WORLD WAR I
Bingham War Memorial
Service Record
| William Dunsmore | 5th Engineers (USA) | Born 1891 | |
| US Passport application | Served on the Western Front from August 1918 to Feb 1919 | ||
| Roll of Honour | Served on the Western Front | ||
| 5th Engineers | From: http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/agency/army/5eng.htm The 5th Regiment of Engineers was redesignated on 29 August 1917 as the 5th Engineers. On 6 December 1917, the Regiment was assigned to the 7th Division. As soon as space was available, the Regiment moved to Camp Wheeler, Georgia, home of the 7th Division. From Camp Wheeler, the Regiment was ordered to Camp Merritt, New Jersey in order to train to deploy with the 7th Division to the front in World War One. The 5th Engineers boarded the H.R. Mallory on 39 July 1918 and sailed for France, arriving in Brest on 12 August 1918. The Regiment became part of the 240,613 Army Engineers that would serve in the US Army Expeditionary Force. On 9 October 1918, the 7th Division relieved the 90th Division in the Puvenelle Sector. The 5th Engineers relieved the 315th Engineer Battalion, and by midnight that night had been welcomed to the war by an artillery barrage from the Germans. The Regiment immediately started work on organizing resistance along the front of its sector. After establishing the line of resistance the Regiment immediately set to work on stringing barbed wire, digging trenches, and creating shelters. On 30 October 1918, the Regiment began moving to positions in order to be able to support the Second Army's winter offensive. However, prior to the start of the offensive, the Armistice was signed. The Regiment was awarded a campaign streamer for Lorraine 1918 for its service. Following the Armistice the Regiment consolidated in Bouillonville. While in Bouillonville, the Regiment worked on salvaging equipment, building walkways, bridges, new barracks, and clearing mines. The soldiers of the Regiment cleared and detonated over 1,000 mines, and received an official commendation for its effort in clearing the road through Xammes, Charey, and Mars-le-Tour. On 11 February 1919, the 5th Engineers boarded the USS George Washington in Brest, France for the return trip to the United States. President Woodrow Wilson joined the Regiment on the return trip, and commended them for their service in France. |
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Family history etc
| William Dunsmore | |||
| 1891 | Born Bingham June 3rd |
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| Census 1891 |
Father Joseph, wife and first two children living in Union Street, Bingham | Platelayer | |
| Census 1901 |
Living in a four room house in Long Acre with: Father: Joseph,b1862 Woolsthorpe, Lincs Mother: Mary Ellen, b1864 Bottesford, Leics Siblings: George, b 1887 Bingham Gertrude, b 1890 Nottingham Frank, b 1893 Joseph, b 1894 Susan, b 1895 Richard, b 1897 |
Foreman Platelayer on Railways |
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| Census 1911 |
William not in census. Family living in a four room house in Long Acre: Father: Joseph (d 1946 aged 83) Mother: Mary Ellen Brothers: Joseph Richard Note: Frank live-in with farmer and family in South Muskham Note: Gertrude living at 12 Shakespeare Street Nottingham with Employer: Percy Edgar Tressider His niece and another servant Note: Susan living at 32 Gladstone terrace, Grantham with Employer: Sarah Wood, aged 41 And one other servant. |
Platelayer, GNR Lad porter, Great Northern Railway Farm Servant Servant Physician and Surgeon Domestic servant |
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| 1913 | William and George sailed to New York on the SS Caronia in May/June 1913. George took out America citizenship in New York on 2nd June 1913. His address was 3763 Williams Street, Colorado. On the form he says he arrived in New York on the SS Caronia on June 22 1913. | ||
| 1920 | July 8th 1918 William was naturalised as a US citizen. In
1920 William applied for a US passport. He certified he had lived for six
years in Denver Colorado. His occupation was machinist Helper. He certified he had served with the A(merican) E(xpeditionary) F(orce) in France. He required the passport to visit his father. |
Click to see image | |
1920 US census |
William lived in Denver as a Railway Labourer and is single. He rented accommodation on High Street, Denver. This was a 20 minute walk from his brother in Clayton Street. | Brother George also lived in Denver and worked for the railroad. | |
| 1930 US census | Living with wife Ruth Ellen at 3721 Gilpin Street, Denver. His occupation was railroad shops worker. His wife was English having emigrated in 1919. She was also now a US Citizen. | ||
| 1940 US census | By 1940 William and Ruth were living in Denver with her mother, Ann Goodson, aged 72. She was also naturalised and she owned the house. William was a coal heaver. | ||
