I never knew my maternal grandfather, Frederick Benjamin Critchlow. He died at the age of 51, when my mother was a high school senior. But on Veteran’s Day, I think of him and the sacrifices he and his family made as he served his country.

Fred was born in Ogden, Utah in 1887 and married Angelina Coop Jarman in 1911, after serving a 2 ½ year mission in California. Their first baby, born in 1912, was stillborn, and the next year, their daughter Virginia was born. In May 1917, Virginia contracted spinal meningitis and passed away. The United States had entered World War I in April 1917 and, because of Virginia’s death, Fred was now eligible for military service and was in the first draft into the army in Salt Lake City in September 1917, leaving only 4 months after Virginia’s death. He began his military service in Fort Lewis, Washington and served in every major battle that the United States participated in World War I – Verdun, Marne, Belleau Woods, and Argonne. 

Our extended family is blessed to have the letters he wrote to his wife during the war. Although he did not dwell much on his harrowing war experiences in his correspondence, on 26 September 1918 from France he related, “We entered the trenches on Hill 305 where we encountered a barrage and intense machine gun fire. I got behind a small ridge and bullets were whistling over my head an all around. Shells lit every where it seemed to me except where I was lying. I thot then [I was finished], but I got thru O.K. That night I slept in a small hole not covered except by a tarp we found. It rained and shells came over all night. We were bombed by airplanes during this action and they also used machine guns on us.”

Often in his letters, Fred counseled his wife about their affairs at home and he always signed his epistles with endearing, heart-felt endings. “With an abundance of love,” “Lovingly yours,” “Good night, dear, with much love,” and “Hoping you are well and invoking God’s blessings upon you,” were just a few of his closings. The war ended November 11, 1918, but Fred remained in the army of occupation for another six months. He finally returned home July 23, 1919.

Everyone who knew Fred as a young man said that the war altered him. Today we would say that he suffered from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. He seemed to live and relive that terrible experience. There were certain foods like cold, stewed tomatoes that he couldn’t eat because they reminded him of food he ate during that time. As a result of his war experiences, he was always very reserved, he seldom relaxed, and was often tense and nervous. His life history states that “everyone who knew Fred as a young man said that he was a changed person after the war. He seemed to live and relive those horrible experiences…He kept the war bottled up inside him until the day he died.”

During his final illness, he spent time at the Veteran’s Hospital in Salt Lake City and, in his delirium, he imagined that sentries were walking outside his door and he called out battle action. He lived and relived his experiences. A speaker at his funeral noted that, “he was as much a war casualty as a soldier who had died on the battle front.”

Despite the challenges of his war experiences, he supported his family as the manager of the Consolidated Wagon and Machine Company in Provo, although he suffered from excruciating headaches and other infirmities. He was a beloved husband and the father of two daughters who idolized him. At his funeral, it was noted that, “there was nothing of unfairness, nothing of hypocrisy about Fred. He was a man of honesty and integrity, a true and faithful friend.”

G.K. Chesterton wrote, “The true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because he loves what is behind him.” Frederick Benjamin Critchlow truly fought because of his love of his God, his country, and his family. I am privileged to be able to honor him this Veteran’s Day.

You can find information about your family members who served in the military by going to FamilySearch > Activities > All Activities > All About Your Ancestors > Honoring Your Military Relatives, My Relatives’ Military Records, War of 1812 Relatives, WW1 Draft Records, WW2 Enlistment Records, and other FS campaigns.

Sources:

Christensen, Joanne Frost. “Frederick Benjamin Critchlow’s World War I Letters—Salutations and Closings.” FamilySearch, accessed 3 Nov 2023.

Frost, Elinor Critchlow and Margaret Critchlow Weight. “Life Sketch of Frederick Benjamin Critchlow.” FamilySearch, accessed 3 Nov 2023.

“Funeral Services of Fred B. Critchlow.” FamilySearch, accessed 3 Nov 2023.

– Marianne Bates, Consultant, Granite FamilySearch Center