Stein and Ernest Hemingway, the latter's meaning as having a 'disorientated, wandering, and directionless' spirit. Talmage served in HQ's Company, 351st Infantry Regiment, 176th Infantry Brigade, 88th Division (American) in France, per a Kansas WWI Bounty Claim record. His inital training in the states was at Camp Dodge, Iowa. He saw action in Hautes-Alsace Sector. Hautes Alsace was a Sector during WWI, not a Province of France. He participated in the Meuse-Argonne Offensive in 1918. This was the largest Offensive of the AEF during the war and led to a breakthrough in the Hindenburg Line and a decisive victory for the Allies.

     Talmage boarded the SS Saxon from Hoboken, New Jersey and then sailed past New York on August 15, 1918 headed for France. They viewed the New York skyline and Statue of Liberty before joining their convoy. British destroyers picked up the zigzagging fleet after Newfoundland. They passed the Irish Sea where U-Boats were active. They then arrived first at Liverpool, England where they dropped anchor on August 28. They left England aboard several small boats on Sept. 3 crossing the English Channel amid rough seas. The Division debarked at various points along the French Coast such as Cherbourg, Le Havre, and Brest. Semur was the location of the Division Headquarters. The initial 351st Regiment Headquarters was at Flavigny (in the Cote d'Or) with the men garrisoned in various surrounding small towns. Since they were the first Americans sighted in this part of France, they received a warm welcome. There was a big red, white and blue banner that read, 'France and America Forever!' Other units of the Division were bombed by German planes at Hericourt, inflicting casualties. The newspapers confirmed that the St. Mihiel Salient was being wiped out and some officers and men were sent there as well as Alsace to help out. At this time, the advance party was putting the finishing touches on their training. The Spanish Flu, some new fangled word, was a factor- putting up to 50% of some companie units on sick report. The Flu began to wane and their march to the front began on Oct. 4, 1918. It was a 50-mile hike through the foothills of the Vosges, near the German border. The 351st Regiment reached the Front on the morning of October 6, 1918, when they heard deafening and crackling salvos of German artillery- their first baptism of fire. They then split into columns of files, one one file on each side of the road. The advance party had already been in the lines for two weeks. The once heavy forest was a mass of debris.

     The 88th Division entered the line on October 12, 1918, and relieved the French 38th Division in Center Sector Haute Alsace. The first Regiments to occupy the trenches with the French were the 350th and 351st Infantry Regiments. Each placed two battalions in the front line and one in support. Field Order No. 6 placed the 351st Infantry Regiment into the forward zone of the southern sub-sector, with its HQ's at Manspach in modern day Alsace. No Man's Land ranged in width from a kilometer at some points to less than 300m at others. Movement of the main body of troops was carried out at night with great secrecy, for the enemy was maintaining close aerial observation of the entire sector at this time. In one letter, dated January 2, 1919, Talmage states, "We have had our turn in the Trenches. I have been out in 'No-Man's Land' several times, have been "over the Top" been through heavy artillery bombardments and have heard machine-gun and rifle bullets whine."

     His Regiment was attacked at night (during fog) at Schonholz Woods. Disappointed in their lack of success to carry through the 1st raid, the Germans attempted a 2nd raid on October 31st, 1918... The wounded German stated that the raiding party consisted of 40 men from the 382nd Landwehr Regiment. Talmage delivered messages during artillery barrages, being enured to the dangers. As the Division History states, 'Our patrols crossed No Man's Land at will and penetrated the German lines at practically every point with no opposition.'

      Talmage was entitled to wear a Gold Star service decoration after the war. Additionally, the World War 1 Victory Medal was authorized for members of the U.S. Military who had served in the American Expeditionary Force (like Talmage). Also, an unofficial 'Clover Leaf' medal was designed to honor the members of the Division. His 3rd wife Margaret Jane Swartz stated that Talmage suffered from 'shell-shock.' They spent significant time in France after the signing of the Armistice and Talmage returned home from St. Nazaire, France on May 20, 1918, aboard the USS Mercury headed for Camp Morrison, Newport News, Virginia. His Final Pay Voucher was on June 8, 1919 at Camp Funston, Kansas. There was a family rumor that he may have fought in Russia as well after WWI in support of the 'White Guards.' But it may be that this story bears the stamp of fiction.

      Talmage was married to three different women four times, and had two daughters, who were half-sisters: Wanda Lou (Dawson) Forshey & Marie Ellen (Dawson) Kaess (1945-2012). Marie mentioned meeting her half-sister Wanda in the 1950’s in the Chicago área. He was divorced from the 1st wife Mabel Lillian Atchison (1895-1983), widower from the 2nd wife Sadie Huseman (1902-1936), and married twice and divorced twice from the 3rd wife Margaret Jane Swartz (1914-1997). His 1st marriage to Mabel occurred on September 1, 1917 in Concordia, Kansas. He was away for some time during his military service. They divorced on March 20, 1924 in Belleville, Republic, Kansas- the basis for the divorce being 'extreme cruelty' on Talmage's part. It is unknown when he married Sadie but these nuptials may have transpired between 1924-1930, likely in Kansas. Also, Talmage appears in the Salina, Kansas City Directory intermittently from 1931 until 1939. After Sadie's death, it appears Wanda may have been at least partially raised by her Bennett relatives in Saline County, Kansas. In his U.S. Govt. OPF, Talmage is mentioned as having a wife in 1943, and this is likely during the 3rd marriage to Margaret. At one point, during an interview that same year, Talmage mentions he came home only to find his wife (presumably Margaret) in bed with another man. Perhaps this is what led to the divorce of his 3rd marriage. Jeanene Michele Forshey says her Mom Wanda Lou Dawson (1932-2006) mentioned living with her Dad Talmage and her Step-Mom Margaret during this time period in Washington D.C. and Wanda had even recalled the 'blackouts' of WWII at that time. She described Margaret as a rather 'chic' woman and Talmage as looking something akin to the 'Duke of Windsor.' Talmage appears in a 1940 Washington D.C. city directory as living at 68 I Street NW. In a 1942 city directory he appears at 1843 Mintwood Place Apt. 37. The latter address is also shown on his 1942 WWII Draft Card and his relative is listed as Earl Bennett. Talmage is mentioned as having a light complexion, standing 5'8'', with blue eyes and grey hair.

      By 1950, based on the U.S. Census, Talmage and Margaret were living seperately in Chicago- Talmage with his daughter Wanda and Margaret with her daughter Marie. He is mentioned as Divorced and working at General Printing Wholesays, a private company. Talmage's 4th marriage (to Margaret) was on November 11, 1952 in Cook County, Illinois (likely Chicago). This was the 2nd time those two had married. The dates/locations of the divorces between Talmage and Margaret are unknown but it is known Talmage physically abused her, based on her testimony to her Grandsons Brian Paul Kaess and Garret Thomas Kaess. Margaret also mentioned that she had been an avid coffee-drinker and a Waitress. She had a lifelong interest in Antiques and even ran her own Antique Shop (dubbed 'the Eagle's Nest') along Clark Street in Rogers Park, Chicago, during the early 1980's. This ended in 1988 when she sold her house in Edgewater, Chicago, and moved to the Spanish Trace Apartments in San Antonio, Texas, to be near her younger brother, Maj. Francis Aubrey Swartz (USAF, Ret.) (1924-1996), in her late retirement. Her early retirement had been in Chicago.

     Talmage got into the newspaper business early in life in Kansas. As a result, he was prolific in putting his own name in the newspaper. He also visited Chicago for training as a Linotype Operator. He worked as a Linotype Operator before and after the war, including for the U.S. Govt. Printing Office (GPO) in Washington D.C. from 1939 to 1943; Besides Kansas, he also lived in Washington D.C. and Illinois (looks like from about 1945 to 1974), and perhaps Minnesota for a short time (in about 1928). He visited Family in Idaho in 1911 and also visited Chicago in 1916 not only to receive Linotype Operator training but also to visit his Mother, who had remarried and appears to have lived in both Kansas and Illinois. Talmage was a Member of the International Typographical Union no. 470 and American Legion Cary Post in Eskridge, Kansas. Talmage made the claim to his supervisor at the Govt. Printing Office that he was the fastest Linotype Operator in the world, once having keyed in 17,750 ems per hour. He also seemed to have delusions that the Masons and KKK or 'organization' was after him at his Govt. job, and this may have eventually led to his termination in 1943. His letters are preserved online at Our Military Heritage at Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center in Ft. Wayne, Indiana. Family lore has it that Talmage and Margaret may have had their 1st date at the Artists Cafe on Michigan Ave. in Chicago where she was a Waitress. He died on May 1, 1974 (his age at death being listed as 76) in Northbrook, Illinois, with the cause of death being Carcinoma of the Esophagus. It appears he had been staying in the Northbrook Nursing Home. He was buried two days later in Archer Woods Cemetery in Willow Springs, Illinois. Now the place is called Mount Glenwood Memory Gardens in Hickory Hills, Illinois. Ironically, he is mentioned as being Widowed at the time of his death. Could this refer to Sadie or perhaps even a 5th marriage? Margaret was definitely alive after this time period, so it remains an open question.

     The photo of Talmage provided is one of only three variants of the same photo. It was located in his OPF, retrieved from the National Archives in early 2024 with the help of Archival Technician George Fuller. It is the only photo of Talmage known to exist. Brian had scoured County Histories and Kansas sources for years until he began to suspect that Talmage's OPF might be his only chance of locating a photo of Talmage. He was too happy to find the photo and pass it on to living relatives of Talmage.

      In any case, the descendants of Talmage are grateful for his service to our country and the Author in particular wishes he had had the Honor to meet him, suspecting him to be a humble man, despite his drawbacks. As the motto of Kansas states, Ad Astra Per Aspira or as the Author likes to put it, 'By Hard ways to the Stars!'