Name: Frank Clayton Durkee Rank: Private First Class Service Number: 133660 Service: Battery C, 101st Field Artillery Regiment, 26th (Yankee) Division, US Army Date of Birth: August 6, 1898 Place of Birth: Swampscott, Essex Co., Massachusetts Enlistment: May 14, 1917 Age: 18 Discharge: February 7, 1919 Age: 20 Date of Death: July 8, 1947 Age: 47 Cemetery: Swampscott Cemetery, Swampscott, Essex Co., Massachusetts Frank Clayton Durkee was the son of George Dempsey Rabine Durkee (1862-1950) born in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, and Lottie Brickett (Chandler) Durkee (1872-1958) born in New York, and the brother of Harold Allen Durkee (1896-1968). Frank’s father’s Masonic card confirm he received ‘the Vets Medal’ in 1943. The exact details or dates of his service are unknown, but he was a Veteran. Frank served in the Field Artillery, American Expeditionary Force, September 21, 1917, to January 23, 1919. He and his brother Harold both enlisted the same day, both served in the same unit, the 101st Field Artillery Regt. And both travelled to Europe together on the same ship, the SS Adriatic sailing on September 9, 1917, from New York. He participated in the following: Battle of Chemin des Dames, February 4 to March 20, 1918; Toul front, April 3 to June 28, 1918; Chateau-Thierry drive, July 6 to August 4, 1918; St. Mihiel drive, September 1 to October 11, 1918; Verdun front, October 12, 1918. He was gassed in the Argonne on October 27, 1918. He returned from Brest, France to the United States on the US ship Orizaba in January 1919. Frank was 48 years old when he died while sketching a shore scene from his car parked on Lynn Shore Drive. He was a local artist.

Name: Harold Allen Durkee Rank: Corporal, later Second Lieutenant Service: Battery C, 101st Field Artillery Regiment, 26th (Yankee) Division, US Army Date of Birth: May 7, 1896 Place of Birth: Saugus, Essex Co., Massachusetts Enlistment: May 14, 1917 Discharge: April 29, 1919 Age: 22 Date of Death: March 26, 1968 Age: 71 Cemetery: Swampscott Cemetery, Swampscott, Essex Co., Massachusetts Harold Allen Durkee was also the son of George Dempsey Rabine Durkee and Lottie Brickett (Chandler) Durke. He was the brother of Frank Clayton Durkee (1898-1947), and the husband of Dorothea Isabelle (Bruce) Durkee (1895-1983); whom he married in 1922. Harold’s son Donald David Durkee (b. 1925) served during WWII in the US Navy (Service No. 7486990), and honorably discharged on June 7, 1946 (based on his US Draft Card from June 10, 1946). He enlisted April 20, 1943, in Boston, Mass. His service included the Fleet or Naval Air Arm of the USN. Harold served in the Field Artillery, American Expeditionary Force, September 9, 1917, to April 10, 1919. He served in the Headquarters Company. He participated in many of the major operations of World War I including the Aisne-Marne offensive, July 18 to August 4, 1918, the St. Mihiel offensive, September 12 to 16, 1918 and the Meuse-Argonne offensive, September 26 to November 11, 1918. He returned from Brest, France to the United States on the ship Mongolia departing March 31, 1919, and arriving in Boston, Mass. on April 10, 1919.

Sources: Swampscott Honor Roll, World War 1917-1918, book findagrave