Honoring Marion Ohio Veterans

William “Hike” Jordan Currin was born on 2 July 1890, in Bellefontaine, Logan County, Ohio. His parents are Rev. John P. “J. P.” & Marietta “Etta” (Jordan) Currin. William had two brother and one sister. William J. Currin had lived in California and attended Berkley Academy for two years. He then returned to the Marion schools to complete his preparatory work before entering Denison University in 1909.
While attending Denison University, Currin served as editor-in-chief of the college newspaper and was considered one of the “best English students who attended Denison for years.” He was a member of the Phi Delta Theta fraternity.

After graduating from Denison University with the Class of 1913, Currin moved to Cleveland, Ohio, a began working as a reporter for the Cleveland Plain Dealer, where he remained for over a year. In August of 1914, he resigned and moved to Toronto, Canada to join the military.

Before the United States entered the Great War, William J. Currin had an adventurous desire to experience combat and gain valuable insight into the war first hand. It is thought that he had interest in writing about his experience in Europe.

On 24 September 1914, William J. Currin bore his allegiance to King George the Fifth and agreed to serve in the Canadian Over-Seas Expeditionary Force. He served with the First Toronto Battery, Ammunition Column, Canadian Light Artillery. He wrote a letter on 30 September 1914, while waiting aboard the HMT Grampian. They were awaiting the British navy to escort them across the Atlantic. They were sailing for England to continue training until they were sent to France. They arrived in England and the Canadian Expeditionary Forces (CEF) camped at Salisbury Plains. Salisbury Plains are known as the location of Stonehenge and is located in southern England. The CEF spent the winter of 1914/15 in Salisbury Plains.

He mentioned in a postcard, sent to Edith M. Philbrook (Denison Class of 1912), dated 23 October 1914, of his location in England. He gave her his mailing address and mention “I own one eighth of tent in a field just around the corner from Stonehenge.”

In March of 1915, the regiment that Currin was with moved to France. He experienced his first combat in May of 1915, during the Second Battle of Ypres.

I am writing this on a cannon in the midst of the first battle I have ever seen, was sent back to the ammunition column about an hour ago and some others to get shells for one of the divisions, but no one has come for them yet – in the meantime I’ll wield the pen instead of the sword. Two words will tell the story of everything we’ve done since I wrote last – digging trenches. It is beastly work. Yesterday this fair France land was prinking in the sunlight, putting on most marvelous garments – pink and gray and green and gold – today one can’t see through the smoke; The ground is trampled into mud a foot deep; bullets are popping merrily: men dropping like flies. Everywhere around me as I write noise, and dust and dirt and confusion And tomorrow the first of May.

Letter Written to Lily B. Sefton on 15 May 1915

Prior to this letter arriving, Currin’s father received a letter from the British government that mistakenly reported his son had been wounded, on 2 May 1915. Currin did not write for a while, but then denied any wounds received. Apparently, the unit had been gassed by the Germans. William stated in another letter that, “I have used a whole bottle of good ink denying that I am on the casualty list.”

By 12 June 1915, Currin was in the North of France, Second Battle of Ypres, and had not yet been wounded. Apparently somebody had received false word that he had been wounded. In his letter to Philbrook he denies any harm and states he has sent “several hundred denials.” A letter dated 17 July 1915, shows he is with Gunnery C, Ammo Column, Third Brigade, First Canadian Division, British Expeditionary Force.

In a letter written on 29 December 1915, Currin uses his literary and dramatic skills to describe to Edith Philbrook the conditions he lives. He writes it as if it were a dramatic play. The following is part of the letter.

[Scene: Billet in tents on Belgian Frontier. Drivers and gunners in Canadian Field Artillery service going, or gone, to bed, wooden, hard therefore, and none too wide, four about a tent-pole. W.J.C., an unknown prophet, seated on edge of his bed, scribbling in a small note book rough and uneven lines, by the light of three stubs of candles, arranged in line before the notebook. Notebook and candles are placed on a bit of board held upon his knees.
Coats of various degrees of wetness, cleanness, and size hang upon tent-pole in center. They are all khaki. Upon the other side of the pole the heads of two beds run into the shadow. Rounded clumps of grey blankets show the beds are occupied. A bit of straggly moustache (King’s Rule and Regulation No. DCVIII) of indeterminate color sticks from under the blanket of the third bed. The blanket rises and falls periodically as the occupant inhales and exhales a cloud of smoke from the end of a ragged cigarette.
Outside it rains. To anyone thrusting his head outside of the tent for an instant the darkness appears quite black; relieved in one direction by a momentary flicker of paleish light, apparently falling at a slow rate from an uncertain point above the horizon, and “going out” as it falls. That way lie the trenches of the first infantry line.
An unsteady, faintly yellow blur of light upon the night, near at hand, as it moves hardly throws into relief the shadowy lines of blanketed horses, through which a night picket is passing. The horses move restlessly under the gradually roughening wind and rain.
Upon the left, a certain distractness of shadow suggests the shoulder of a hill rising to an inconsiderable height. Dim blobs of luminosity probably come from partly shuttered windows in houses at the top. An obscure projection of the shadow in a sort of line over the rest of the hill represents a row of tall Flemish elms, with bushy, leafless, tops, following the road, or village street.
The only noise is a kind of hum arising from all the tents in the billet, which refuses resolution into it’s elements: Occasionally a match of English comic song, or American-Canadian dime lyric, makes itself heard. Some tents glow dully seen from the outside, with the light of the candles burnt within. Others are simple cones of shadow, of which an observer is scarcely able to determine the 9 size and height. On all of these the rain is blown gustily.
Some, with grey ropes not properly tightened, “flop”, or seem to sway uncertainly under the force of the wind.

Excerpt from 29 December 1915 Letter to Philbrook

William J. Currin often wrote about his experience but tried to stay upbeat. In reading through the letters, his attitude becomes more solemn with his combat experiences. By the time he has been in the trenches he has seen fear, death, discomfort and heroism. He had gained much material to the future writer he desired to become. During the almost three years of service, he only received two leaves and a stint at a Rest Camp.

My Dear Miss Sefton:
I suppose you have returned to your school duties. The south is a beautiful place—you must
love it very much. Our army is still in the same place, and we are having a pleasant time drilling
and caring for our dear equine companions. The enemy, too, are in the same place. When we have ammunition we shoot at them. They often shoot back at us. Once they killed one of our men. It was very sad, but I must not talk about sad things. I hope you are very well. I am well.

Letter Written to Lily B. Sefton (Denison Class of 1911) on 24 September 1915

In a letter dated 10 August 1916, we see his rank as Gunner with the 49th Battery, 12th Artillery Brigade, First Canadians.

Gunner William J. Currin was fatally wounded during the Third Battle of Ypres. Currin then died of the wounds at the First Lancashire Ambulance Field Hospital, two days after being shot in the head.

“Deeply regret to inform you that No. 42,667,
Will J. Currin is officially reported dead
of wounds, First Eastern Lancashire Ambulance
Field; gun-shot, head”

Message Sent to Rev. John P. Currin

William P. Currin’s Father, Rev. J. P. Currin is said to have withheld to contents of the telegram from his wife, William’s mother, for four days. He was unsure of the validity of the message after receiving the mistaken report of William being wound back in May of 1915. His parents received their last two letters from William; one the day before his death announcement and one the day after. Both letters were written by William on 25 October 1917. Ironically he mentions the mistaken report of his being wounded in one of these last letters.

“This is a tolerably warm corner up here, if it should be asked of you. Personally, it’s rather the most interesting place to doze in, I‘ve seen. You remember you had me wounded here about one spring. This is a tidier lot than that, I assure you, what’s enough to describe this show.

Excerpt from one of William J. Currin’s last letters to his parents.

His parents then received letters from Williams comrades expressing their feelings for their son. One Corporal also sent back his belongings, including two diaries. It is not known by this author what happened to the diaries, but I am sure the entries are full of expressive accounts of the service experienced by William J. Currin.

On the Line, Nov. 11th, 1917.
Dear Mr. and Mrs. Currin:
By this time you will know of the death of your son with our boys in action here today. I trust you will realize that the sympathy and grief amongst his mates is just as sincere and marked as if he were back in his own town….You see we all have the thought of them that makes us heartsick when one of us goes.
I hope that in this time of sorrow you will find comfort in the fact that your son lived the life of a gentleman and died a brave man. It is no easy matter to keep from slipping into careless ways out here, but Will certainly lived high above anything that bordered on the evil or vulgar. He was one of the few “old boys” left in my section, and his cool bravery during the last month of bitter fighting has been a wonderful example to the men under him. You must know that in our Canadian Army the officers getting closer touch with the men than in any other army in the field today. So I looked upon your son, not only as an exceptionally capable N. C. C., but also as a friend whom I shall sincerely mourn.
He died without pain, as he did not recover consciousness after being struck by a shell as he worked beside his gun.
You have my sincerest sympathies. I am an only son.
Very truly yours,
H. F. Swann, Lieut.

Letter Sent to parents from William Currin’s Lieutenant.

12th Battery, Field Artillery, France.
Dear Mr. and Mrs. Currin:
Although you are unknown to me and I to you. I feel that I must in this, your time of distress, pen a few lines as a token of my respect for Will and as an expression of my deepest sympathy for his dear ones left behind….It may be of some comfort to you to know that he was a properly buried in a cemetery at Ypres (Belgium) behind the old prison, which is now being used as a dressing station. Under a separate cover I am forwarding a wrist watch which he was wearing at the time of his death. Also two diaries which I found in his kit.”

Letter from Corporal E. Millwood to Currin’s parents

William J. Currin’s enlistment had expired, yet he was unable to leave those he was serving with to continue the fight. He felt obligated to continue with them for the cause of freedom, thus he stayed until his death.

William J. Cuurin is buried in Ypres Reservoir Cemetery, Ypres (Ieper), Arrondissement Ieper, West Flanders (West-Vlaanderen), Belgium.
His headstone reads: “SAY NOT GOOD NIGHT BUT IN SOME BRIGHTER CLIME BID ME GOOD MORNING”

William J. Currin is remembered on the Honor Roll, at the Veterans Memorial Park, in Marion, Ohio; and on the World War One Honor Roll, located on the second floor of the Marion County Courthouse.

In January of 1918, the Denison Alumni pledged to honor “Denison’s First Blood” in the Great War, by placing a bronze tablet. It is still on display at Doane Academics Building, Denison University in Granville, Ohio.

The First Denison Blood.
The first Denison blood has been shed in this righteous war. In the great drive on Cambrai it was spilled and the ground there must ever be holy to those who love Denison. As a college we shall make other blood offerings, but this is the FIRST. As such it calls for special recognition. Not because it was Denison blood, but because it was the FIRST Denison blood. A few of us have thought that as a special tribute to William J. Currin, ’13. it would be appropriate for the Alumni to place a bronze tablet in Trophy Hall, or in the library, where “Hike” loved so much to be, or in some other spot among the scenes so dear to him, commemorating Denison’s FIRST blood sacrifice. The cost will not be great. About twenty-five dollars has been subscribed at the present time and a small sum from each one to whom this proposition commends itself, will soon complete the amount necessary.

Denison Alumni January 1918

Later Denison University erected a memorial to honor the fallen veterans that attended Dennison University. A memorial is displayed near the front of Swasey Chapel on the campus.

While overseas William kept up correspondence with an Edith Philbrook, Denison Class of 1912. She left the letters with Denison University. He also wrote to his parents and another graduate of Denison, Lily B. Sefton (Denison Class of 1911). William likely wrote other letters, but those of Philbrook and Sefton were kept in archives at the Denison College in Granville, Ohio.

A big “Thank You” to Sasha Kim, Denison University Archivist & Special Collections Librarian & to Whitney and Maarten of the Denison Alumni Association. Thank you to all who assisted with photos and digitalizing this collection.