The Prince Edward County Board of Supervisors has approved a request from the Jack Garland American Legion Post #32 to erect a monument on the Courthouse lawn to honor Prince Edward County citizens who made the supreme sacrifice while serving this country during World War I. The American Legion and the County have invested a considerable amount of time researching records to identify the names of citizens who should be listed on the monument. To ensure no fallen service member is overlooked, the Board of Supervisors is requesting the community’s assistance in identifying citizens to be listed.

To be eligible for inclusion, the County’s Military Memorial criteria requires that a citizen must have either been killed in action or declared dead as a result of participation in a hostile conflict or operation. Any person who has knowledge of a Prince Edward County resident that died as a result of participating in WWI is asked to please contact Wade Bartlett, the County Administrator, at (434) 392-8837. Provide as much information as possible on the deceased, to include: full name, rank, branch of service, cause of death (KIA, disease, wounds, etc.), place of death and date of death.

The following individuals have tentatively been identified as meeting the criteria for recognition:

Richard L. Biggers, Albane H. Foster, James D. Miller, Henry C. Thompson, William M. Baker, John N. Garland, Julian D. Riggins, John W. Webster, Willie J. Blackwell, Charles Harris, Kirby S. Selden, Thomas L. Bliss, William W. Hillsman, Millard Guy Smith, Tommy Evans, Jesse Holmes and Phil S. Swan.

The County and the American Legion are planning a WWI Memorial Dedication Service for November 2018.