A Genuine Hometown Hero - 2LT Errol Marsh

We happened upon 2LT Marsh's gravestone on one of our frequent walks around town. Jules and I sometimes visit the peaceful and lovely Pine Grove Cemetery where he was laid to rest. I'm always drawn to the headstones marked by the little American flags that honor veterans' service.

Errol was 28 years old when he gave his life for our country in 1918, just nine days shy of the Armistice that ended the war on the Western Front.

He wrote these words in his journal a few days before he died, "I shall never forget these days here, as long as I live, and if I get home again I will never get blue or discouraged. I shall only have to compare my feelings then with those of this time to realize how good the world is if only one is in America."

I'm always curious about these brave young men and women. Who were they? What was their life like before and during their service? How did they die? And I always ponder how awful it must have been for their families to learn of their sacrifice.

I say a prayer of gratitude for their bravery and sacrifice. And I think about their parents, who on that second date on the gravestone became a Gold Star family.

And so, in hopes of honoring LT Marsh, keeping his legacy alive, and in tribute to the profound grief and anguish his loss must have caused his family, please allow me to tell you a little about him.

Errol grew up here in Westborough. He lived at 83 West Main St, in a home that's still standing, directly across from the High School. His dad, Dwight, was a businessman involved in one of the many factories that were prevalent in Westborough in the early 20th century. The Marsh's were active parishioners in Episcopal Church which was just behind their house.

Errol graduated from Westborough HS and then went on to Dartmouth. He would've graduated with the class of 1913, but he left school after his junior year to go into business with his dad.

He was mustered into service in August 1917, just 6 days after marrying his sweetheart, Miss Jane Nason. After their small family wedding in Westborough, the couple honeymooned in the White Mountains for a few days before Errol had to report to Camp Devens.

He shipped out to France about a year later, with the 76th Infantry Division which was made up of mostly New England men. As the war heated up in the autumn of 1918, the 76th was broken up and farmed out as replacements to other divisions.

Only days before he died in the massive Meuse-Argonne offensive, Errol was reassigned as a replacement to the 80th Infantry Division, made up of mostly Pennsylvania men. He would have been a stranger to his men who had been in almost continuous combat for months and who had lost many of their original officers. Going directly into combat for the first time with a bunch of grizzled veterans must have been a most intimidating leadership challenge.

The Argonne offensive was the Allies' final big push to end the war that year. We had the Germans reeling, but still falling back in good order on their meticulously prepared and formidable defensive lines. Unlike the previous four years of static trench warfare, this battle was very fluid and the tempo of ops was frenetic, with high command driving Corps and Divisions to push, push, push to keep the Germans off balance. I can only imagine the chaos and confusion that reigned at the company and platoon levels. We were taking massive casualties daily. Communications were almost entirely handwritten and sent via runners who were often killed delivering their messages. Every soldier on the front must have been physically and mentally drained beyond exhaustion.

2LT Marsh died somewhere near a tiny town in northeast France called Imecourt in a dawn attack. His company stepped off following a rolling barrage of artillery but soon faced withering machinegun fire.

Mr. and Mrs. Marsh learned of their son's death in a letter sent by another officer who discovered his body on the battlefield. It arrived the same day as a different letter that Errol had sent his family telling of his transfer to the 80th Div. The letter sent by his fellow officer also enclosed pages from his journal. On one of those pages, he had written...

"For my Mother - I'm glad I'm what I am - just an ordinary man, but I'm gladder still to call myself Your Boy."

Jane, his wife, was visiting her mother in Florida when she learned of Errol's loss in a telegram from his parents.

Even 104 years after his tragic loss, my heart aches for the Marsh family. As it does for every Gold Star family.

I'm inspired by Errol's words and attitude...

"If I get home again, I will never get blue or discouraged. I shall only have to compare my feelings then with those of this time to realize how good the world is if only one is in America."

And, I am filled with gratitude for the bravery and selflessness of all the “ordinary” men and women who've given all in service to our imperfect but glorious republic.

It's Memorial Day, a day of remembrance. My hope is that this short narrative of a genuine American hometown hero and the loss his family endured gives us pause to remember and honor them and to be filled with gratitude for their service and sacrifice.

My sincere thanks to our town's History Librarian, Tony Vaver, for his excellent research assistance with this project.