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Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Late Night with Casualty Rolls


For those of you without infants, you are missing a real treat of waking up at 2AM to act as butler to the lord of the house. One of the more interesting side effects is that to get back to sleep, I read casualty rolls from WW1 and other such detailed by not indexed historical data.

Here is the September 3, 1918 New York Times, with a list of a staggering 810 casualties during WW1. Among the wounded, Private John A. Duncan, from Wapella, Il, Husband of Mrs. Carrie Dunacn.

Anyone recall John Duncan? I'll hazard a guess that he is an uncle to Ken, Ed, or Bill Duncan, but don't recall a John Duncan being mentioned by my father (who mentioned Ken, Ed and/or Bill in about every other paragraph).

Click on the image to expand it. Private Duncan is in the third column about 1/3 of the way down, under wounded severely Privates.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Me thinks the moderator might be telling a little white lie and just maybe this information WAS indexed. It would take a sick mind with A LOT of time on his hands to actually go through information such as this. Although...our fearless leader is a little twisted and does seem to have a little time on his hands.

On a separate note, w.com needs and endorsement on the presidential race. Lead the flock, JB.

AW

JBP said...

AJ,

The indexing system is there is a claim (in the New York Times in this case) that Wapella is on that page somewhere. Where on the page is up to the reader to find out.

Is Alan Keyes still in the running?

JBP

Danny Freedom said...

I have always wondered what the difference is between a bugler and a trumpeter (beside instrument). Do you think there was a rivalry between the two. Was one safer than the other? Did Generals look at the death rolls and say "crap another bugler dead, I will have to train another."

When a bugler died, did they reissue the bugle or bury them with it like the pipers of Scotland?

Was bugler a desired position? Did it pay more than cook or wagoner?

You can spend a lot of time looking at deaths rolls.

When I can't sleep, I think about how I am going to spend my Powerball jackpot winnings.

Anonymous said...

Justdan: Move to Alabama where fanatics keep the lottery out. You won't stay up so late every night.

If you have trumpet questions I suggest you contact Al "The Body" Weinheimer, Wapella's greatest trumpeteer (sp) since the death of one Jose Hindman.

Mod, please start a separate column for Al to give brass advice.

BEP

Anonymous said...

Good call, BEP. I'd gladly take brass advice (or any other) from AW. Then maybe I could start the ska band that Wapella is crying for.

Two-tone/The Specials rule, OK?

Anonymous said...

Actually one can perform a New York Times search of Wapella very rapidly. In about five seconds time, I learned that "All the news that's fit to print" has discussed over the years--

1. A baffling disease which struck Wapella horses in 1887.

2. The ship "Wapella" lost its captain and mates off Wales in 1868.

3. The 1968 tornado.

4. A large weapons cache, "enough to outfit a small army" seized 3 1/2 miles east of Wapella, owned by a group known as the "Minutemen", an anti-communist crowd.

5. Tough times on the railroad in 1930.

There are five more pages of links!

HG

JBP said...

If you sort through and find something publishable, send it to wapella@gmail.com and can publish here.

Would like to get more information about gun-running in Wapella. Seems completely in-character for Hog City.

JBP

Anonymous said...

A Duncan family lived two blocks south of the high school. Their granddaughter lived with them. So help me, I can remember no names other that Mr. and Mrs. He did a lot of work at the Mehtodist Church. Ed Duncan may well have been a son. This would have been about 1945. Oh, the granddaughter's name was Mary Margaret.

Anonymous said...

I know there was a Minnie Duncan lived 2 blocks south - ask the Holland brothers she was related to their father, Bill.

Anonymous said...

John Duncan was a brother to Ken, Ed, & Dean. His mother and father were Harry & Carrie Duncan who were my grandparents. I always heard John was injured in the war.

Ginny Duncan Murphy

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