William Patrick Burns was born to James Burns & Esther Kelly in Stockbridge, Mass. in 1886, one of seven children but the only son. His father died in 1903 when Bill was just 16. His mother ran a boarding house to make ends meet and his sisters got jobs as clerks and stenographers. Bill became a civil engineer.

Bill must have felt very strongly that he had a part to play in this war since he signed up shortly after the entry of the U.S. into the conflict and despite the fact that he was over 30 years of age and the only son.

I don't really know what his experiences were "over there" but Bill returned to his family in 1919 without any obvious injuries. He suffered from "shell shock" and had recurring episodes of depression throughout the rest of his life. We would now classify him as having PTSD no doubt!

He went on to marry my grandmother, Lillian Blowe, in 1926 and together they had four daughters. The Great Depression and then WWII could have been additional burdens for him but my mother remembered him as being a warm and smiling father most of the time. My dad said he was a likeable guy who had a great sense of humor. I was a child when he died at age 80. I wish I had more opportunity to hear his story!