Biography of Frank E. Thornton

FRANK E. THORNTON. As a picture of actual warfare in
France one of the most instructive experiences is the Marine
Corps service record of Frank R. Thornton, one of the sons
of R. E. Thornton of Princeton. It was for the purpose of
presenting such a picture in this publication that the record
was obtained in Mr. Thornton's own words, and so far as
space permits it is published with only slight abbreviation.

He enlisted at Washington June 6, 1917, spent three
months at Norfolk, and then did intensive training at
Quantico, Virginia. He was transferred to the Seventieth
Machine Gun Company, First Battalion of the Marines,
and in October, 1917, qualified as a sharpshooter. This
command left New York for overseas December 11th, and
reached St. Nazaire, France, December 29th. For some-
thing over two months they were undergoing intensive drill
and training on French soil, and on March 11th Frank
Thornton was appointed acting signal sergeant. About
that time his organization was changed from the First
Machine Gun Battalion to the Seventy-seventh Company,
Sixth Machine Gun Battalion, Fourth Brigade of the Ma-
rines, Second Division. They experienced their first real
warfare in the third line trenches near Verdun on March
20th, and soon afterward Frank Thornton was detached
to do liaison and dispatch running and subsequently for ob-
servation work in the front lines near Verdun. Then, on
the last day of May, he and his comrades started for the
big battle near Chateau Thierry and were thrown into the
front line at Belleau Woods, northwest of Chateau Thierry.

The following description is in Mr. Thornton's own lan-
guage:
"At this point the Germans were making a final effort to
reach Paris, but the Marines stopped them and started
them on the march toward Berlin. At this time all we sig-
nalmen were informed that from now on we would also be
runners (considered the most dangerous work in all war-
fare). I continued to be a runner during the remainder
of the war, being placed in every attack with the Marines.
I was wounded twice and gassed slightly twice, but never
left the front lines while the Marines were there. This
was one of the hardest periods in the war for us. The
first three days' fighting in Belleau Woods was done on
empty stomach, our supply train failing to get our food
to us, and none of us could have gotten any sleep for the
first two or three nights. For fifteen days the battle raged
without chance for rest or sleep of any kind, and for
twenty days more, although the fighting was lighter, it was
not to be compared with the first fifteen days.

"On June 10th my major ordered me to go with him into
the front line to do a little observation work. While we
were there the Germans came close to us and one of them
threw a hand grenade at us, striking Major Cole (in my
opinion the bravest and beat officer that ever went over the
top, and also an expert machine gun officer) killing him al-
most instantly and tearing him almost to pieces. He never
gained consciousness.

"On June 11th we were ordered to get ready to make
another big drive. We were to go to a certain place oppo-
site the German lines, but in some way forty-eight of us
were lost in the fog, found a break in the lines, and ad-
vanced about half a mile too far, which put us more than
a quarter of a mile behind their lines. The Germans found
their line was broken and closed in, cutting us off from our
own troops. Too late we realized where we were. In a
few minutes our own artillery began to send over a bar-
rage. Luck seemed to be with us at this time; we were
just below the embankment of the road leading north out
of Lucy, and by lying flat close to the bank, all the shells
that cleared the top of the bank went over us into the hol-
low below, none of us getting killed. To add to the dis-
comfort of being placed under the shellfire of our own
troops, the Germans found that we were there and began to
fire at us with their machine guns. As soon as the barrage
was over we decided to try to get back to our own lines,
but the Germans had closed up the gap through which we
entered. Again we were lucky, for the Germans who occu-
pied the gap through which we had formerly passed as soon
as they saw us coming toward them from the rear thought
they had been trapped, and we went back with 101 of them
to our own lines.

"Just after this I had one of the most exciting experi-
ences during the war. I was sent on a run parallel to the
lines, and while I was passing through a small patch of
woods I caught sight of a German crossing an open place
with an American officer whom he had captured. I could
not bear to see a thing of this kind. I ran to the edge of
the wood, took a pop shot towards him. I didn't try to hit
him, for he was directly between me and the American offi-
cer. I was afraid I would hit the officer instead of the
German. I fired the shot near the head of the German, and
this had the right effect. He turned his head and saw me
coming in a run toward him, threw up his hands and said
'camerad.' I took him prisoner, got his helmet and sent
it home for a souvenir, also I got some post cards which
he had, and saved them to this day. Although we took
hundreds of prisoners after this, this one is the only one
I captured single handed, and the officer I had succeeded
in getting from this German was killed later the same day
in battle. The battle raged for several days, but we al-
ways gained ground."

On July 5th they were relieved, more than half of the
men of his organization having been either killed or wounded.
Then on the 18th of July they were sent to the front near
Soissons. "We were informed that the Germans had
planned an attack to begin at 4:45. When they started over
we met them and caused them to retreat. In the early part
of the fight we captured all of their artillery except one
piece. Our artillery had blown the bridges to pieces across
the river, and when they arrived there and found the bridges
gone they had to leave their guns and make their own es-
cape the best they could. On this same day the Germans
sent over hundreds of bombing planes, a more tormenting
method of warfare than their artillery had ever been. We
had advanced nine or ten kilometers before the day closed,
and this victory was considered a complete success."

>From early in August until the close of the war the
First and Second Divisions were considered shock troops
and were thrown to points of hardest fighting. Early in
September this organization went to the Toul front and on
September 11th occupied the front line against the posi-
tions the Germans had held for four years. "We realized
that they were confident that they were so well fortified
that it would be impossible for us or any other troops to
take it, but all this added to the determination on the part
of our troops to show them that we would not fail. One
o'clock on the morning of September 12 started with one
of the largest, if not the largest, barrage that was ever
thrown over into the German lines. This lasted for four
solid hours, and at 5 A. M., when our artillery began to
lift the barrage, we started 'over the top,' following right
behind our barrage, driving the Germans out of the trenches
they had held and which they were so confident they could
hold. By noon we had advanced nine kilometers and entered
Thiaucourt, but we did not halt there. We kept on the
march forward for several kilometers, repulsing several
counter attacks made by the Germans to gain some of their
lost ground, and we were engaged in a number of hotly
fought battles."

Toward the close of September the Marines were sent to
the Champaign front east of Rheims. "We repeated for-
mer battles here, and went 'over the top' on October 2d.
This contest lasted for eight days, and here also we had
some of the hardest fighting of the whole war. The allies
had tried for days to get the Germans off Mount Blanc, but
had failed. The Marines were called to help them out.
(At this time the First and Second Divisions were consid-
ered the best shock divisions.) After some hard fighting
we finally succeeded in driving the Germans from Mount
Blanc, and on the 9th day of October we were relieved by
the Thirty-sixth Division."

Then  after another period of rest and replacement his
command was ordered, on October 24th, to the Meuse-
Argonne front, where on the 27th they relieved the Forty-
second Division. "On the first day of November, 1918, at
3 o'clock P. M., we started our last big drive of the war,
and the first day we advanced about twelve kilometers. We
had hard fighting every day for the next eight days, but
gained ground all the time, and finally reached the Meuse
River. We were ordered to take the heights northeast of
the Meuse River, and on November 10th, at 7 o'clock P. M.,
we went 'over the top' again. This battle, as we saw ft,
was the worst, and it seemed the most nearly uncalled for
of any battle of the whole war, for we knew that the armis-
tice was going to be signed, but by order of the general
commander of the Fifth Army Corps we 'went over the top.'
After an all night fight with everything against us, as the
advantage in position the Germans had, we being on a
level plain while they were on the heights overlooking it,
and a bright moon shining on us, we finally took the heights
northeast of the river at the big sacrifice of about 300
killed and several hundred wounded."

After the signing of the armistice Frank Thornton was
on the march into Germany, crossing the Rhine on Decem-
ber 13th, and remaining in German territory until July,
1919. On August 4th he arrived in New York harbor, par-
ticipating in the parade of the Second Division in New
York and later with the Marines in parade at Washington,
where they were reviewed by President Wilson. On Au-
gust 13th he received his honorable discharge and started
for home.

This is a most impressive service record and can hardly
be made more so by noting the official honors bestowed upon
him. January 6, 1919, he was decorated with Croix de
Guerre for bravery in Belleau Woods, and on March 21st
received a similar clasp for his work on the Champaign
front. Later he received from the American Government
a "Good Conduct Medal," a "Victory Medal," and the
"French Froisguerre."


From The History of West Virginia, Old and New, page 44-45

Submitted by Valerie F. Crook <vfcrook@trellis.net>

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