John Fletcher

John William Fletcher (Feb. 18, 1894 – Oct. 7, 1918) was a Rugby man killed in World War I.

See Also: Scott Countians killed in war

Biography

Born Feb. 18, 1894, John W. Fletcher was the son of Walter Fletcher (1865-1937) and Charlotte “Lottie” Pittman (1874-1951) of Rugby. He had four siblings: Gertie, Myrtle, Harry and Gracie.

The Fletcher family was one of the original families to settle at Rugby, arriving from Pennsylvania in 1883. Born in England, Walter was the son of Matthew Fletcher and Ann Nalton of Yorkshire. The family migrated to the United States in August 1883, sailing from Liverpool, Ireland to New York in 1883, then traveling to Pittsburgh, Penn. and on to Rugby. While John — their first-born son — is listed as being born on Feb. 18, 1894 in some records, his military index card states that he was born in February 1895.

There is some question as to whether John Fletcher lived in Scott County. The Rugby settlement was situated along the Scott-Morgan county line (the Laurel Dale Cemetery is in Scott County but most of the homes were in Morgan County, and census records listed the Fletcher family in Morgan County). Nevertheless, John Fletcher’s name is inscribed on both the VFW Post 5669 Memorial Wall in Oneida and the Veterans Memorial Wall in Huntsville.

Fletcher was not married when he enlisted in the U.S. Army. However, there are poems that exist that he wrote to Tressie Lankford, whose family lived in Rugby. She would go on to marry James Eubanks after her family had moved from Rugby.

World War I

Pvt. Fletcher enlisted in the U.S. Army on May 11, 1918 and was assigned to Co. L, 117th Infantry Division.

He was killed on Oct. 7, 1918 during the Battle of St. Quentin Canal. The pivotal battle began on Sept. 29, 1918 and involved British and Australian forces as well as the Americans. The American losses were suffered as the soldiers broke through the German Hindenburg Line, taking more than 36,000 German soldiers prisoner and convincing the Germans that there was little hope that they would win the war.

October 1918 was the deadliest month of the war for Scott County’s soldiers. That same month, William Blevins of Helenwood, William Brown of Smokey Creek, Hugh Lewallen of Glenmary, Clovis Jeffers of Winona, were killed at the Argonne Forest in France. Lonus Reed died on Dec. 8, 1918 from wounds he suffered during the battle. It was likely at the same battle that Sherman Stanley, of Oneida, was killed on Oct. 1.

Aftermath

Fletcher was buried, along with nearly 2,000 other American soldiers killed at the Hindenburg Line, in the Somme American Cemetery near Bony, France. A cenotaph is placed at the Laurel Dale Cemetery in Rugby.

Fletcher’s mother, Lottie, was informed by letter of her son’s death.