A Memorial Day update on a Purple Heart we found in the Brother Martin High School/BOSH archives.
BOSH Purple Heart Update
As part of my work in the archives at Brother Martin High School, I came across a Purple Heart decoration in its presentation box. Inside the box was the medal, ribbon, and a set of dog tags. While so many BOSH alumni served, I was surprised to find a military medal in the boxes of memorabilia and ephemera. So, I took photos and brought it down to Mr. Heine. We both agreed that we should check to see if the family would want the medal back. Sometimes when an older person passes, we box up their personal stuff, have an estate sale, etc. So many folks hate to throw out paw-paw’s high school stuff, so they bring it back to the school.
Mr. Heine checked his alumni databases, and couldn’t find the name, Richard Warr. He didn’t appear to be a Kingsman or Crusader. I wrote the post telling the story and we moved on.
This week, I received an interesting note from a member of the Ridgley family:
I was recently working on my family tree and came across this article through a Google search.
If you have never gotten to tracking it down, I can save you some time: That’s my granduncle.
Richard Chester Warr was the brother of Mary Catherine Warr, who was married to John Edward Ridgley, father of Thomas Francis and John Edward Ridgley Jr. who were both alumni of Brother Martin.
Yep, the Thomas Ridgley who’s name is on the Brother Martin Fine Arts and Athletics Building.
Not sure if Richard Warr was himself an alumnus, but he joined the Army in early 1942 and was assigned to A Co., 1st Battalion, 377th Infantry, 95th Infantry Division. He was captured during their attack on the city of Metz in early November 1944. I’ve enclosed his VA internment record as an image. The serial number should be a full match for the dog tag.
Wow! Now we know the link! The Ridgleys are what I call “BOSH Royalty,” one of the families with a long tradition of supporting the schools and the Institute. There’s a lot of ephemera and photos donated by various members of the family to the archives over the years.
Here’s my theory on how we came into the possession of Warr’s decoration. He was a Private First Class during World War II, and unfortunately died young, at the age of 46. If Warr did not marry, his possessions likely went to his sister, Mary Catherine. So, Mary Catherine Warr marries John Ridgley. Her personal stuff becomes part of the the Ridgley family stuff. Perhaps the Purple Heart ended up in a box of high school stuff.
Mr. Warr was interred in New York (in the Long Island National Cemetery). That tracks with no listing of him as a BOSH alumnus.
Memorial Day
We hope everyone has a great Memorial Day. All of our Kingsmen and Crusaders who gave their lives in defense of our country are in our prayers.
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