Holt County Hero Buried at Bedford, Iowa

 

The Times Republican, Bedford, Iowa, of Jan. 3, 1921: The body of Walter Eshbaugh Bailey who died in France, Oct. 6, 1918, arriced in Bedford, Saturday morning. The body was accompanied by Pvt. C. Bouman of Ft. Crook, Neb, and was met at the depot by the Legion Boys and taken direct to the Wetmore Under-taking parlors. Walter Eshbaugh Bailey was born in Phillipsburg, Granite county, Montana, May 17, 1894, and died following an attack of pneumonia, somewhere in France, Oct. 6, 1918, at the age of 24 years, 4 months and 19 days. He  was the eldest child and the only son of Mr. and Mrs. Clarence D. Bailey formerly of Bedford, but now of Stuart, Nebr., in 1897, and then in the spring of 1903 to the farm home southeast of Stuart, Nebr. In the spring of 1917 the family retired from farm life and moved to Stuart.

On July 22, 1918, Walter entrained for Camp Dodge, Iowa. He only remained at the camp a few weeks when he was chosen out of five hundred to be one of the eighty in the Eighty - Forth division to e sent across the water. He was then transferred to Camp Sherman. Chillicothe, Ohio. then to Camp Mills, N.Y., and on September 1st set sail for France. After a short stay in England he was sent to France and his division was quartered on private grounds, an old French estate, as all the American camps were full. The funeral services were held at the M.E. church yesterday afternoon at 2 o’clock, conducted by Rev. Gable and assisted by E. E. Lowe. Many friends were present to pay their last respect to the departed hero. Interment in Fair view Cemetery. The Legion Boys attended the funeral in a bady.(sic)

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This article appeared in the January 20, 1921 edition of The Frontier newspaper.