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Thomasville Memorial Day Celebration 2010
For information on Memorial Day Celebration you may contact us at:
The Story of the Pin
In the early years of the 20th Century, many cities across the nation formed National Guard units which had been newly
funded by the federal government. There were about fifty organized in cities throughout North Carolina and Thomasville
was one of those. With Mayor W. O. Burgin as captain and two prominent businessmen as officers, about seventy-five
young men held regular drills in one of the upstairs halls on Salem Street. They were Company L of the Third North Carolina
Brigade and called themselves the "THOMASVILLE BLUES." The reports were that the company was "composed of
the town's best and most respected young men and the officers are energetic business young men who will take a keen
interest in the company and do all possible to make it the best company in the regiment." [Lexington Dispatch, 1909] Twenty-four drills were held each year with a summer camp usually at Camp Glenn near Morehead City, NC. Once,
though, they traveled to Camp Pettus near Anniston, AL for their annual encampment. All the training paid off when
they, along with hundreds of other National Guard units from across the nation, were sent to Texas in 1916 over tensions
with Mexico. While Brigadier General John J. "Black Jack" Pershing pursued Pancho Villa over 400 miles into Mexico,
the National Guard was encamped along the border at El Paso as a rear guard.
In March, 1917, the boys returned home only to be re-activated for service in France. World War I had been raging in
Europe for three years and when the United States finally entered the conflict in April, 1917, all available troops were to
be deployed "over there." In May, 1918, now part of the newly formed Thirtieth “Old Hickory” Division, the Thomasville
boys were sent to France and attached to the British army. On September 29, 1918, the 120th infantry which included
Company L, was in the spearhead in the assault on the Hindenburg line, a German defensive front which both sides believed
could not be broken. It was broken in fine style by the 120th with heavy casualties. This was the event which
broke the back of the German army and lead to the armistice six weeks later.
This part of Thomasville's past has remained mostly buried in the pages of history for over ninety years, for the men are
all gone now and almost forgotten. This pin commemorates their service and their sacrifice. Only one of the men on the
pin is identified. In a crouched position in the center is First Lieutenant Robert O. Little who is instructing a line of soldiers
in marksmanship. The man in civilian clothes may be C.R. Thomas, grandson of John Thomas, who wrote a weekly
column for the Lexington Dispatch and was present at some of the summer camps. This photo was made almost exactly
100 years ago in 1910 at Camp Glenn.
(Watch for a new book about Company L to be published in the fall of 2010.)
2009 Memorial Day News & Record Interviews
