Next time you visit Rye’s city hall, perhaps on Veteran’s Day, look at the memorials on the Post Road side of the building that list the names of Rye veterans who served during wars and conflicts, beginning with World War II. A separate memorial to veterans of WWI was erected in 1926 under the tall flagpole in the triangle between the Post Road and Purchase Street.
Similar veterans memorials exist all over the United States, but Rye may be unique, according to the website of The Rye N.Y. Veterans Project (RyeVets.org), whose moto is “Not just a name on a wall.” Its mission is: “To research all available archival sources and create a short biography for all veterans who served from Rye, N.Y.”
This project is described as a community effort developed “in conjunction with the Rye Historical Society, American Legion Post 128, Rye High School and Middle School and numerous volunteers.” It was launched in 2012, and, according to the website, currently “encompasses over 2,100 men and women who served in WWI, WWII, Korea, and Vietnam.”
The project leaders are eager to have current and former members of the Rye community help in providing missing information for many veterans. Fortunately, I was able to help in that effort after looking closely at the WWI memorial, which lists the names of more than 300 veterans, including “Margaret Garland.”
It appears that she was the only female WWI veteran from Rye, but there was no information about her on the project’s website. However, I found online a document titled the “World War History of the Village of Rye, 1917-1918.” It showed she had enlisted on Sept. 1, 1918, in the U.S Naval Reserve Force as a Yeoman and, after active service at the Brooklyn Navy yard, she was discharged July 31, 1919.
Further investigation in the project’s website under the name “Garland” revealed that Margaret had a daughter, who was a WWII veteran:
“Edwina D. Garland was born Dec. 1, 1913, in Rye, New York, her father, Joseph, was 42, and her mother, Margaret, was 44. In Rye her family lived at 218 Railroad Avenue and were members of the Church of the Resurrection. Edwina enlisted April 1, 1943 and served in the U.S. Army during World War II.
Under the heading of “What’s next?” the RyeVets state that they are looking for various information about Rye veterans, including:
Discharge records, pictures, Rye address during military service, and branch of service, as well as the specific outfit in which they served — for example, for the Army: (K Company, 15th Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division).
This is a very worthwhile project, which I am happy to help and promote.
