Colonel Raynal Cawthorne Bolling (Raynal pronounced as in "canal") (September 1, 1877 -March 26, 1918) was the first high-ranking U.S.

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 officer to be killed in combat in 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...

. He laid the foundation for 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...

 in the American Expeditionary Force

American Expeditionary Force

The American Expeditionary Forces or AEF were the United States Armed Forces sent to Europe in World War I. During the United States campaigns in World War I the AEF fought in France alongside British and French allied forces in the last year of the war, against Imperial German forces...

. He was ambushed by German troops near the front lines on the Amiens

Amiens

Amiens is a city and commune in northern France, north of Paris and south-west of Lille. It is the capital of the Somme department in Picardy...

-Saint-Quentin road (the modern N29) during the second Somme offensive. The spot is a few kilometers east of the commune of Estrées-Deniécourt

Estrées-Deniécourt

Estrées-Deniécourt is a commune in the Somme department in Picardie in northern France.-Geography:The commune lies on the national highway N29, at the junction with the A1 autoroute, west of the River Somme and east of Amiens...

, Picardy

Picardy

This article is about the historical French province. For other uses, see Picardy .Picardy is a historical province of France, in the north of France...

, 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...

. He was the namesake of Bolling Air Force Base

Bolling Air Force Base

Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling is a military installation, located in Southeast Washington, D.C., established on 1 October 2010 in accordance with congressional legislation implementing the recommendations of the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure Commission...

.

Born in Hot Springs, Arkansas

Hot Springs, Arkansas

Hot Springs is the 10th most populous city in the U.S. state of Arkansas, the county seat of Garland County, and the principal city of the Hot Springs Metropolitan Statistical Area encompassing all of Garland County...

, from 1909 on he was a resident of Greenwich, Connecticut

Greenwich, Connecticut

Greenwich is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. As of the 2010 census, the town had a total population of 61,171. It is home to many hedge funds and other financial service companies. Greenwich is the southernmost and westernmost municipality in Connecticut and is 38+ minutes ...

 at his estate Greyledge on Doubling Rd. The estate was razed in 2006 by its current owner despite a public outcry. Near the town commons a life-size bronze statue cast by the Gorham Foundry of Rhode Island

Rhode Island

The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...

 sculpted by Edward Clark Potter

Edward Clark Potter

Edward Clark Potter was an American sculptor best known for his equestrian and animal statues. His works include the "Fortitude" lion in front of the New York Public Library.-Early years:...

 serves as his memorial. The Indiana

Indiana

Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...

 limestone

Limestone

Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....

 background of the memorial shows aircraft in combat in low relief. The inscription on the front of the memorial reads simply "Bolling", on the reverse it reads:

Raynal C. Bolling

Born September 1, 1877

Foresaw his Nation's call to Arms

And left a brilliant career

To prepare himself for service

In the World War

Colonel of Aviation

American Expeditionary Forces

He laid the foundation

For Our Aerial Warfare in France

He fell in action near Amiens

March 26, 1918

In the Vanguard

Of the Thousands of Americans

Who gave all for their Country

Other memorials are at Harvard and Humboldt Redwoods State Park

Humboldt Redwoods State Park

Humboldt Redwoods State Park is located south of Eureka, California in southern Humboldt County, within northern California. Established by the Save-the-Redwoods League in 1921 with the dedication of the Raynal Bolling Memorial Grove, it has grown to become the third largest park in the California...

.

He attended the Penn Charter School

William Penn Charter School

William Penn Charter School is an independent school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, founded in 1689 by William Penn...

 in Philadelphia, graduating in 1896. Graduated from Harvard College

Harvard College

Harvard College, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is one of two schools within Harvard University granting undergraduate degrees...

 in the class of 1900 and from Harvard Law School

Harvard Law School

Harvard Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Harvard University. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, it is the oldest continually-operating law school in the United States and is home to the largest academic law library in the world. The school is routinely ranked by the U.S...

 in 1902.

He was a lawyer at Guthrie, Cravath, and Henderson

Cravath, Swaine & Moore

Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP is a prominent American law firm based in New York City, with an additional office in London. The second oldest firm in the country, Cravath was founded in 1819 and consistently ranks first among the world's most prestigious law firms according to a survey of partners,...

. A little after a year there he began his career in the legal department of the United States Steel Corporation. By 1907 he was Assistant General Solicitor and married Anna Tucker Phillips. He also joined the New York National Guard

United States National Guard

The National Guard of the United States is a reserve military force composed of state National Guard militia members or units under federally recognized active or inactive armed force service for the United States. Militia members are citizen soldiers, meaning they work part time for the National...

. He and his wife had four daughters and a son. In 1913 he was named General Solicitor of US Steel.

By 1917 he was a colonel

Colonel (United States)

In the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, colonel is a senior field grade military officer rank just above the rank of lieutenant colonel and just below the rank of brigadier general...

 with the United States Army

United States Army

The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...

 Signal Corps and Assistant Chief of the Air Service. Because of his legal experience he was chosen to draft a bill for Congress to authorize air service production. That year he headed the Bolling Mission to Europe representing the Secretary of War and the Air Service Production Board to report on aircraft production.

Killed in action in 1918, he was posthumously awarded the Cross of the Legion of Honor

Légion d'honneur

The Legion of Honour, or in full the National Order of the Legion of Honour is a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the Consulat which succeeded to the First Republic, on 19 May 1802...

 and the Distinguished Service Medal. Lord Northcliffe said "Bolling is our best."

"Let's look inside and remember that it's our ideals, our endeavors, our affections and love that are the realities in Life."

- Raynal Bolling

External links

• Bolling photo
• Harvard Memorial
• Amiens-Saint Quentin Road is at coordinates 49.875°N 2.780°W