Andrew Jackson York has no idea what rifle his father used.

[Jim Tarleton]

That's very intersting, and it remains only to be confirmed that US soldiers took their rifles with them when they went into hospital. And that only because I don't know myself of course.

Of all the pictures I have seen of WWI hospitals, none show any rifles. After every engagement, scavenger squads would police the battlefields for weapons and equipment. I can see no reason why a soldier would take his rifle to a hospital, nor why the stretcher bearers would bother to carry the extra weight. Since replacements did not arrive with weapons, the scenario doesn't make sense.

The story sounds great, but it's BS, as York's location is known for the the previous day of 7 Oct 1918 (his diary - he lay in a hole alongside the road "all day"). So he wasn't at a hospital, which were many miles behind the front lines. The triage stations were nearest the lines, and they were kept out of artillery range (usually).

Great story, but just that. York's own words refute the story - period.

Jim

[Fred G.]

Jim, is it possible that the wounded man was visited at a station close to the front (not a hospital) and that the son mistook the visit to be the preceeding day when the father had said that it was "just before the event? I wouldn't be ready to claim it was all bunkum and bosh without knowing the seed of truth behind the account. I'm going to be cautious about dismissing it alltogether without really knowing for certain about all of the actual facts, whatever they might be and however long it takes to divulge them. How can anyone KNOW for certain what exactly took place? I certainly don't and I'm going to be cautious in making any definite conclusions from 90 plus years away from the events. Not saying that you haven't brought some very important facts into focus. Well done. Why don't we look into it further then and see what we can see as far as we're able to from what we can gather. I think that the story warrants further invfestigation and to conclude, at this point, that the story is just BS is unsound.

[Jim Tarleton]

Fred,

There is another problem. What Division did the wounded man belong to that was equipped with a 1903 (they weren't near the Marines)? I know of no Divisions in the immediate area that were so equipped. How did York know a man from another Division was wounded, much less which hospital he would be in (there were many hospitals)? Check out the Marines at Belleau Wood and you will see that their wounded were in hospitals from Paris to gosh knows where (Marine Muster Rolls). The story has a lot of issues, but anything is possible.

I might point out that if the story is true, and you know the name of the wounded man, we should be able to ascertain the serial number of the rifle (not cheap).

It is a great story, but it is most likely not factual.

Jim

[Fred G.]

Jim, please look carefully at my post again. I never said that the wounded man was of another division. I said that he belonged to the same unit or even platoon as York. Now I'll have to submit to the NRA for another copy of the magazine with the exact story in it to get all of the details for you, but it'd be worth it.

[Jim Tarleton]

You are right. Sorry.

Jim

[Fred G.]

But Jim as you said if we could get the name of the wounded man from the article, and I believe it's available, then maybe, the number of the rifle could be obtained too! Now THAT's interesting!

[SAJTU]

Fred

Not to come into this discussion late but that gentleman who recounted that story in the American Rifleman about Alvin York and the 1903 is a member of my local rifle Club. He's a retired AF Colonel and has been a competitive shooter for many years, still shooting on the Bald Eagles Palma Team, so very familiar with any firearms that might have been discussed or used by York. His Dad served in Sergeant York’s platoon and as a youngster, John had actually had met Alvin York during family visits. John's Dad recounted how the troops were issued 1917s but that some liberated 1903's were available for the platoon to use. John's Dad was whom York visited in hospital and due to his wounds wasn't involved in the brave action. I think some of the confusion in this thread is the fact that York didn't "borrow" the 1903 at the hospital but used what was available to the platoon. John's Dad always indicated York had used one of those liberated 1903s to capture the German machinegun nests recounted in the citation and in the movie. I think John would be willing to discuss this further, but I would have to respect his privacy until he agrees to some forum to chat about this.

SAJTU

[Fred G.]

Satju, Wow, that's incredible! Thank you for joining in on this discussion! Isn't it a small world? I'm thrilled to hear that John is still alive and well and about his father being the man from Yorks platoon. I will certainly respect John's desire to remain unidentified if he so desires. If there is any light on this subject that John would be willing to share through you, I for one would be extremely thankful and delighted to hear of it! I'm certain that there would be many others who would be grateful also. It would clear up a great deal about the matter and would be of immense bennefit to history! Would you please ask John if he would be willing to assist us in knowing more clearly what happened? It would be tragic beyond description if the information that his father passed on to John became lost and forgotten, never to be known again.
Thanks ever so much for your thoughtful response on this subject! Fred Gaarde

[SAJTU]

I hope to see John at the next monthly Club meeting in a couple weeks and will ask if he's willing to discuss his father and Alvin York on the forum or through some email contacts. He's an older gentleman, very friendly...still competitive both in smallbore and Palma but starting to have trouble getting up and down in position. He probably has additional WWI stories from his father that may be of interest and actually is a very interesting shooter in his own right, having competed all over the U.S., as well as, in Canada, England, and New Zealand for Palma competitions. I’ll keep everyone posted.

[Jim Tarleton]

Thank you, Sajtu.

Jim