RAYMOND C. FRECH was born
February 25, 1896 in Brooklyn NY. When he registered for the draft, he
gave his home address as 39 Cooper
Street in Camden NJ. He listed his
employer as the City and County of Denver, Colorado, for whom he
worked as a houseman at the County Hospital in Denver. He was
single at the time, with his mother as his dependent.
According
to the book
Camden County in The Great War
, Raymond Frech had
served two hitches in the United States Navy, initially enlisting at the
age of 14. He participated in the naval action at Veracruz, Mexico in
November of 1914, and was wounded twice during the battle. His
enlistment in the Navy expired in October of 1917, after which time he
enlisted in the Army and was sent to Fort Slocum NY. After training at
Fort Slocum, he was sent to Fort Bliss TX, and was wounded again during
a battle with Mexicans, who had made a raid across the border.
Subsequently he was assigned to the Headquarters Company of the 18th
Field Artillery Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division, and went to France in
April of 1918. Private Frech went overseas as a cook with the
Headquarters Company. He was killed in action on August 11, 1918.
At
the time of his death, Raymond Frech was an
orphan. He listed a friend, Ellen E. Hearing, of 625
Elm Street in
Camden NJ, as his next of kin. He was brought home after the war
and buried at Philadelphia National Cemetery.
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