20
WARNINGS: MENTIONS OF WAR
1914
IT was time.
Today was the day everything changed for Small Heath, Birmingham really, lads being sent off, promising their families they would return. Trimmed and shaven hair made them all look the same, no individuals just soldiers going off to war.
The journey to the station was gruelling, barely anyone said anything, just small talk as a way to calm their nerves.
Crowds of people were saying goodbye to their loved ones.
First Eden stood by her mother, both ready to say goodbye to her father, who put on a brave face. Neither of them had slept, Celestine sobbed through the night, clinging to her husband, fearful that if she didn't take in every detail of him, she would forget.
"Edie come 'ere," he tugged his daughter to his chest, feeling the shakes emitting from her body. She breathed him in, smelling the cigars and smoke as he spoke, "You are everything to your mother and me. We did the best with what we had to make sure you're set for life. You may be a nurse now, but I doubt that's gonna last with the way you jot down anythin' that comes to mind. You're gonna be somethin', don't let this city hold you back, don't let anyone of these fuckers, hold you back, alright?" he tugged on her chin and saw the tears pooling in her eyes, "Check you're room when you go home, got you a present – well it's for my grandchild more than you," he nodded down to her stomach and softly patted it, before embracing her once more, "keep savin' lives until I get back."
"I love you, Dad."
"I love you too."
Soon she reluctantly left her mother and father alone, trying to push past the swarm of crying mothers and wives, before stumbling into her godfather and godbrother.
Jeremiah had a sad Isaiah in his arms, the preacher's locs were still intact, and his son gripped them ever so tightly.
"Edie," Isaiah quietly waved at the pregnant woman, who pressed a kiss to his cheek.
"You're a blessing child," Jeremiah mumbled after pulling her in for a hug and kissing her forehead, "Stay safe, the devil is lurkin'."
"He's never stopped," she replied with a sad smile, "Look after my dad please,"
"I will," he nodded, then tightened his hold on his son, "You do the same with my boy."
"I will."
Eden soon spotted a familiar face, one that had healed from the scars that had been slashed and thumped, her breath hitched when he smiled at her and walked over.
"Well doesn't pregancy suit you," Enzo grinned down at the woman, after pulling her away from his family, knowing they weren't going to be welcoming.
"He told you," she beamed up at him, the sides of his hair were shaved, it made him look older, more mature.
"He told me," the ring on her finger caught his eye, "suppose I should congratulate you on the wedding," he teased with a knowing look that she giggled at, "oh how I pray your daughter gets your face and not his beady eyes."
They pair laughed.
"Oh and look," he pulled out something from his uniform pocket, showing off the picture she gave to him more than two months ago, making her tear up all over again.
"Enzo..."
"Should've brought the flower crowns ey?" they heard a voice behind them, smiling when they saw Dorris standing not too far away, "how did we get 'ere? One pregnant and the other a soldier."
"And what are you Dot, The brat?" Enzo joked, folding up the picture and putting it away.
"No that's Edie," she nodded to the pregnant woman, who feigned offence.
"Oi! So what are you then?" Eden teased, "The princess?"
"Got that right," Dorris nodded making them chuckle, as her eyes drifted down to Eden's slightly swelling stomach, "so what are you gonna name the little one then, can I suggest Dorathy?"
"Or Chiara?" Enzo suggested.
Eden raised a brow, "Italian yeah? That's gonna go down well."
"Well, I better find out soon and so what if it's Italian, you're the one carrying the kid," he muttered, then reaching out his hand, "Can I?" he waited for her to nod, then pressed his hand to the bump, blinking back his shock when he realised how real it was, "fuckin' ell, shit's real."
"'Course she is," Eden playfully smacked his hand away, whilst Dorris shook her head.
His eyes shot out of his head when he caught a familiar spot from where he stood, he motioned for them to turn around, pointing to their special place. They spent hours looking down the hill, watching trains go past and now here they were, how times have changed.
"Promise me one thing Mrs. Shelby, Miss Martin," they both waited for him to continue, "When she's born, take her to our old spot," neither of them had been they since the breakup, it was still too sore, "it'll be good for the troublemaker."
"I promise," Eden didn't hesitate and threw her arms around them.
"So do I," Dorris muttered.
"I love you," Enzo mumbled against their heads, it sounded like a proper goodbye and neither of them liked it.
He'd been coming back right? Right.
Pulling away from each other, they each caught the eyes of various people, Eden smiled when she saw Luca staring at her from the distance, and he smiled back. Dorris flirtingly blew Angel a kiss, which he caught without his mother and father seeing. But when Enzo met a pair of pale blue eyes, all he could do was nod.
To his surprise, he revived a nod back.'
"Someone's waitin' for you," his words caused Eden to spin around, seeing the Shelby clan all huddled up many yards away, "Go Dawkins, trains gonna be taking off soon."
With one last hug, she sprinted off, cautious of the time.
"Thought we wouldn't see ya before you left," Arthur steadied her with a grin.
"Couldn't 'ave that could we? A Shelby not sayin' goodbye to a Shelby, fuck that," John teased, keeping his arm wrapped around a teary-eyed Martha who passed a wide-eye Katie to her father.
"John," Polly playfully scolded her nephew, trying to prevent more tears, she said goodbye to Arthur first, leaving Tommy to hug his youngest siblings, Ada wouldn't let go of him and Finn was starting to cry again.
Freddie pressed a kiss to her cheek, even shooting a small smile at the Shelby girl, then went off to his mother.
"Johnny, don't die," Eden joked despite herself.
"Us Shelby's are hard to kill, especially me."
She sighed, "I'm serious."
"I know you are, come here."
After hugging him, she turned to Arthur, who brought her into a warm embrace, "By Arthur."
"Goodbye sister," he pressed a kiss to her head then turned to his youngest siblings, "Come 'ere you lot."
Taking a deep breath she took a few steps and came up to Tommy.
Eden gripped Tommy's hand, determined to not let go, wanting, no, needing him to stay with her, now and always, but it wasn't possible, they both knew it and yet neither relented. Fearing that if she let go, he would disappear, from her vision and possibly her life, she kept holding on, and they both did.
"I'll be back before you know it," he whispered.
She sniffled, "Don't keep me waitin'."
"I know how you get when I'm late, the whole of Small Heath does."
"I love you, y'know that right?" she felt bad for not saying it enough.
"And I love you," he said, feeling his arms hooked around his neck, he responded by holding onto her waist, "Both of you," he could feel her small bump against his stomach. "Make sure to not take that off, need you to stay safe," he gestured to the necklace she wore.
"I promise Tommy," and she meant it, he could see it in her eyes.
It seemed that they were searching each other's faces, to commit every detail to memory.
"You called me Tommy," his heart swelled and threatened to burst from his chest.
She cheekily smirked, "'Bout time right?"
"'Bout time," he paused, "Until we meet again," he vowed, blocking out the world around them, it was just her, only her.
"Don't say that. You'll be different."
"But I'll still be yours alright?" he dared to ask, feeling his throat dry up and his eyes sting with tears.
Eden nodded with hesitation, "And I'll still be yours."
"My wife," he muttered against her lips.
"My husband," and with that a kiss was shared, passionate and devoted. The love she felt was so powerful it would knock her off her feet, and the hope she gave him was enough. Everything she did for him was enough.
His Eden and Her Tommy.
"Last call for the five o'clock train! Boarding will end shortly!" the ticket-taker announced, as the couple pulled away from each other, drawing their foreheads to meet as they collected their breaths.
"It's time," Tommy whispered, closing his eyes, trying to live in this moment. He had everything he wanted in his grasp, but he needed to do this, for his country and his people.
"I love you, Tommy" she breathed out, whilst sadly running a hand over her bump. "Make sure that horseshoe stays on you," she mustered up a teasing smile after patting his behind.
"Watch it," he playfully scolded, "and I will Edie. I promise," he assured her, cupping her teary cheeks and staring into the brown pools he would miss ever so much, "I love you, so much."
And with one final kiss, she was the first to pull back, falling beside Polly, Ada and Finn, Martha softly grabbed her daughter's hand and waved it at the Shelby men's retreating figures It wasn't long before Dorris approached reaching for her hand, with Celestine and Isaiah not far behind.
Until we meet again, Eden mouthed to Tommy, who struggled to look away, but with one pat from Arthur, he turned to bend down and pick up the duffel bags they were bringing with them.
They all made their way over to the ticket-taker who, punched their tickets just as the conductor called out all aboard and blew the train's harsh whistle.
Eden caught glimpses of various faces through the windows, her father, her godfather, Enzo, Luca, Angel, then Freddie, Arthur, John and finally her Tommy as the train car vanished from sight.
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a/n:
anyone else crying? no just me okay.
originally i was just going to post the epilogue after this, but I'm gonna add a bonus chapter also.
that manip is so cute Omg, also the fact it room eden so long to call him tommy again was hilarious and I loved that she did it just before he was leaving.
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The boys (and girls) of Benton
By Jonathan Monfiletto
To the auto racing fan in me, Memorial Day weekend means one thing: three of the world’s most prestigious and most spectacular races taking place on the same day, the Monaco Grand Prix, the Indianapolis 500, and the Coca-Cola 600, all on the Sunday of the weekend.
To the American patriot in me, Memorial Day weekend means I get to do all of those fun things – sitting around watching races all day, eating too much good food, enjoying the first taste of summer with the late spring sunshine, hanging out with friends – because many men and women have served and sacrificed in the U.S. military to defend our freedoms, protect our way of life, and keep our world safe.
Naturally, then, as Memorial Day draws near, I am thinking about those who have answered Uncle Sam’s call of duty and been willing to lay down their lives for their fellow Americans. For this article, I am particularly honoring and remembering the men and women from the Yates County town of Benton who served their country and community during World War I.
You ask, why do I focus on this specific group of veterans? That’s because I recently helped provide research for local history projects for the fourth-graders of St. Michael School in Penn Yan. One of the students chose Yates County World War I veterans for their topic and then decided to home in on veterans from Benton, where this student and their family live.
In 1921, shortly after what was then called the World War or the Great War, E.D. Harrison, of Penn Yan, compiled and published a book titled “Yates County in the World War, 1917-1918.” This book details the stories of the men and women from Yates County who took part in World War I, including the units in which they served and the battles in which they fought and other aspects of their service.
As I gathered research for the student, I perused this book and learned the stories of the, by my count, 55 people who at the time called Benton home and served in some capacity during the war. This group includes Corporal Arthur Allen Lee, who enlisted in the 3rd New York Infantry in June 1916 prior to the United States’ entry into the war. In April 1917, he was recalled and assigned to the 108th Infantry, 27th Division; in May 1918, he was sent overseas and appeared in battles in France at Arras, St. Quentin, Cambrai, and Ypres.
Twelve men from Benton enlisted in the U.S. military once America entered the war. Among these men was Private Alfred Williams, who joined the Marine Corps in April 1917 and subsequently landed in France that November. Serving with 73rd Company, 6th Regiment, 4th Brigade, 2nd Division, he appeared in the Battle of Soissons, where he was instantly killed by machine gun fire on July 19, 1918. He was posthumously awarded two Battle Clasps on the Victory Medal.
A total of 36 men from Benton were inducted, or drafted, into the military as part of the war effort. Private Ledwith Robert Poole, who was assigned to the Medical Corps and served with the 306th Field Hospital, 77th Division, was one of these men. He sailed for France in March 1918 and arrived that May; his entry notes the 306th’s work included first aid in the battle lines. Poole is one of three World War I veterans both mentioned in Harrison’s book and buried in Benton Rural Cemetery (the student was particularly interested in World War I veterans buried there).
Three men from Benton enlisted in the Students’ Army Training Corps, a unit the U.S. War Department specially created in early 1918 to allow students to both take college courses and train for the military. Private Sidney Elliot Ayres served at Cornell University, while Private Gerald Howard Fisher and Private Clyde Benjamin Gelder served at Hobart College. Two other men from Benton, Donald R. Comstock and George T. Collin, are listed in a section of Harrison’s book titled “Other Service Men.” This section appears to cover men from Yates County whose wartime service was credited to other locations. Comstock’s service was credited to New York City, while Collin’s service was credited to Elmira.
Two women from Benton were active parts of the war effort. Louise Kipp served as a dietitian with the Red Cross, while Flora Belle Pierce served as a nurse. Though details of Pierce’s service are recorded in Harrison’s book, it is noted Kipp enlisted in March 1918, was called to active service in August 1918 at Camp Sherman, Ohio, and was transferred to Letterman General Hospital in San Francisco in July 1919.
Another World War I veteran – and possibly a 56th veteran to serve from Benton – is Allen Eugene Scutt; Scutt is buried in the Benton Rural Cemetery (Collin is the third veteran both listed in the book and buried there, by the way) but curiously is listed in Harrison’s book without a hometown. Enlisting in July 1917, Scutt was assigned to the 340th Infantry, Medical Detachment and later transferred to 170th Infantry Brigade Headquarters. He arrived in France in August 1918 as a member of 85th Division, Brigade Headquarters and then transferred to Division Headquarters, 38th Division.
Though Williams appears to be the only World War I veteran from Benton to be killed in action during the conflict, two other soldiers – Private Valentine P. Allen, who enlisted in July 1917, and Private Ross Mathew Conley, who was inducted in July 1918 – died of disease. Remember, the World War coincided with what was called the Spanish flu pandemic (because Spain, not involved in the conflict, reported on it more heavily than the countries waging the war; it is now believed the pandemic may have originated in soldiers at Fort Riley, Kansas). Harrison’s book lists Allen’s cause of death as bronco-pneumonia on October 5, 1918 and Conley’s as pneumonia on October 12, 1918.
Allen served with Co. I, 23rd Infantry from July 1917 until March 1918 and with Headquarters Co., 3rd Brigade, 2nd Division until October 1918, serving overseas from September 1917 until his death. Conley was assigned to 154th Depot Brigade and then to Co. C, 211th Field Signal Battalion, and he was stationed at Camp Meade, Maryland at the time of his death.
Happy Memorial Day, everyone, and to military veterans everywhere, thank you for your service and sacrifice for your community, our country, and our world.
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