Those who didn’t make it back
In a recent article, we shared all the names listed on the War Memorial on the HSC Courthouse grounds. There’s just one issue. Researchers have discovered more WWI soldiers that the county lost but were not engraved on the monument.
The names currently listed on the WWI section of the monument include: James Carson Bailey, Grover Cleveland Haltom, Doctor Phillips “Dock” Harper, James H. Ledbetter, Thurman Lindsey, Dave Morrison, William Isac Parker, Dewey E. Pope and William Thomas Presley. The monument was sponsored by Veterans of Foreign Wars in 1987.
More recently, Danna Carver and her late husband Pat compiled at least 21 names of individuals who were lost during WWI from Hot Spring County, of which 12 did not make it onto the monument. These names are: Elza Floyd Armstrong, Harold Ramey Berger, Ausley Bettis, Hardy Lee Griggs, Claude Haltom, Nash Haltom, Orey Taylor Martin, Jesse C. Robbins, Walter Romans, Son Taylor, Redmon Trout and Leonard Thomas White.
Carver is a member of the HSC Historical Society and has dedicated years to uncovering the history of the county. After researching this project with her husband, the two put together an exhibit for Hot Spring County servicemen, including a section for those who didn’t return at the HSC Historical Society. They’ve also published their findings, along with biographies, photos and letters home for the soldiers. They also worked with Mike Polston, who partnered with Cabot Public Schools to create a website archive of all the letters home organized by Arkansas county called the Arkansas Great War Letter Project.
The website features 43 entries of HSC soldiers, including one from Bailey.
The monument features the names of soldiers lost in WWI, WWII, Korea, Vietnam and Iraq. The problem is that the new names will have to go on the back of the monument or someplace else as the existing names cannot be moved. The WWII section takes up the biggest portion of the monument by far.
According to C&A Monuments, this could cost up to $600 and take up to four hours total to complete.
Carver’s research has revealed several interesting facts about the WWI soldiers. Most of the 21 souls lost succumbed to disease and not wounds of battle. Some died during training and some on the ship to France.
The epitaph of Harper reads:
“In loving remembrance
He left his home in perfect health
He looked so young and brave
We little thought how soon he’d be
Lying in a soldier’s grave
Gone but not forgotten.”
There was an example of two brothers, Claude and Nash Haltom, who died within 30 days of each other. Claude on Jan. 9, 1918 and Nash following suit Jan. 30, both of the flu. They are buried side by side in the Bethlehem Cemetery in Joan.
Most of the records of the WWI dead from Arkansas have been lost by fire and other circumstances, meaning there is no comprehensive list of those lost. At the time of registration, in 1918, the Spanish Influenza was wreaking havoc around the world and went on to impact small communities into the 1920s. It was the cause for most of the WWI dead from our county.
There are several other notable details about the fallen soldiers, including some soldiers that were given shared funeral services and some whose graves cannot be found to this day.
Thanks to Carver’s diligent work, unearthing these names, we are able to get a better glimpse into the past. Yet, there is still a challenge ahead to change the monument and find the rest of fallen that