HECTOR PARQUETTE

HECTOR (Acton) PARQUETTE

A Profile and A Tribute

PROFILE:

He would be my great uncle.

Born:  1890 Massachusetts probably Haverhill

Died:  21 July 1918 Meuse-Argonne, France

Buried: Oise-Aisne American Cemetery      PLOT A    ROW 21     GRAVE 23

 Parents: Henri Parquette 1842-1922 and Elizabeth LaSarge 1854-1906

Spouse & Children:  wife’s given name possibly Elizabeth. 2 Children -- Names unknown.  The only mention I’ve found is his Draft Registration Card 5 June 1917. He indicates that he’s married with wife and 2 children. At the time he’s living at 48 Summer Street, Watertown, Mass. with his brother, Archibald William (my grandfather).

Occupations: Cutter in show factory, Haverhill age 10.  Watch maker, Waltham age 27.

 TRIBUTE

to all the young men that died entirely too young and

too painfully in the trenches subjected to poison gases.

 LEST WE FORGET.

The 26th Infantry Division was an infantry division of the United States Army. As a major formation of the Massachusetts Army National Guard, it was based in Boston, Massachusetts.

The 26th Infantry Division remained in a relatively quiet region of the lines along the Chemin des Dames for several months before it relieved the 1st Division near St. Mihiel on 3 April. In late April, German infantry conducted a raid on positions of the 26th Division, one of the first attacks on Americans during the war. At 0400 on 20 April, German field artillery bombarded the 102nd Infantry's positions near Seicheprey before German stoßtruppen moved against the village. The artillery box barrage, continuing 36 hours, isolated American units. The Germans overwhelmed a machine gun company and two infantry companies of the 102nd and temporarily breached the trenches before elements of the division rallied and recaptured the village. The Germans withdrew before the division could counterattack but inflicted 634 casualties, including 80 killed, 424 wounded, and 130 captured, while losing over 600 men, including 150 killed of their own. Similar raids struck the 101st infantry at Flirey on 27 May, and the 103rd Infantry at Xivray-et-Marvoisin on 16 June, but were repulsed. The 26th Division was relieved by the 82nd Division on 28 June, moved by train to Meaux, and entered the line again northwest of Chateau Thierry, relieving the U.S. 2nd Division on 5 July.

As the size of the American Expeditionary Force grew, the division was placed under command of I U.S. Corps in July. When the Aisne-Marne campaign began shortly thereafter, the division, under I U.S. Corps was placed under command of the French Sixth Army protecting its east flank. When the offensive began, the division advanced up the spine of the Marne salient for several weeks, pushing through Belleau Wood, moving 10 miles from 18 to 25 July. On 12 August it was pulled from the lines near Toul to prepare for the next offensive. The division was then a part of the offensive at St. Mihiel, during the Battle of Saint-Mihiel. The division then moved in position for the last major offensive of the war, at Meuse-Argonne. This campaign was the last of the war, as an armistice was sighed shortly thereafter.

During World War I the division spent 210 days in combat, and suffered 1,587 killed in action and 12,077 wounded in action.