**Readers desiring a quick review of the US participation in WWI can find a summary in the blog at:
Henry Joseph “Hank” Bosse was born on 14 January 1896 in Spencer, MA. By 1910, his family lived on Danforth Street in Framingham. At 14,he worked in the Saxonville Mills.
Saxonville Mills/Roxbury Carpet Company late 1800s-early 1900s
Image: Framingham History Center
By June of 1917, Hank was employed as a machinist for a company in Worcester. On 20 September 1917, like many of his peers caught up in “war fervor,” he enlisted in the Army. On 09 November 1917, Private Bosse (Army Serial Number 1905102) was assigned to the Headquarters Company of the 327th Infantry Regiment. This regiment had been recently established (05 August 1917) in the growing Regular Army. It was stationed at Camp Gordon, Georgia. The 327th was attached to the 164th Infantry Brigade of the 82nd “All American” Infantry Division. The “All American” moniker was chosen to recognize the fact that the division was made up of soldiers from all 48 states rather than a unit formed from specific states or regions (like the famed 26th “Yankee” Division which hailed from New England).
WWI 82nd All-American Division Shoulder Patch
Image: Public Domain
**Of note, in 1942 the 82nd Infantry Division became the 82nd US Airborne Division. This storied division would fight in the Sicily Campaign, the Normandy Invasion, Operation Market Garden (German-occupied Netherlands) and the Battle of the Bulge.
WWII 82nd Airborne Patch
Image: Public Domain
Hank arrived in France on 01 May 1917 aboard the passenger liner/troop ship S.S. GRAMPIAN.
S.S. GRAMPIAN (foreground)
Source: Halifax Herald April 13, 1915
The 82nd would play a significant role in American Expeditionary Force (AEF) Operations until the war’s end. In particular, the 327th distinguished itself in the St. Mihiel (12-16 September 1918) and Meuse-Argonne (26 September-11 November 1918) Offensives. The regiment is credited in official Army histories for being the first American unit to pierce the heavily fortified Hindenburg Line in a section known as “Kriemhilde Stellung“ in October 1918.
Watch this remarkable 3D, ABMC Visualization:
While Hank was assigned to the Headquarters Company, he was not in an administrative position. His duties during the St. Mihiel and Meuse-Argonne offensives would have included serving as a Signaler/Runner and/or in the Pioneer or Intelligence Sections. The Signaler/Runners would frequently move between the front lines and command posts to deliver time-sensitive written orders and ensure the command had the most current “situational awareness.” This task was frequently undertaken under heavy enemy small arms, machine gun and/or artillery fire. Pioneer/Intelligence tasks could include clearing obstacles and mapping terrain.
For his courage and resilience,Hank was awarded the Silver Star Citation for his WWI Victory Medal for bravery during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive (26 September-11 November 1918). His citation reads…
“On the morning of October 8th, 1918, during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive Sgt. Bosse after two runners had been wounded in an attempt to get a message to the Battalion Commander, personally took the message through heavy machine gun and artillery fire.He remained on duty during the entire twenty-five days of the offensive, always showing a disregard for personal danger and inspiring the highest confidence and courage in his men.”
Victory Medal with Silver Star for Bravery
The AEF spent only 200 days in combat operations (25 April 1918 to 11 November 1918).The 82nd Division detached from the AEF on 18 May 1919, having sustained over 8,000 casualties. During its combat service, Hank’s 327th Infantry Regiment sustained 2,363 battle casualties: 331 Killed in Action, 73 who Died of Wounds and 1,959 soldiers Wounded in Action.
Hank returned from France on the troopship WALTER A. LUCKENBACH in May 1919. He was discharged from the Army on 28 May 1919.
Image: U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command
Upon his return home, Hank launched into a baseball career. He was a right-handed batting and throwing outfielder. He would spend from 1920-1929 playing minor league, professional baseball for several clubs,to include:
-The Pittsfield Hillies (Eastern League)
-The Asheville (North Carolina) Tourists (South-Atlantic League)
-The Springfield Ponies (Eastern League)
-The Brockton Shoemakers (New England League)
1928 Pittsfield Hillies Team (Hank is number 2)
Image: RetroSportsArt on Ebay
In 1926, Hank married Ms. Idell Brock of Franklin Street, Framingham. As indicated in their wedding announcement, the couple would quickly set out for Asheville, North Carolina for Hank’s next stop on the baseball merry-go-round.
Bosse-Idell Brock Wedding Announcement
Image: Boston Globe, 12 May 1926
In his 13 seasons (A and B Leagues combined) he hit for a respectable .280 average. His Pro/Semi-Pro playing days ended in 1934 when he was 38 years old.
Hank and Idell eventually settled in Boston. He would hold several different jobs in his senior years, including machinist, Works Progress Administration (WPA) laborer, porter and watchman. Idell was employed as a bookkeeper. Hank passed away in 1968 at the “Chelsea Soldiers Home,” which is now known as “the Massachusetts Veterans Home at Chelsea." His final resting place is in Lawrence, MA.
Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery
Images: American Battle Monuments Commission
Sources
"American Armies and Battlefields in Europe," Center of Military History, United States Army, 1938
“Framingham, An American Town,” by Stephan Herring, 2000
The Framingham History Center
"To Conquer Hell, The Meuse-Argonne, 1918," by Edward G. Lengel, 2008
The Library of Congress
Massachusetts National Guard, Historical Services Directorate
The National Archives
National Museum of the United States Army
The National WWI Museum and Memorial
"Official History of 82nd Division American Expeditionary Forces, All American Division," written by Divisional Officers designated by the Division Commander, Bobbs-Merrill, 1920
"My Experiences in the World War, Volume II,” by General John J. Pershing, 1931
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