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Rescued Bronze Honor WWI Heros
by Mary K. Morgan
No soldier who sacrificed his life for his country should be forgotten, nor should relics of that service be abandoned by those he served. That’s just why the public was so outraged last year when the news broke that members of the Rollo-Calcaterra American Legion Post, Number 15 discovered a displaced set of WW I bronze memorial discs that that had been relegated to a forgotten storage space in the Soldier’s Memorial building. Originally, the cast bronze tributes to St. Louis soldiers who had lost their lives in WW I proudly lined the median of Kingshighway between Penrose Place and what was then named Easton Avenue. When the street was reconfigured in the 1980s, the monuments were never replaced.
One member of local American Legion Post 15, Skip Berger, took a particular interest in the plaques and had them moved from the basement of the Soldier’s Memorial building, where they had been kept, unnoticed for over 25 years. His plan was to have them cleaned up and then to find a suitable venue for their display. The clean-up and polish went well, and the offers for a permanent display location have been coming in from various area military and patriotic groups.
The Post members had a few stipulations as to where the WWI memorial discs will eventually be displayed. It goes without saying that only a dignified setting will be considered. Also, the plaques must be kept together in a permanent, sustainable location and an additional bronze memorial shall be cast with the names of the fallen soldiers whose plaques have been lost over the years.
“It’s very possible that as many as 500 of the discs are missing from the original collection,” Berger observed.
Solemn regret was apparent in his voice as he recounted the stories of these forgotten heroes. An avid and very thorough historian, he consulted original archived maps to determine the initial placement of the bronze tributes — and their accompanying trees — along the Kingshighway median and noticed some obvious gaps in numbers.
“In all, 1185 plaques were struck at the old Kinloch Brass Casting Company. Records list 1075 names of St. Louis soldiers who were killed in Europe.” According to Berger, the discovery “…probably lies in the fact that some soldiers likely died as a result of their war wounds or mustard gas exposure after returning home — not while serving in Europe.”
Taking on a “monumental task,” Berger and Jim Gualdoni, a fellow member of American Legion Post 15, took upon themselves the laborious job of compiling a complete catalogue of the names and service information on the bronze markers and cross-referencing that list with official U.S. government war records. All of the information has been preserved electronically for future reference.
The Rollo-Calcaterra American Legion Post was very hopeful that they would find the plaque honoring one of their post’s namesakes among the recovered discs, but such was not the case. No “Emilio Rollo” disc was discovered. As a gesture of respect, Skip Berger had two “extra” castings made in the Rollo name. One is displayed in a permanent monument at Post 15. The other was placed among the recovered discs. All of the pertinent information about that fallen WWI soldier from The Hill who died fighting for freedom was researched with due diligence and his memorialized name was respectfully reunited with those of his fellow St. Louis soldiers. Home at last.
The story of the long-forgotten bronze markers doesn’t quite end here. A new chapter is already on the drawing board, but the plans have not as yet been finalized. So the final resting place of this historically significant collection is still a work in progress. And as soon as more of the saga unfolds, we at Java Journal will do a follow up story.
I extend many thanks to soldier, patriot and friend, Skip Berger, for his thoughtful, generous actions in saving the memorial discs, and for taking his time to personally tell their story.
About The Memorial Plaques
The Gold Star Mothers originally commissioned the casting of the markers and had them placed in the Kingshighway median as a memorial to their fallen sons. During WW I, all mothers of soldiers displayed “Service” flags with blue stars in the windows of their homes, one for each son in service to his country. Many wore enameled blue star lapel pins. And when one of the mothers lost a son in the war, the blue star was replaced with a gold star, as a symbol of their loss.
Gold Star Mothers is still a vital, patriotic organization made up of U.S. mothers who have lost children in service to their country. Today, as in yesteryear, they continue to provide their members with moral support. Many members choose to volunteer in Veterans’ hospitals and help care for the wounded sons and daughters of other mothers.
Gold Star Mother’s day is observed in the U.S. on the last Sunday in September.
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