Quentin Roosevelt
Encyclopedia
Quentin Roosevelt was the youngest and favorite son of President Theodore Roosevelt
. Family and friends agreed that Quentin had many of his father's positive qualities and few of the negative ones. Inspired by his father and siblings, he joined the United States Army Air Service
where he became a pursuit pilot during World War I
. Extremely popular with his fellow pilots and known for being daring, he was killed in aerial combat over France
on Bastille Day
(July 14), 1918.
Quentin was the youngest child of Theodore Roosevelt's household, which included half-sister Alice, sister Ethel
, and brothers Theodore, Jr.
, Kermit
, and Archibald
"Archie".
Quentin was only three years old when his father became president, and he grew up in the White House
. By far the favorite of all of President Roosevelt's children,
Quentin was also the most rambunctious. He was nicknamed "Quentyquee" and "Quinikins" by his father. He shared T.R.'s physical, intellectual, and linguistic characteristics.
Quentin's behavior prompted his mother, Edith, to label him a "fine bad little boy". Amongst Quentin's many adventures with the "White House Gang" (a name assigned by T.R. to Quentin and his friends), Quentin carved a baseball diamond on the White House lawn without permission, defaced official presidential portraits in the White House with spitballs, and threw snowballs from the White House's roof at unsuspecting Secret Service guards. Charlie Taft
the son of Secretary of War and future President William Howard Taft
was also part of the white house gang.
He quickly became known for his humorous and sometimes philosophical remarks. To a reporter trying to trap the boy into giving information about his father, Quentin admitted, "I see him occasionally, but I know nothing of his family life." The family soon learned to keep him quiet during dinner when important guests were present.
Once, when his brother Archie was terribly ill, it was Quentin (with the help of Charles Lee, a White House coachman), who brought the pony Algonquin to his room by elevator, sure that this would make his brother better.
As a young man, Quentin displayed a natural mechanical aptitude. He could fix almost anything, and even rebuilt a motorcycle to present to a friend as a gift.
. Later he was a student at Groton School
and the Evans School for Boys. Quentin sailed through all his formal schooling, consistently scoring high marks and showing much of the intellectual capacity of his father. He was admitted to Harvard University
in 1915. Quentin loved machinery and rebuilt a motorcycle
while in college. By the time Quentin was a sophomore at Harvard, also like his father, he was showing promise as a writer. {Quentin was posthumously awarded an A.B. {War Degree} Harvard Class of 1919}
, the great-granddaughter of Cornelius Vanderbilt
, one of the country’s richest men, and also an heiress to the Whitney family fortune. The couple met at a ball in Newport, Rhode Island
, in August 1916 and soon fell in love, although the alliance, between the modest, old-money Roosevelts and the flamboyantly wealthy Vanderbilt-Whitneys was at first controversial on both sides.
Quentin’s letters to Flora, from the time they met until his death—discovered and first used by Edward Renehan in his book The Lion's Pride (New York: Oxford University Press, 1998)—charted the course of America’s entry into the war. Theodore Roosevelt, incensed at America’s continuing neutrality in the face of Germany's actions — including the sinking of the British passenger ship RMS Lusitania
in May 1915, in which 128 Americans drowned — campaigned unsuccessfully on behalf of the 1916 Republican Presidential nominee, Charles Evan Hughes, during which he severely criticized Woodrow Wilson
. Wilson was subsequently reelected on a neutrality platform. While he was initially neutral, Quentin came to agree with his father, writing to Flora in early 1917 from Harvard University, where he was studying, “We are a pretty sordid lot, aren’t we, to want to sit looking on while England and France fight our battles and pan gold into our pockets.”
, a friend of Theodore Roosevelt since the Rough Rider days, organized a summer camp at Plattsburg, New York, to provide military training for business and professional men at their own expense. It would be this summer training program that would provide the basis of a greatly expanded junior officers corps when the Country entered World War I. During the summer of 1915, many well-heeled young men from some of the finest East Coast schools, including Quentin Roosevelt and two of his brothers, attended the Camp. When the United States entered the War, commissions were offered to the graduates of these schools based on their performance. The National Defense Act of 1916 continued the student military training and the businessmen's summer camps and placed them on a firmer legal basis by authorizing an Officers' Reserve Corps and a Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC). Quentin, just out of the rigors of Groton and Harvard, did not really enjoy the training, but stuck it out anyway.
After the declaration of War, when the American Expeditionary Force was organizing, the Roosevelt boys' father, Theodore, wired Major General "Black Jack" Pershing
asking if his sons could accompany him to Europe as privates. Pershing accepted, but, based on their training at Plattsburg, Archie was offered a commission with rank of second lieutenant, while Ted, Jr. was offered a commission as a rank of major.
With American entry into World War I
, Quentin thought his mechanical skills would be useful to the Army. Just engaged to Flora, he dropped out of college to join a newly formed army aviation unit in the fledging Army Air Service. He trained on Long Island
at an airfield later renamed Roosevelt Field in his honor. Today, a shopping mall sits on the site that is also named Roosevelt Field.
Finally sent to France, Lt. Roosevelt first helped in setting up the main USAS training base at Issoudun
. He was a supply officer and then over time ran one of the training airfields. Eventually he became a pilot in the 95th Aero Squadron, part of the 1st Pursuit Group. The unit was posted to Touquin
, France and on July 9, 1918, Saints
, France. During the time that he was flying from Saints, he was billeted just half a mile away at Melina Thibault's home in Mauperthuis
, France where he roomed with supply officer Ed Thomas. Though reportedly possessing poor distance vision, Roosevelt nevertheless claimed a German fighter shot down out of control on July 10, 1918. Just four days later, he was himself shot down behind German lines.
Captain Eddie Rickenbacker
, Commander of the 94th Aero Squadron (also known as the "Hat-in-the-Ring" Squadron), in his memoirs described Roosevelt's character as soldier and pilot in the following words:
"As President Roosevelt's son he had rather a difficult task to fit himself in with the democratic style of living which is necessary in the intimate life of an aviation camp. Every one who met him for the first time expected him to have the airs and superciliousness of a spoiled boy. This notion was quickly lost after the first glimpse one had of Quentin. Gay, hearty and absolutely square in everything he said or did, Quentin Roosevelt was one of the most popular fellows in the group. We loved him purely for his own natural self.
"He was reckless to such a degree that his commanding officers had to caution him repeatedly about the senselessness of his lack of caution. His bravery was so notorious that we all knew he would either achieve some great spectacular success or be killed in the attempt. Even the pilots in his own flight would beg him to conserve himself and wait for a fair opportunity for a victory. But Quentin would merely laugh away all serious advice."
Quentin's plane (a Nieuport 28
) was shot down at Chamery
, near Coulonges-en-Tardenois. He was felled by two machine gun bullets which struck him in the head. The German military buried him with full battlefield honors. Since the plane had crashed so near the front lines, the Germans had to use two pieces of basswood saplings, bound together with wire from his Nieuport, to fashion a cross for his grave. For propaganda purposes, the Germans made a postcard of the dead pilot and plane. However, this move was met with shock from Germany, who still held Theodore Roosevelt in high respect, and were impressed that his son died on active duty. According to his service record at the New York State Archives, the site was at Marne Grave #1 Isolated Commune #102, Coulongue Aisne. The French government awarded him the Croix de Guerre
with Palm
.
Kermit continues with the following on page 172–178:
The engineer regiment of the division that had retaken Chamery marked the spot where the
airplane fell, and raised a cross at the grave with the inscription
After his grave came under Allied control, thousands of American soldiers visited it to pay their respects. Quentin's resting place became a shrine and an inspiration to his comrades in arms.
Quentin's death was a great personal loss to his father Theodore, who understood quite well that he had encouraged his son's entry into the War. It is said that he never fully recovered from Quentin's death. Within six months, Theodore himself would be dead.
When the World War II American Cemetery was established in France at Colleville-sur-Mer
, Quentin's body was exhumed and moved there. He is buried next to his brother Brigadier General "Ted" Theodore Roosevelt, Jr.
, who had died of a heart attack in France shortly after leading his troops in landings on Utah Beach
on D-Day
as Assistant 4th Infantry Division
Commander (an act which would earn him the Medal of Honor
). Quentin's original gravestone is now currently on display at Sagamore Hill
. The German-made basswood cross that marked Quentin's original gravesite is on display at the National Museum of the United States Air Force
, at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, in Dayton
Ohio
. A young Quentin Roosevelt and his father president Theodore Roosevelt are mentioned in the children's story book "Brighty of the Grand Canyon" on the occasion of Quentin's first mountain lion hunt.
(TRA) visited the small monument in France at the French village over which Quentin was shot down in 1918. Their purpose was to restore the monument and prepare a report to the TRA on the work accomplished by this trip.
Quentin Roosevelt II
(1919–1948), the fourth son of Theodore Roosevelt, Jr.
was named after Quentin, and also died in a plane crash.
, Mauperthuis
and Touquin
held a commemoration of Quentin Roosevelt. Roosevelt was billeted in the village of Mauperthuis and based in Saints at the time of his death.
On June 28, 2009, on the 90th anniversary of the departure of the USAS from Issoudun
, Issoudun held a ceremony in honor of the American aviators and also included Quentin Roosevelt's name on the new plaque.
The community of Quentin, Pennsylvania
, in Lebanon County
, was named for Quentin Roosevelt.
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States . He is noted for his exuberant personality, range of interests and achievements, and his leadership of the Progressive Movement, as well as his "cowboy" persona and robust masculinity...
. Family and friends agreed that Quentin had many of his father's positive qualities and few of the negative ones. Inspired by his father and siblings, he joined the United States Army Air Service
United States Army Air Service
The Air Service, United States Army was a forerunner of the United States Air Force during and after World War I. It was established as an independent but temporary wartime branch of the War Department by two executive orders of President Woodrow Wilson: on May 24, 1918, replacing the Aviation...
where he became a pursuit pilot during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. Extremely popular with his fellow pilots and known for being daring, he was killed in aerial combat over France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
on Bastille Day
Bastille Day
Bastille Day is the name given in English-speaking countries to the French National Day, which is celebrated on 14 July of each year. In France, it is formally called La Fête Nationale and commonly le quatorze juillet...
(July 14), 1918.
Childhood
Ethel Roosevelt Derby
Ethel Carow Roosevelt Derby was the youngest daughter and fourth child of the President of the United States Theodore Roosevelt...
, and brothers Theodore, Jr.
Theodore Roosevelt, Jr.
Theodore D. Roosevelt, Jr. , was an American political and business leader, a Medal of Honor recipient who fought in both of the 20th century's world wars. He was the eldest son of President Theodore Roosevelt from his second wife Edith Roosevelt...
, Kermit
Kermit Roosevelt
Kermit Roosevelt I MC was a son of U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt. He was an explorer on two continents with his father, a graduate of Harvard University, a soldier serving in two world wars, with both the British and U.S. Armies, a businessman, and a writer...
, and Archibald
Archibald Roosevelt
Archibald Bulloch "Archie" Roosevelt , the fifth child of U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt, was a distinguished U.S. Army officer and commander of U.S. forces in both World War I and II. In both conflicts he was wounded. He earned the Croix de guerre and Silver Star with Oak Leaf Cluster,...
"Archie".
Quentin was only three years old when his father became president, and he grew up in the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
. By far the favorite of all of President Roosevelt's children,
Quentin was also the most rambunctious. He was nicknamed "Quentyquee" and "Quinikins" by his father. He shared T.R.'s physical, intellectual, and linguistic characteristics.
Quentin's behavior prompted his mother, Edith, to label him a "fine bad little boy". Amongst Quentin's many adventures with the "White House Gang" (a name assigned by T.R. to Quentin and his friends), Quentin carved a baseball diamond on the White House lawn without permission, defaced official presidential portraits in the White House with spitballs, and threw snowballs from the White House's roof at unsuspecting Secret Service guards. Charlie Taft
Charles Phelps Taft II
Charles Phelps Taft II was a U.S. Republican Party politician and member of the Taft family. From 1955 to 1957, he served as Mayor of Cincinnati, Ohio. Like other members of his family, Taft was a Republican for the purposes of state-wide elections. However, when running for municipal office in...
the son of Secretary of War and future President William Howard Taft
William Howard Taft
William Howard Taft was the 27th President of the United States and later the tenth Chief Justice of the United States...
was also part of the white house gang.
He quickly became known for his humorous and sometimes philosophical remarks. To a reporter trying to trap the boy into giving information about his father, Quentin admitted, "I see him occasionally, but I know nothing of his family life." The family soon learned to keep him quiet during dinner when important guests were present.
Once, when his brother Archie was terribly ill, it was Quentin (with the help of Charles Lee, a White House coachman), who brought the pony Algonquin to his room by elevator, sure that this would make his brother better.
As a young man, Quentin displayed a natural mechanical aptitude. He could fix almost anything, and even rebuilt a motorcycle to present to a friend as a gift.
Education
Quentin attended the Episcopal High School in Alexandria, VirginiaAlexandria, Virginia
Alexandria is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of 2009, the city had a total population of 139,966. Located along the Western bank of the Potomac River, Alexandria is approximately six miles south of downtown Washington, D.C.Like the rest of northern Virginia, as well as...
. Later he was a student at Groton School
Groton School
Groton School is a private, Episcopal, college preparatory boarding school located in Groton, Massachusetts, U.S. It enrolls approximately 375 boys and girls, from the eighth through twelfth grades...
and the Evans School for Boys. Quentin sailed through all his formal schooling, consistently scoring high marks and showing much of the intellectual capacity of his father. He was admitted to Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
in 1915. Quentin loved machinery and rebuilt a motorcycle
Motorcycle
A motorcycle is a single-track, two-wheeled motor vehicle. Motorcycles vary considerably depending on the task for which they are designed, such as long distance travel, navigating congested urban traffic, cruising, sport and racing, or off-road conditions.Motorcycles are one of the most...
while in college. By the time Quentin was a sophomore at Harvard, also like his father, he was showing promise as a writer. {Quentin was posthumously awarded an A.B. {War Degree} Harvard Class of 1919}
Personal life
The young Roosevelt was engaged to Flora Payne WhitneyFlora Payne Whitney
Flora Payne Whitney, also known as Flora Whitney Miller , was a wealthy socialite, art collector, and patron of the arts.-Biography:...
, the great-granddaughter of Cornelius Vanderbilt
Cornelius Vanderbilt
Cornelius Vanderbilt , also known by the sobriquet Commodore, was an American entrepreneur who built his wealth in shipping and railroads. He was also the patriarch of the Vanderbilt family and one of the richest Americans in history...
, one of the country’s richest men, and also an heiress to the Whitney family fortune. The couple met at a ball in Newport, Rhode Island
Newport, Rhode Island
Newport is a city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island, United States, about south of Providence. Known as a New England summer resort and for the famous Newport Mansions, it is the home of Salve Regina University and Naval Station Newport which houses the United States Naval War...
, in August 1916 and soon fell in love, although the alliance, between the modest, old-money Roosevelts and the flamboyantly wealthy Vanderbilt-Whitneys was at first controversial on both sides.
Quentin’s letters to Flora, from the time they met until his death—discovered and first used by Edward Renehan in his book The Lion's Pride (New York: Oxford University Press, 1998)—charted the course of America’s entry into the war. Theodore Roosevelt, incensed at America’s continuing neutrality in the face of Germany's actions — including the sinking of the British passenger ship RMS Lusitania
RMS Lusitania
RMS Lusitania was a British ocean liner designed by Leonard Peskett and built by John Brown and Company of Clydebank, Scotland. The ship entered passenger service with the Cunard Line on 26 August 1907 and continued on the line's heavily-traveled passenger service between Liverpool, England and New...
in May 1915, in which 128 Americans drowned — campaigned unsuccessfully on behalf of the 1916 Republican Presidential nominee, Charles Evan Hughes, during which he severely criticized Woodrow Wilson
Woodrow Wilson
Thomas Woodrow Wilson was the 28th President of the United States, from 1913 to 1921. A leader of the Progressive Movement, he served as President of Princeton University from 1902 to 1910, and then as the Governor of New Jersey from 1911 to 1913...
. Wilson was subsequently reelected on a neutrality platform. While he was initially neutral, Quentin came to agree with his father, writing to Flora in early 1917 from Harvard University, where he was studying, “We are a pretty sordid lot, aren’t we, to want to sit looking on while England and France fight our battles and pan gold into our pockets.”
Military service
All the Roosevelt sons except Kermit had had some military training prior to World War I. With the outbreak of war in Europe in August 1914, there had been a heightened concern about the nation's readiness for military engagement. Only the month before, Congress had belatedly recognized the significance of military aviation by authorizing the creation of an Aviation Section in the Signal Corps. In 1915 Major General Leonard WoodLeonard Wood
Leonard Wood was a physician who served as the Chief of Staff of the United States Army, Military Governor of Cuba and Governor General of the Philippines. Early in his military career, he received the Medal of Honor. Wood also holds officer service #2 in the Regular Army...
, a friend of Theodore Roosevelt since the Rough Rider days, organized a summer camp at Plattsburg, New York, to provide military training for business and professional men at their own expense. It would be this summer training program that would provide the basis of a greatly expanded junior officers corps when the Country entered World War I. During the summer of 1915, many well-heeled young men from some of the finest East Coast schools, including Quentin Roosevelt and two of his brothers, attended the Camp. When the United States entered the War, commissions were offered to the graduates of these schools based on their performance. The National Defense Act of 1916 continued the student military training and the businessmen's summer camps and placed them on a firmer legal basis by authorizing an Officers' Reserve Corps and a Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC). Quentin, just out of the rigors of Groton and Harvard, did not really enjoy the training, but stuck it out anyway.
After the declaration of War, when the American Expeditionary Force was organizing, the Roosevelt boys' father, Theodore, wired Major General "Black Jack" Pershing
John J. Pershing
John Joseph "Black Jack" Pershing, GCB , was a general officer in the United States Army who led the American Expeditionary Forces in World War I...
asking if his sons could accompany him to Europe as privates. Pershing accepted, but, based on their training at Plattsburg, Archie was offered a commission with rank of second lieutenant, while Ted, Jr. was offered a commission as a rank of major.
With American entry into World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, Quentin thought his mechanical skills would be useful to the Army. Just engaged to Flora, he dropped out of college to join a newly formed army aviation unit in the fledging Army Air Service. He trained on Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
at an airfield later renamed Roosevelt Field in his honor. Today, a shopping mall sits on the site that is also named Roosevelt Field.
Quentin as an American Pilot in France
Issoudun
Issoudun is a commune in the Indre department in central France. It is also referred to as Issoundun, which is the ancient name.-History:...
. He was a supply officer and then over time ran one of the training airfields. Eventually he became a pilot in the 95th Aero Squadron, part of the 1st Pursuit Group. The unit was posted to Touquin
Touquin
Touquin is a commune in the Seine-et-Marne department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France.-References:*In one of his flights as a World War 1 flying ace, Snoopy flew over Touquin.-External links:* *...
, France and on July 9, 1918, Saints
Saints, Seine-et-Marne
Saints is a commune in the Seine-et-Marne department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France.-History:Saints appears on early maps as Sanz. It is an agricultural village perched above the Petit Aubetin River....
, France. During the time that he was flying from Saints, he was billeted just half a mile away at Melina Thibault's home in Mauperthuis
Mauperthuis
Mauperthuis is a commune in the Seine-et-Marne department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France.The village is famous for having produced five Musketeers including d'Artagnan, who was made famous in Alexandre Dumas, père's books. The ruined Château d'Artagnan exists today...
, France where he roomed with supply officer Ed Thomas. Though reportedly possessing poor distance vision, Roosevelt nevertheless claimed a German fighter shot down out of control on July 10, 1918. Just four days later, he was himself shot down behind German lines.
Captain Eddie Rickenbacker
Eddie Rickenbacker
Edward Vernon Rickenbacker was an American fighter ace in World War I and Medal of Honor recipient. He was also a race car driver and automotive designer, a government consultant in military matters and a pioneer in air transportation, particularly as the longtime head of Eastern Air Lines.-Early...
, Commander of the 94th Aero Squadron (also known as the "Hat-in-the-Ring" Squadron), in his memoirs described Roosevelt's character as soldier and pilot in the following words:
"As President Roosevelt's son he had rather a difficult task to fit himself in with the democratic style of living which is necessary in the intimate life of an aviation camp. Every one who met him for the first time expected him to have the airs and superciliousness of a spoiled boy. This notion was quickly lost after the first glimpse one had of Quentin. Gay, hearty and absolutely square in everything he said or did, Quentin Roosevelt was one of the most popular fellows in the group. We loved him purely for his own natural self.
"He was reckless to such a degree that his commanding officers had to caution him repeatedly about the senselessness of his lack of caution. His bravery was so notorious that we all knew he would either achieve some great spectacular success or be killed in the attempt. Even the pilots in his own flight would beg him to conserve himself and wait for a fair opportunity for a victory. But Quentin would merely laugh away all serious advice."
Quentin's plane (a Nieuport 28
Nieuport 28
|-See also:-Bibliography:* Cheesman E.F. Fighter Aircraft of the 1914-1918 War. Letchworth, UK: Harleyford Publications, 1960, pp. 98–99....
) was shot down at Chamery
Chamery
Chamery is a commune in the Marne department in north-eastern France....
, near Coulonges-en-Tardenois. He was felled by two machine gun bullets which struck him in the head. The German military buried him with full battlefield honors. Since the plane had crashed so near the front lines, the Germans had to use two pieces of basswood saplings, bound together with wire from his Nieuport, to fashion a cross for his grave. For propaganda purposes, the Germans made a postcard of the dead pilot and plane. However, this move was met with shock from Germany, who still held Theodore Roosevelt in high respect, and were impressed that his son died on active duty. According to his service record at the New York State Archives, the site was at Marne Grave #1 Isolated Commune #102, Coulongue Aisne. The French government awarded him the Croix de Guerre
Croix de guerre
The Croix de guerre is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was awarded during World War I, again in World War II, and in other conflicts...
with Palm
Arecaceae
Arecaceae or Palmae , are a family of flowering plants, the only family in the monocot order Arecales. There are roughly 202 currently known genera with around 2600 species, most of which are restricted to tropical, subtropical, and warm temperate climates...
.
Roosevelt's last combat flight and death over France
In 1921 Quentin's brother, Kermit Roosevelt edited and published Quentin Roosevelt: A Sketch with Letters consisting of Quentin's letters from France as well as tributes to Quentin written after his death. Pages 169–171 describe the circumstances of Quentin's last flight and death. On that page, is a letter home from one of the other American pilots, Lt Edward Buford, detailing Quentin’s final mission. Buford, like Quentin, was also reported missing in action, but landed safely at the French aerodrome. He had personally witnessed Quentin’s last fight from the air and described it to his family, several months later:- September 5, 1918
- FATHER DEAR,: -
- You asked me if I knew Quentin Roosevelt. Yes, I knew him very well indeed, and had been associated with him ever since I came to France and he was one of the finest and most courageous boys I ever knew. I was in the fight when he was shot down and saw the whole thing.
- Four of us were out on an early patrol and we had just crossed the lines looking for Boche observation machines, when we ran into seven Fokker Chasse planes. They had the altitude and the advantage of the Sun on us. It was very cloudy and there was a strong wind blowing us farther across the lines all the time. The leader of our formation turned and tried to get back out, but they attacked before we reached the lines, and in a few seconds had completely broken up our formation and the fight developed into a general free-for-all. I tried to keep an eye on all our fellows but we were hopelessly separated and out-numbered nearly two to one. About a half a mile away I saw one of our planes with three Boche on him, and he seemed to be having a pretty hard time with them, so I shook the two I was maneuvering with and tried to get over to him, but before I could reach him, his machine turned over on its back and plunged down out of control. I realized it was too late to be of any assistance and as none of our machines were in sight, I made for a bank of clouds to try to gain altitude on the Huns, and when I came back out, they had reformed, but there were only six of them, so I believe we must have gotten one.
- I waited around about ten minutes to see if I could pickup any of our fellows, but they had disappeared, so I came on home, dodging from cloud to cloud for fear of running into another Boche formation. Of course, at the time of the fight I did not know who the pilot was I had seen go down, but as Quentin did not come back, it must have been him. His loss was one of the severest blows we have ever had in the Squadron, but he certainly died fighting, for any one of us could have gotten away as soon as the scrap started with the clouds as they were that morning. I have tried several times to write to Col. Roosevelt but it is practically impossible for me to write a letter of condolence, but if I am lucky enough to get back to the States, I expect to go to see him.
- (END OF LETTER by Edward Buford)
Kermit continues with the following on page 172–178:
- Two days after Quentin fell, the following German communiqué was intercepted by our wireless:
- On July fourteenth, seven of our chasing planes were attacked by a superior number of American planes north of Dormans. After a stubborn flight, one of the pilots – Lieutenant Roosevelt,—who had shown conspicuous bravery during the fight by attacking again and again without regard to danger, was shot in the head by his more experienced opponent and fell at Chamery.”
- Not long afterward a German official bulletin was found on a prisoner:
-
- Group “Jeporen” (name of the general?)
- General Command Headquarters.
- Ic.? – The Intelligence officer, in the name of the General.
- No. 128133
-
- (German) Army Corps Headquarters
- The 24th of July, 1918/
-
- Edition including even the Companies, except those
- which are just now on the front lines, and which
- will be only mentioned after their relief/
- Sheet of Information, No. 10.
- From the 21st of July to the 23rd of July, 1918
-
- THE SON OF FORMER PRESIDENT OF
- THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,
- ROOSEVELT, FOUND DEATH ON AN
- AERIAL FIGHT ON THE MARNE
-
- At the time of a struggle between a German Pursuit squadron of seven machines and twelve American pursuit aviators above the Marne, a fight took place between the German pursuit pilot a non-commissioned officer Greper and an American pilot. After a long fight, the German flyer succeeded in bringing down his gallant antagonist.
-
- The hostile airman had been killed by two bullets in the head. He was identified by his papers as Lieutenant Roosevelt, of the U.S.A. Flying Corps.
-
- A clipping from the Kölnische Zeitung obtained through the Spanish Embassy gave this account of the fight:
-
- “The aviator of the American Squadron, Quentin
- Roosevelt, in trying to break through the airzone over the Marne, met the death of a hero. A formation of seven German airplanes, while crossing the Marne, saw in the neighborhood of Dormans a group of twelve American fighting airplanes and attacked them. A lively air battle began, in which one American (Quentin) in particular persisted in attacking. The principal feature of the battle consisted in an air duel between the American and a German fighting pilot named Sergeant Greper. After a short struggle, Greper succeeded in bringing the brave American just before his gun-sights. After a few shots the plane apparently got out of his control; the American began to fall and struck the ground near the village of Chamery, about ten kilometers north of the Marne. The American flier was killed by two shots through the head. Papers in his pocket showed him to be Quentin Roosevelt, of the United States army. His effects are being taken care of in order to be sent to his relatives. He was buried by German aviators with military honors.”
- The German pilot who shot down Quentin Roosevelt told me of counting twenty bullet holes in his machine when he landed after the fight. He survived the war but was killed in an accident while engaged in delivering German airplanes to the American Forces under the terms of the Armistice.
- Funeral services held by the Germans were witnessed on July fifteenth by Captain James E. Gee of the 110th Infantry, who had been captured and was being evacuated to the rear. Captain Gee passed through Chamery, the little village near which the plane crashed to earth. He thus describes the scene:
- “In a hollow square about the open grave were assembled approximately one thousand German soldiers, standing stiffly in regular lines. They were dressed in field gray uniforms, wore steel helmets, and carried rifles. Near the grave was a smashed plane, and beside it was a small group of officers, one of whom was speaking to the men. “I did not pass close enough to hear what he was saying; we were prisoners and did have the privilege of lingering, even for such an occasion as this. At the time I did not know who was being buried, but the guards informed me later. The funeral certainly was elaborate. I was told afterward by Germans that they paid Lieut. Roosevelt such honor not only because he was a gallant aviator, who died fighting bravely against odds, but because he was the son of Colonel Roosevelt whom they esteemed as one of the greatest Americans.”
- On July 18, in a great allied counter-attack, the village where Quentin fell was retaken from the Germans, and his grave was found by some Americans soldiers. At its head was a wooden cross, on which was printed:
-
- Lieutenant Roosevelt
- Buried by the Germans.
- Following the custom that sprang up in the heroic soil of the air-service, the broken propeller-blades and bent and scarred wheels of the plane were marking his resting-place.
- Near by lay the shattered remains of the airplane, with the seventy-six “wound stripes” which Quentin had painted on it, still to be seen.
The engineer regiment of the division that had retaken Chamery marked the spot where the
airplane fell, and raised a cross at the grave with the inscription
-
- Here rests on the field of honor
- Quentin Roosevelt
- Air Service U.S.A.
- Killed in action July 1918.
- The French placed an oaken enclosure with a head-born reading:
-
- Lieutenant
- Quentin Roosevelt
- Escadrille 95
- Tombé glorieusement
- En combat aerien
- Le 14 Juillet 1918
- Pour le droit
- Et la liberté
After his grave came under Allied control, thousands of American soldiers visited it to pay their respects. Quentin's resting place became a shrine and an inspiration to his comrades in arms.
Quentin's death was a great personal loss to his father Theodore, who understood quite well that he had encouraged his son's entry into the War. It is said that he never fully recovered from Quentin's death. Within six months, Theodore himself would be dead.
When the World War II American Cemetery was established in France at Colleville-sur-Mer
Colleville-sur-Mer
Colleville-sur-Mer is a commune in the Calvados department in the Basse-Normandie region in northwestern France.The beach next to the coastal village was one of the principal beachheads during the Normandy landings on 6 June 1944, designated Omaha beach....
, Quentin's body was exhumed and moved there. He is buried next to his brother Brigadier General "Ted" Theodore Roosevelt, Jr.
Theodore Roosevelt, Jr.
Theodore D. Roosevelt, Jr. , was an American political and business leader, a Medal of Honor recipient who fought in both of the 20th century's world wars. He was the eldest son of President Theodore Roosevelt from his second wife Edith Roosevelt...
, who had died of a heart attack in France shortly after leading his troops in landings on Utah Beach
Utah Beach
Utah Beach was the code name for the right flank, or westernmost, of the Allied landing beaches during the D-Day invasion of Normandy, as part of Operation Overlord on 6 June 1944...
on D-Day
D-Day
D-Day is a term often used in military parlance to denote the day on which a combat attack or operation is to be initiated. "D-Day" often represents a variable, designating the day upon which some significant event will occur or has occurred; see Military designation of days and hours for similar...
as Assistant 4th Infantry Division
U.S. 4th Infantry Division
The 4th Infantry Division is a modular division of the United States Army based at Fort Carson, Colorado, with four brigade combat teams. It is a very technically advanced combat division in the U.S. Army....
Commander (an act which would earn him the Medal of Honor
Medal of Honor
The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed by the President, in the name of Congress, upon members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguish themselves through "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her...
). Quentin's original gravestone is now currently on display at Sagamore Hill
Sagamore Hill
Sagamore Hill was the home of the 26th President of the United States Theodore Roosevelt from 1885 until his death in 1919. It is located at the end of Cove Neck Road in the Incorporated Village of Cove Neck, New York, on Long Island, 25 miles east of Manhattan. Sagamore Hill is located within...
. The German-made basswood cross that marked Quentin's original gravesite is on display at the National Museum of the United States Air Force
National Museum of the United States Air Force
The National Museum of the United States Air Force is the official museum of the United States Air Force located at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base northeast of Dayton, Ohio. The NMUSAF is the world's largest and oldest military aviation museum with more than 360 aircraft and missiles on display...
, at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, in Dayton
Dayton, Ohio
Dayton is the 6th largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County, the fifth most populous county in the state. The population was 141,527 at the 2010 census. The Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 841,502 in the 2010 census...
Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
. A young Quentin Roosevelt and his father president Theodore Roosevelt are mentioned in the children's story book "Brighty of the Grand Canyon" on the occasion of Quentin's first mountain lion hunt.
June 2007 trip to Quentin's French battlefield monument
In June 2007, several Roosevelt family members as well as members of the Theodore Roosevelt AssociationTheodore Roosevelt Association
The Theodore Roosevelt Association is a historical and cultural organization dedicated to honoring the life and work of Theodore Roosevelt , the 26th president of the United States....
(TRA) visited the small monument in France at the French village over which Quentin was shot down in 1918. Their purpose was to restore the monument and prepare a report to the TRA on the work accomplished by this trip.
Quentin Roosevelt II
Quentin Roosevelt II
Quentin Roosevelt II was the fourth child of Theodore Roosevelt, Jr. and Eleanor Butler Alexander-Roosevelt. He was the namesake of his uncle Quentin Roosevelt who was killed in action during World War I in 1918...
(1919–1948), the fourth son of Theodore Roosevelt, Jr.
Theodore Roosevelt, Jr.
Theodore D. Roosevelt, Jr. , was an American political and business leader, a Medal of Honor recipient who fought in both of the 20th century's world wars. He was the eldest son of President Theodore Roosevelt from his second wife Edith Roosevelt...
was named after Quentin, and also died in a plane crash.
Commemorations of Quentin Roosevelt and USAS
On July 14, 2008 on the 90th anniversary of Quentin's death, the villages of SaintsSaints, Seine-et-Marne
Saints is a commune in the Seine-et-Marne department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France.-History:Saints appears on early maps as Sanz. It is an agricultural village perched above the Petit Aubetin River....
, Mauperthuis
Mauperthuis
Mauperthuis is a commune in the Seine-et-Marne department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France.The village is famous for having produced five Musketeers including d'Artagnan, who was made famous in Alexandre Dumas, père's books. The ruined Château d'Artagnan exists today...
and Touquin
Touquin
Touquin is a commune in the Seine-et-Marne department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France.-References:*In one of his flights as a World War 1 flying ace, Snoopy flew over Touquin.-External links:* *...
held a commemoration of Quentin Roosevelt. Roosevelt was billeted in the village of Mauperthuis and based in Saints at the time of his death.
On June 28, 2009, on the 90th anniversary of the departure of the USAS from Issoudun
Issoudun
Issoudun is a commune in the Indre department in central France. It is also referred to as Issoundun, which is the ancient name.-History:...
, Issoudun held a ceremony in honor of the American aviators and also included Quentin Roosevelt's name on the new plaque.
The community of Quentin, Pennsylvania
Quentin, Pennsylvania
Quentin is a census-designated place in Lebanon County, Pennsylvania, United States that was named after Quentin Roosevelt. The population was 529 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Quentin is located at ....
, in Lebanon County
Lebanon County, Pennsylvania
As of the census of 2000, there were 120,327 people and 32,771 families residing in the county. The population density was 332 people per square mile . There were 49,320 housing units at an average density of 136 per square mile...
, was named for Quentin Roosevelt.
External links
- The Almanac of Theodore Roosevelt
- Short Documentary Clip on Quentin's Death in WWI
- Quentin and his brother Archie and their father Theodore Roosevelt on film during World War I
- USAF Museum
- Photos of the First Pursuit Group
- Captain Eddie Rickenbacker's Account of Quentin's Death during World War I
- Nine American Squadrons, Online French & English Account of US Army Air Corps Ops in France. German propaganda photo of Quetin's Body beside his crashed airplane
- July 14, 2008 Commemoration of Quentin Roosevelt and 1st Pursuit Group