James Aloysius McCartin
James Aloysius McCartin was born September 10, 1897, to John Peter McCartin and his wife Annie Prior McCartin. John emigrated to from Ireland in 1887, while Annie emigrated in 1885. His parents married in 1896 in New Haven, CT.
James was the eldest of seven children. His siblings were Marie, Anna, John, William, Veronica, and Joseph (my great-grandfather).
Prior to the war, James lived at 20 Monroe St in New Haven and employed as an electrician at National Folding Box Co. of New Haven.
On May 2, 1917, 19 years old James enlisted in the Connecticut National Guard (CNG) in New Haven. James enlisted as a Private in the 3rd Separate Squadron, CT Calvary section. This CNG squadron morphed into Company D 102nd Machine Gun Battalion, part of the 26th Yankee Division.
From July 25, 1917, to October 1917, Pvt. McCartin was stationed in Niantic, Conn. training. October 10, 1917, McCartin embarked on a journey across the ocean on the USS Megantic from Montreal. On the twenty-third of October McCartin arrived in Liverpool, England and a few days later embarked to go to Le Havre, France. His final destination being Neufchateau, France where he stayed until February 5, 1918.
While Pvt. McCartin was a still a part of the Company D and the 26th Division, he does write on his Military Questionnaire that he was transferred from the 102nd to the Co. D 103rd Machine Gun Battalion in January 1918 which is corroborated by Connecticut Men and Women in the Armed Forces of the World War.
Pvt. James McCartin first went into action in March 1918 at Chemin des Dames also known as the Second Battle of Aisne. James also was a participant in the Toul Sector of Xivray, Aisne-Marne, St. Mihiel, and Meuse-Argonne offensive.
In May 1918, Pvt. McCartin became PFC McCartin there is no accessible record for why he was promoted but it is important to note that McCartin put this promotion on his Military Service Record.
PFC McCartin was cited for coolness and courage under fire during an attack by the enemy at Xivray-et-Marvoisin on June 16, 1918, by C.R. Edwards, the commanding officer of the 26th Division.
As a course of the war, PFC McCartin was on October 29, 1918, gassed. He wrote on his Military Service Record that he was gassed at Belleau Bais. However, in my research, I have that this gassing would have taken place during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive’s Third phase. The exact location of where PFC McCartin was is unknown at this time.
After being gassed in October 1918, McCartin was placed under medical care at Base #81 located in Bazoilles-sur-Meuse. He then was moved to Base #65 in Brest.
PFC. McCartin was shipped home from the war on the USS Mercy and disembarked in Hoboken, NJ. on December 12, 1918. McCartin was sent Debarkation Hospital #2 in Fox Hills, Staten Island, NY. He remained at the hospital until he was discharged at Camp Devens in Massachusetts on January 17, 1919.
After the War
After being discharged in January 1919, James went home to CT and returned to working as an electrician. On the 1920 US Census, James is living with his parents and siblings at 20 Monroe St in New Haven, CT. Shortly, thereafter James meets Ethel May Musgrave his future wife. On the 1930 US Census, James and Ethel had been married for eight years, putting their marriage year in 1921. Their son James R McCartin was born on September 9, 1922. The family lived on 271 Tyler St in East Haven. James was required to fill out the Old Man’s Draft card for World War II and provides key information about his employment. In the 1940s James worked for American Steel and Wire.
There is anecdotal family evidence that James was working for the United States Fruit Co. in the 1950s. This was possibly a change of career or another reason not readily known to my family. There is no record of James' death. His wife died in 1996 and his son in 1999.
Letter transcribed into The Shanachie inaugural newsletter, January 1989.
Initially, there was much hesitation in adding the text transcribed by the editor of The Shanachie into this project because the original was unlocatable in the Connecticut State Library's collection of newspapers on microfiche. However, the information in the letter was able to be verified.
"Editor's note: On April 10. 1918. a young Irish soldier from New Haven, James McCartin, of the 101st Machine Gun. wrote to his parents, Mr. and Mrs. John McCartin of 20 Monroe St. from the battlefront somewhere in France. The letter told of life with the American Expeditionary Force and provided some information about other New Haven area soldiers. including Cpl. Joseph McNamara. a 24-year-old graduate of SI. Francis School who had won the French Croix de Guerre for bravery. The letter is reprinted below. (New Haven Register, Mav 3. 1918)
Dear Father. Mother and Kids, This being the first chance I have had to write a line to let you know I am in fine health, also all the rest of the boys and hope everyone home is as well. The mail I just received is the first I have had in over a month. and it was very welcome. One of the fellows just came in with a package for me and when I opened it there were two cartons of Camels from Nell. Another very welcomed requisites. I haven't seen Johnnie or Ray since around Thanksgiving as we have all been on the move most of the time. I suppose you all know we had a whack at the trenches. We put in 15 days in the front lines and had a pretty soft time while we were there. Of course, you know it wasn't like sitting in the parlor home eating ice cream and cake. We were in right next to where the Germans are making the drive at this date. After coming out, we hiked from one town to another for about three weeks and covered over a hundred miles. We are behind the lines in the American sector and expect to go in again most any day. You remember Joe McNamara who used to live downstairs in our house? They called him 'Buttsy.' Well, he is in the same company with Johnnie and has received a 'Croix de Guerre' from the French for bringing in 17 wounded men while under shell fire . 'Croix de Guerre' is French for 'Cross of War.' Tel ma not to worry over her fruit cake not having frosting on it. I wrote and told her how I received it in the trenches, along with the can of cocoa and we had a grand time with it. John said in his letter that Lizzie Bradley heard some of the Branford battery got it in the neck. That isn't true because I was talking to a bunch of the fellows in the battery about a week ago. They were in back of us over here. They were in back of us where we were in and one night the French sent up a rocket signal for a barrage as a raiding party of Boches were coming over and all the little battery boys from New Haven got their guns talking in 28 seconds and fooled Fritz. The French general in this sector wanted to take the whole battery to Paris on parade, but there is too much business on hand just now. Well, the gang is all lining up for 'chow,' so I will close." (located on page 3)
James lived at 20 Monroe St. and did have a neighbor with the last name McNamara. Even if this letter was mistakenly identified as James McCartin's it still exemplifies the type of things that soldiers in France would have written home. The letter is upbeat and provides information that can be passed along to other friends and family members without scaring the ones at home.