Edward Nash
Nash, Edward
Private Headquarters Company
Son of Mr. and Mrs. Wm. Nash, Kingsley, Iowa
Born at Kingsley, Iowa, September 13, 1894
Killed March 5, 1918 in action.
Private Nash was a member of the Stokes Mortar Platoon, which were manning gun No. 1, when a German 210 hit the gun and killed him instantly.
Private Nash died as an American soldier with his face towards the enemy.
Private Nash was a very reliable young man and had many friends, both old and young.
**Other notations with the photos of the other soldiers killed with Nash on March 5th:
“Although there is no place where we can say 'Here lies the bodies of Porsch, Nash and Worden,' yet we know that all these men, the pride of the platoon, were at their places with their faces toward the enemy in the first defensive combat of the regiment.”
“In the early hours of the morning of March 5th, when the enemy put down a box barrage, our men were called to the alert posts. The Stokes Mortar Platoon rushed out to man the guns. As the men of Gun No. 1 reached the emplacement, a German 210, a large shell, hit the base of their gun, killing seven men instantly." (Several of the bodies were blown entirely to pieces, with no parts ever being found.)
~Source: The Price of our Heritage, Published 1919, page 48 & 50
NOTE: Nash died in this incident along with another Plymouth County soldier, Albert E. Hoschler, of Akron, Iowa.
LeMars Sentinel
March 12, 1918
KILLED IN FRANCE
PLYMOUTH COUNTY BOYS AMONG LIST OF DEAD
LOSE LIVES ON FIGHTING FRONT
Victims Members of the One Hundred and Sixty-Eighth Infantry
Edward Nash, of Kingsley, and Albert Hoschler, of Akron, Among the Slain
The names of two Plymouth County boys appear in list of killed from the
front yesterday. The names of the home boys who died for their country are
Edward Nash, of Kingsley, and Albert E. Hoschler, of Akron.
The death of Sergeant Walter Porsch in action is also announced. He is a
son of John Porsch, of Fort Dodge, a former LeMars resident, and is a nephew
of Mrs. Yerger, and a grandson, of J. Porsch, of this city.
A dispatch from Des Moines says:
“Somewhere in France” fifteen more Iowa young men have joined Merle Hay in
eternal sleep and have made the supreme sacrifice for their country in the
Great War of democracy. Four of the men are from Northwestern Iowa.
Capt. Harrison Cummins McHenry, of Des Moines, and fourteen of his fellow
fighters of the One Hundred and Sixty-eighth infantry, formerly the 3rd
Iowa, are dead and twenty more men of the same regiment, including three
from Cedar Rapids, representing all sections of Iowa, were wounded in the
first series of engagements participated in by that unit, which, as a member
of the Rainbow division, is the first made up exclusively of Iowa troops to
reach the front.
Particulars of how the men laid down their lives are not known. Their names
are included in a causality list given out by the War Department Saturday
afternoon, and which in addition contains the names of several more killed
and wounded, some of whom may be from Iowa.
Under the new ruling of the War Department, the addresses of the men were
not given and were supplied only by a comparison of the list with a roster
of the One Hundred and Sixty-eighth regiment.
John Porsch was born in LeMars and lived here when a boy. His father was
agent for the American Express company here until he went on the Illinois
Central railroad as express messenger.
Albert Hoschler is a son of Mrs. Hoschler of Akron, which is the family
home. Before enlisting he worked at the barber trade in his home town and
in Merrill.
Edward Nash, is a son of Mr. and Mrs. Wm. Nash, of Kingsley, where he was
born and raised and assisted his father in the carpenter trade until he went
into the service.
-----
LeMars Sentinel
March 22, 1918
KINGSLEY:
All the churches of Kingsley withdrew their services Sunday evening and
united in a union memorial service at the Methodist church for Ed Nash, the
first boy of Kingsley, killed in France. A very large crowd gathered, so
much so that the church was completely filled and many turned away. The
audience was addressed first by J. M. Wormley and Rev. Ruming of the
Congregational church.
Nash's Mother received a wonderful "surprise" package in 1931. Read about it in the following newspaper article:
LeMars Globe-Post, April 2, 1931
MOTHER GETS WATCH OF WAR VICTIM SON
Mrs. Wm. Nash of Kingsley Gets Relic of First Kingsley Boy Killed
Kingsley News-Times: Mrs. Wm. Nash received this week a watch, which was formerly owned by her son Edward, who was the first Kingsley boy to lose his life in the world war. The watch was sent to Mrs. Nash from a Felix A. Berner of Minneapolis, who 14 years ago was engaged in the jewelry business in LeMars. A letter which was received from that gentleman, explained that while Ed Nash was a member of Company K and stationed at LeMars, he wished to trade his pocket watch for a wrist watch. Mr. Berner says, “While in the jewelry business in LeMars, your son Edward came in to purchase a military strap watch and after learning that he wished to trade in the watch I tried to discourage him from doing so for it wads a much better timepiece than anything the jewelers had in imported strap watches at that time. After repeated attempts to dissuade him, I was told that if I did not want to deal with him, he would go elsewhere and at that point I consented to the trade. The case was worn and I sent it to the manufacturer to be exchanged for a new one. I carried that for several years personally, particularly after your son was killed.”