The concussion from the bursting shell knocked Philip off his feet. He lied motionless. A fellow soldier who had been some fifty yards behind raced toward him. At first glance, he looked fine. Only one small mark from the flying shrapnel was detected. A second soldier approached, knelt on the ground beside Philip and shook his arm. There was no response. They could tell he wasn't breathing. To the east, the ray of sun had begun to fade. The first soldier that came to Philip's aid ran to the rear to get help. As he raced across the wheatfield, the last sliver of sunlight disappeared behind the clouds. It was a sign that another patriot had made the supreme sacrifice for his country. Later that evening, a runner informed John Simmons of Philip's fate. He couldn't believe it at first, but in the end came to the sad realization that his best friend was gone forever. The next morning, as the Chateau-Thierry counter-offensive continued, the 102nd advanced to take the villages of Epieds and Trugny. Thanks to the brave men of the 26th Division, in a matter of months, the war would be over.

Private Philip Edwards was buried in an American cemetery located near the small French town of Epieds. In the summer of 1921, after three long years, his body was finally returned to the United States. On July 17, in his hometown of Naugatuck, Connecticut, Philip Edwards received one of the most impressive military funerals in memory. His flag draped casket was placed near the altar in the Congregational Church he once attended. The building was filled to overflowing with family, friends, and fellow members of 102nd Regiment dressed in uniform. From the pulpit, a familiar voice rang out. Philip's pastor, the Reverend Edward R. Hance paid a glowing tribute to the gallant hero. In the second pew, Ella held her sister's hand. A tear ran down Doris's cheek. Reverend Hance reached into his pocket and produced the farewell letter that Philip had written to Benjamin and Minnie Edwards three years earlier. Making eye contact with them as they sat in the front pew, and feeling obvious emotion, the Reverend took a deep breath and began to read Philip's words.

July 19, 1918

My Dear Mother and Father:

We have started a big allied drive and our regiment is "going over the top" in a short while. I am writing a short farewell message, which will be mailed to you if I am killed, and if not, you will never see it.

I have read my Bible, and said my prayers. I believe all my sins are forgiven and I do not fear death in the least. I know that it will be heart-breaking news for you to receive this letter. But remember, we are fighting for a good cause and I think that this drive will bring peace. Tell all the boys and girls that I died game and I honestly hope none of them will ever have to get into war.

God bless and keep you both.                            Hear Phil's Letter

Your loving son to the last,                               The Letter Recreated

Phil

After the service, Philip was laid to rest with full military honors at nearby Grove Cemetery. The next day, the papers contained extensive coverage of the tribute to the local hero. As a 10-year-old child, I first learned of those events from a yellowed newspaper clipping that also contained the text of Philip's farewell letter. I was moved by Philip's words and determined to learn more about him one day. My journey of discovery began over 25 years later, and during it I came to know the areas in France where Philip fought, became good friends with the 70-year-old daughter of his best friend John Simmons and had the wonderful privilege of meeting and interviewing Ella Wininger's little sister Doris Wininger Harkins, age 90. During our discussion, I gained first-hand knowledge that Ella's undying love for Philip lasted for over 70 years.

My Journey

In the late 1990s, I had the good fortune to locate and correspond with a very knowledgeable military historian named Gilles Lagin of Marigny-en-Orxois, France. Gilles spent a significant amount of time tracing the route of Philip Edwards and the 2nd Batallion, 102nd Infantry Regiment. He supplied me with photographs, maps, a timeline, and regimental history tracking Philip's final days in France. From Gilles I learned that Philip's name appears on a wall inside the 26th "Yankee" Division Memorial Church at the entrance to Belleau. The stone building is the only memorial in France dedicated to the men of the Yankee division. Recently Gilles finished construction of the Belleau and Chateau-Thierry museum. It pays tribute to the American soldiers who fought near his hometown in World War 1. In the section of the museum dedicated to the 26th Division, a photo of Philip Edwards and John Simmons in uniform appears along with the text of Philip's farewell letter to his parents.

In 2000, I met Fran Jenkins, the youngest child of John Simmons. Fran lives just across the street from where her father grew up in the Millville section of Naugatuck, Connecticut. She shared her father's World War 1 diary with me and other family photographs, letters, and memorabilia. From Fran I learned how close John and Phil were. John always wished he had been with Phil on that fateful day and could somehow have prevented his death. In the end, however, he realized that there wasn't much he could have done. As a tribute to his best friend, during his lifetime John kept a large full length portrait of he and Philip in uniform in the bedroom of his home.

A month after I met Fran Jenkins, she helped my locate Ella's sister Doris Wininger Harkins who lived in a nearby town. Together we paid Doris a visit and I soon learned that the 90-year-old had a remarkable memory. She recalled how she used to hide when Philip visited their home to deliver groceries for the local market. Confirming stories I had heard from my 94-year-old grandmother, Doris remembered that Philip made his deliveries in a horse-drawn wagon and offered rides to the neighborhood children who all loved and admired him. She let me know that Ella's love for Phil was deep and sincere and she carried it in her heart her whole life. I learned that Phil had given Ella a locket before he went off to France. Ella kept his photo inside and always wore it. Ella died in 1992 at the age of 92.

As I concluded my interview with Doris, she gave me a photo of her sister taken shortly after she became a nurse in 1920. Several weeks later, I received a note from Doris mentioning that the farewell letter Philip wrote to his parents on July 19, 1918 was not the only one he penned that day. Ella received a farewell letter from Philip too. Although that letter and its contents have been lost to time, I'll forever wonder what Philip wrote to her on that July day that kept their love alive for all those years.

The following were sources of reference for the text in this section:

Military historian Gilles Lagin of Marigny en Orxois, France.
Sibley, Frank P. With the Yankee Division in France. Boston: Little, Brown, and Company, 1919.
Strickland, Daniel Walter. Connecticut Fights - The Story of the 102nd Regiment. New Haven: Quinnipiac Press, 1930.

Photographic Sources:

Edwards family collection.
Color photos taken by military historian Gilles Lagin.
Cooper, Captain Edwin H. and George, Albert E. Pictorial History of the 26th Division United States Army. Boston: Ball Publishing Company, 1920. (26th Division photos)