Winter Park Home Guard - World War I
Left to right standing: Walter Schultz, Capt., Dick Batchelor, M. M. Smith, Ed Favor, Van Hull, Thomas Henkel, Ray Trovillion, unknown, Jim Overstreet, Warren Ingram, Ralph Lucius, Ray Wesson, and H. W. Barnum.
Left to right kneeling: Roland Barge, Jim Siegler, Eugene Bellows, Carl Galloway, Arthur Schultz, Dr. J. H. Verigan, Elmer Radebaugh and Leland Chubb.
On April 6, 1917, by a vote of 82 to 6 in the Senate and 373 to 50 in the House of Representatives, the United States of America declared war on Germany. Winter Park citizens sprang into action to do their part for the war effort.
According to Claire MacDowell's Chronological History of Winter Park Florida in 1917 a branch of the National Surgical Dressings Committee was organized. The use of the Town Hall was given for a workroom and fifty women met twice a week to make dressings. In 1918 the the Winter Park branch of the Surgical Dressings Committee of America sent a total of 20,566 dressings.
The Country Club Auxiliary of the American Red Cross sent 1,510 dressings to the National Surgical Dressings Committee and 16,042 dressings to the American Red Cross.
In 1917, Florida Marmalades for the Wounded was organized and sent 700 pounds of marmalade to the wounded soldiers of France and in 1918 they shipped another 1,200 pounds of marmalade to France.
A food conservation club was organized and the Woman's Club gave a course in war cooking.
Prof. Hiram Powers sailed to take up YMCA work. Ray Greene did YMCA work among the U. S. Forces in Officers Reserve Schools. F. Ellison Adams drove a Red Cross Ambulance on the firing line and later enter the Air Force. Joe Ahik was the second Winter Park citizen to reach the firing line, enlisting in the Seventh Volunteer Regiment of the Engineer Corps. Company C went from Orlando to Winter Park and among its members were Fred Floyd and Ray Trovillion.
The Winter Park Country Club turned its links into pasture for 250 sheep and 150 goats, to relieve the shortage in the meat supply.
In the first Liberty Loan Drive, the Bank of Winter Park sold $15,000 worth of bonds and a second drive sold $59,600 worth of bonds. In the third Liberty Loan Drive, Winter Park sold $36,150 in bonds. H. W. Barnum was chairman of the War Savings Stamps campaign, in which Winter Park sold $20,920 on a quota of $20,500.
In 1917-1918 the Winter Park Branch of the National Home Guard was organized. The members were Walter Schultz, George Fox, J. A. Treat, Thomas M. Henkel, E. F. Siglar, Arthur Schultz, R. D. Barze, Leland Chubb, L. A. Hakes, S. Harrison, C. J. Holdorf, William Hoffman, J. O. Hale, J. I. Johnson, H. W. Barnum, J. S. Shackleford, Harry Trovillion, Ray Trovillion and Frederick Ward.
Armistice was declared November 11, 1918, bringing the war to an end. The National Surgical Dressings Committee dissolved at that time and the Surgical Dressings Committee of Winter Park merged with the American Red Cross. W. H. Schultz was elected chairman of the Winter Park branch. All remaining surgical dressing making supplies were turned over to the Orange General Hospital which credited the committee for 52 weeks of hospital service for the sick and injured of Winter Park for the year 1919.
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