Floyd Boyce Phillips was one of millions of boys from the United States who were sent across the Atlantic to the Old Country to fight in the Great War. In this series of posts, we follow the 101st anniversary of Floyd’s journey and get glimpses of what was going on at home while he was over there.

Many thanks to Coralee for providing me with artifacts throughout the years and especially for the stack of WWI-era letters that were delivered to me on 31 May 2019. They have provided countless hours of family history entertainment.

– Denise

A rare photograph from Friday, 16 May 1919, shows Floyd posing with a colleague named “Raser” in a shell hole. The back of the photograph indicates that they were at Reims, France.

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Next…

A Year Since You Left

Who is Who?

Raser

The pal in the photo with Floyd, was likely Ernest Edmund Raser. He was the only Raser listed in Ordinance Casual Company Number 52, the unit to which Floyd was attached.

Ernest traveled to France on the same boat as Floyd, so it’s possible they were stationed together throughout their deployment.

This Ernest was indeed still in France on 16 May 1919. He left France on 27 Jun 1919 from Brest, France and arrived in New York on 10 Jul 1919. His home town was Arcola, Douglas County, Illinois. It makes sense that two Illinois boys might hang together.

Ernest, a Sergeant nicknamed “Dutch,” was born 26 February 1893, making him just about a year younger than Floyd. He was born in Douglas County, Illinois and died there on 2 May 1982 at age 89.

Sources:

Floyd Boyce Phillips, “Journal” (Army, 1918-1919).” privately held by Denise Krueger, Rochester, MN, 2019.

Raser and Phillips in “shell hole” photograph, Phillips Family Collection; privately held by Denise Rae Krueger, [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE,] Rochester, Minnesota, 2019. This photograph, approximately 2″ x 3″ was labeled, “Reims, France 5-16-19 Raser and Phillips in “shell hole.” It was passed down from Coralee Krueger, daughter of Floyd Phillips (pictured) to Denise Krueger on 31 May 2019. The photo is in rough condition, so was scanned and digitally cleaned up.

WWI Interactive Timeline, The National WWI Museum and Memorial ( https://www.theworldwar.org/explore/interactive-wwi-timeline : accessed 3 Jun 2019)

The National Archives at College Park; College Park, Maryland; Record Group Title: Records of the Office of the Quartermaster General, 1774-1985; Record Group Number: 92; Roll or Box Number: 370. Name: Ernest E Raser; Departure Date: 31 Jul 1918; Departure Place: Newport News, VA; Residence Place: Arcola Ills; Father: Gustave Raser; Ship: America; Rank: Private; Service Number: 2692968; Notes: 36th Prov Ord Depot Co 1st Prov Ord Depot Regt.

The National Archives at College Park; College Park, Maryland; Record Group Title: Records of the Office of the Quartermaster General, 1774-1985; Record Group Number: 92; Roll or Box Number: 189. Name: Ernest E. Raser; Departure Date: 27 Jun 1919; Departure Place: Brest, France; Arrival Date: 10 Jul 1919; Arrival Place: New York; Residence Place: Arcola, Illinois; Father: Gustav Raser; Ship: MANITOU; Military Unit: ORD . CAS . CO . 52; Rank: Sergeant; Service Number: 2692968; Notes: ORDNANCE CASUAL COMPANY NUMBER 52.

Ancestry.com. U.S., Department of Veterans Affairs BIRLS Death File, 1850-2010 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011. Name: Ernest Raser; Gender: Male; Birth Date: 26 Feb 1893; Death Date: 2 May 1982; SSN: 356057185; Enlistment Date 1: 10 Apr 1918; Release Date 1: 3 Jul 1919.

Ernest Edmund “Dutch” Raser, Find A Grave ( https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/112401157 : accessed 16 Jun 2019).

The Phillips Family

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