WWI Memorials in Connecticut
Doughboys were the informal nickname given to First World War soldiers. They were officially known as the men of America who served in the Great War. This was not only common in America. Britain was also part of this tradition. In the First World War website, it is speculated that doughboy was a term that was loosely used through Spain and Britain with meanings foreign to one another. The term eventually found its way to be used throughout America. According to the Hartford Courant, this particular “WWI Doughboy” located in New Haven, CT was a memorial dedicated in 1937 to soldier Timothy Francis Ahearn who sacrificed his life during the Great War. Ahearn’s native home was in New Haven; this is where he created his childhood and adulthood memories. This statue built by Karl Land depicts Ahearn standing with his right foot forward and his right hand resting on his right leg. His position is upright with his glance fixed on something below him. His glance seems to be fixed on transcendence. The Hartford Courant also provided its current location between the intersection of Route 10 and Route 34 in New Haven. Finally, adds that he was awarded the “Distinguished Service Cross for action at the Battle of Verdun during the First World War.” This is not only a war memorial; it is a symbol of sacrifice, courage and strong sense of conviction. It is a symbol of a nation’s hero that continues to inspire generations.
This digital photograph shown here was taken on April 21st, 2018 by Public History Graduate student, Mary A. Falvey. It depicts the monument built in Northwood Cemetery, Soldiers’ Field, in Hartford CT. A Hartford Courant article written in 1938 held a dedication for this monument describing “The Memorial, as a granite slab of 6 feet tall by three and a half feet wide, of Rock of Ages granite, bears the Legion emblem in sand engraving, and the inscription read:
‘To perpetuate the memory of women veterans of the World War, Jane A. Delano Post No. 7. The American Legion erects this memorial.’”
This memorial was dedicated to all the local veterans within the Hartford County. This was one of very few women veteran memorials created locally located within the Hartford area. This monument speaks to a collective effort among all Hartford women veterans who like men served in the First World War and can be recognized as heroes of the Great War. Special thanks to Mary A. Falvey for digital photographs and Hartford Courant article!
The Norfolk World War I Memorial is another war memorial located in Connecticut constructed in 1921. According to the Waymark website, it is located “at the intersection of US Route 44 and SR 272 in Norfolk, CT.” It is bell-shaped with the inclusion of a copy of the Liberty Bell. There are three separate plaques, one of them honoring the veterans of the Great War and the other two provide the names of Norfolk veterans who served in the First World War. The description of the plaque reads:
“1917 The World War 1918
In Honor of Those Who Gave And Those
Who Offered Their Lives For Liberty
The People Of Norfolk Have Built
This Monument And Crowned It With
The Liberty Bell
In The Faith That It Will Ring The Knell Of War
And Proclaim The Brotherhood Of Man”
The Liberty Bell shape of the memorial in itself encompasses the doctrine of liberty given to the country. The liberty and freedom which was courageously fought for by brave American souls.
The New Britain World War I Memorial stands “90-foot tall on top of the Walnut Hill off of West Main Street” according to an article by Hartford Courant. This monument was built to commemorate the one hundred and twenty three men who served and sacrificed their lives in the Great War. Other citizens who have also served in other wars such as Sgt. Andre St. Laurent, here he is pictured paying his respects to this monument during a 2007 Memorial Day ceremony. This monument is almost reminiscent of an Egyptian obelisk, which in ancient times it represented a sundisk and this symbolized rays of sunlight. Thus, in a way, this war memorial is representative of hope and an emblem of their huge service to country.