East Templeton's tribute to fallen Great War heroes

East Templeton's tribute to fallen Great War heroes
The Gardner Scene

+ click to enlarge Photos by MIKE RICHARD The World War I monument located in Templeton Center, above, was dedicated by the town in March 1922. A plaque, below, is located in the rear of the Town Hall building in East Templeton in honor of the town’s World War I dead. + click to enlarge Mike Richard Sports Correspondent As we approach the centennial of the so-called “War to end all wars” – World War I – there will be many stories in the coming years as a tribute to the anniversary of when that military era came to an end on Nov. 11, 1918. Many communities paid tribute to their fallen warriors in a variety of different ways. The village of East Templeton held a very special ceremony 95 years ago this spring, on Memorial Day 1921. In tribute to local soldiers who were killed in World War I, four elm trees were planted in memory of the four boys from that precinct of town who lost their lives during the world war. The Village Improvement Society made the decision to plant the trees in memory of former East Templeton residents Herbert Leslie Weir, Gustaf A. Erickson, Max F. G. Buder and Robert S. Gardner, who met their fate in service to the country. Unfortunately, those sturdy trees that once stood as proud memorials to the soldiers are no longer around. When asked, several Templeton residents claimed they were not sure that they had even seen the trees in their lifetime. Lifelong East Templeton resident Hank Mason, whose uncle and namesake, Henry J. Mason, died in the First World War, suggested that perhaps the trees once stood “near the site of old GAR hall or perhaps the old Methodist church,” he noted. “I’m not sure there are any elm trees left from that time, due to the Dutch elm disease that was widespread in the 1940s and ’50s,” he said. Templeton Historical Society member and historian Harry Aldrich also blamed what was likely the Dutch elm disease on the demise of the trees. “I had never heard of them, but my guess would be that they fell victim to the disease,” he said, adding, “Years ago, both sides of what is now Route 2A was lined with elms, especially in the center.” The four fallen soldiers each came from varied backgrounds and met their fate in different ways, which seemed to be common for the soldiers of that era. The first tree was dedicated to Weir, who had been born in Winchendon and lived in East Templeton for just a short time. He was drafted in September of 1918 and one short month later died of pneumonia at Fort Ontario, Oswego, N.Y. The second soldier to have a tree dedicated, Erickson, grew up in East Templeton. He graduated from the schools there and later assisted his father, Carl, in the family greenhouse business. He enlisted in the service at only 17 years of age and was killed in action a few months before his 18th birthday at Cantigny, France. Buder, the third soldier, was a fireman on the transport ship Mt. Vernon when it was torpedoed on Sept. 5, 1918. His passing was a particularly tragic one as he avoided death in the explosion, but his body was later found in one of the coal bunkers on the port side after he drowned in the rushing water. The final soldier, 1st. Lt. Gardner was born in Chicago and came to East Templeton when he was 6 years of age. He was known for being a drummer in the local town band, as well as a singer in area churches. He was caught in machine-gun crossfire and killed in action on Nov. 3, 1918, only eight days before the signing of the armistice. On the morning of May 31, 1921, East Templeton veterans of both the Civil War and the world war attended services in the Methodist church, with a dedication ceremony for the four trees following. Apparently the village of Baldwinville also had trees in honor of soldiers who died in the First World War, and at one time the trees bore wooden signs with names of those fallen men. Those elms, which had lined School Street there, also died of the Dutch elm disease. In the former East Templeton School, today the Town Hall, there is a marker denoting the names of 12 Templeton residents who gave their lives in World War I. Aside from the four previously mentioned names, there were also Stephen Alshafski, Charles E. Bishop, Joseph Blake, George W. Bourn Jr., Arthur Greenwood, Henry J. Mason, Harold F. Seaver and Wadislaw Symkiewicz. Those men are also listed on the World War I Remembrance Monument that stands in the center of Templeton near the intersection of routes 2 and 101. It was dedicated in March of 1922 and restored in 2011 by the World War I Preservation Committee. Like many local towns, Templeton has always done an outstanding job of paying tribute to its war dead in appropriate memorials throughout the town and its surrounding villages. Comments and suggestions for The Gardner Scene can be sent to Mike Richard at mikerichard0725@gmail.com or in writing c/o The Gardner News, 309 Central St., Gardner, MA 01440.