World War I Takes a Brutal Toll

Gilbert Andrew Wee: 1895-1974

As I celebrated Independence Day this past weekend, I reflected on the sacrifices made by members of the U.S. military over the centuries. My second cousin once-removed Gilbert Wee was one of those soldiers who paid a terrible price for our freedom. While serving in France during World War I, he was seriously wounded and lost his arm at the elbow. This tragedy changed his life.

Gilbert Andrew Wee was born December 19, 195 in Brown County’s Lake Hanska Township in Minnesota. He was the ninth of the ten children born to Anders Olsson Wee and Sigrid Olsdatter Skaar Wee. Anders was my paternal great-grandmother Ragnhild Oldatter Ve Syverson’s nephew, so Ragnhild was Gilbert’s great-aunt.

Anders died when Gilbert was only seven years old, so Gilbert grew up helping his older brothers run the family farm. When he was 21 years old, he was drafted to serve in World War I. His draft card states that he was single, and self-employed as a farmer.

Gilbert served as a private in Company C of the 160^th Infantry, 40^th Division. According to his records on Fold3, he enlisted May 25, 1918. His unit shipped out aboard the troop ship Nestor on August 8, 1918, setting sail from Brooklyn, New York.

Return transport aboard the Aeolus

According to histories of the 160^th Infantry, when the 40^th division arrived in France, they were sent to La Guerche, a farming area in central France. They were used as replacements for the front line from August through October, 1918. Gilbert was apparently assigned to the 127^th Infantry during that period, and was injured on the battlefield.

A newspaper article from the December 11, 1918 issue of the New Ulm Review reported that the Wee family had been informed that Gilbert had been injured, and a later report stated that he had lost an arm.

Military records show that Gilbert was sent back to the United States on the ship Aeolus on December 17, 1918, setting sail from Bordeaux. The ship manifest states the passengers were “patients needing dressings”. It appears he was initially sent to the army hospital at Fort Snelling in St. Paul, Minnesota. He got a furlough in February to go home to spend time with family before going back for more treatment. He was discharged from the Army on May 22, 1919.

News photo of Gilbert recovering at Ft. Snelling in 1919

Gilbert’s return home can’t have been easy. The 1920 census shows him living at home on the Wee farm near Hanska with his mother and three unmarried brothers. His brothers are all working, two as laborers, while the youngest brother, Willie, was running the farm, along with his mother. Gilbert’s occupation is listed as “none”. They didn’t even include him as a laborer on the family farm—he should have been able to contribute in some way even with only one arm. Was there more wrong? Was he suffering from depression, or was he still recovering from the amputation?

By the 1930 census, he was still living at home with his mother and brother Willie, but at least was listed as a farm laborer, so he was recognized as a contributing member of the family.

1940 census, living in trailer camp

At some point after 1935, Gilbert left his family, friends and hometown, ending up by the 1940 census in a “trailer camp” in Paducah, Kentucky. He was unemployed, presumably living off disability benefits. His brother Willie had married in 1936. I suspect this may have prompted Gilbert’s decision to move out; it would have been uncomfortable to be the fifth wheel in the newlyweds’ home.

Gilbert moved on to Arkansas before the onset of World War II, registering for the draft in Little Rock on April 27, 1942. His draft registration card is a sad, grim record, noting that the “person who will always know your address” was the postmaster in Hanska—not a relative or friend. The reverse side of the draft card states, “Right Arm (lost in France) off at elbow. Impediment in speech.” This is the first notation of a speech impediment. Was this a new development, was it another manifestation of his war injury or was it a lifetime affliction? The draft card also notes how small a man he was—only 5 feet 3 inches tall, and 140 pounds.

Gilbert applied for a marriage license in Maricopa County, Arizona on October 23, 1946. He stated that he was 51 and a resident of Hanska, Minnesota even though he hadn’t been living there for nearly a decade. His bride, Pearl Dennis, 52, stated she was a resident of Little Rock, Arkansas, which was the city Gilbert lived in when he registered for the draft.

The couple apparently lived in Tucson for the rest of their lives. They appear in a 1959 city directory, living in a small Spanish style stucco house at 3543 Liberty Avenue, which was still their address when Pearl died June 15, 1965.

At some point after her death, Gilbert moved into a nursing home called Edna’s Christian Boarding Home, which housed several World War I veteran residents. He died there April 19, 1974, and was buried at the South Lawn Memorial Cemetery in Tucson. A newspaper article noted that other residents at the Edna’s Home decorated his grave in 1976.

I can’t help but wonder how Gilbert’s life might have been different if he had returned home from World War I unwounded. I feel that the loss of his arm robbed him of more than just his arm. He seems to have returned home a troubled man. I hope his later years in Tucson with his wife were satisfying and happy. He deserved a happy ending after his suffering.