Albert Luther Peck

Submitted by: Jim McLoughlin {None}

Albert Luther Peck born around 1896. Albert Peck served in World War 1 with the United States Army. The enlistment was in 1917 and the service was completed in 1918.

Story of Service

 

On 27th November, 1918, Private Albert L Peck of 125 Main St, Spencer, MA died of spinal meningitis. It was the day before 1918's US Thanksgiving, and 16 days after the Armistice ended the war. He was 22 years old, and serving as a surgical assistant in the 101st Field Hospital of the Sanitary Train of the 26th 'Yankee' Division.

Although the 'Spanish Flu' pandemic of 1918 caused most of the deaths attributed to disease in the American military in WW1, spinal meningitis caused nearly 2,000 deaths, ranking second only to pneumonia with 40,000 deaths. Both diseases were largely the result of bringing large numbers of men together in close confinement.

Albert was the youngest of three children of the Spencer physician, Dr Albert Frederick Peck and his wife Lizzie (nee Bates). He was already enrolled as a medical student at Tufts Medical School in Boston when he signed up during the first draft of June, 1917, though his draft card says he was already a reserve member of the Massachusetts National Guard.

He sailed from Hoboken NJ on September 7, 1917 on the US troop transport Henry R Mallory, arriving at St Nazaire France on Sept 21. He likely served in the Toul sector and participated in the two large US offensives at St Mihiel and Meuse Argonne. Albert's remains were repatriated to the United States on US Army Transport ship 'Wheaton' arriving Hoboken NJ on 18 May 1921 . He is buried in the Spencer Pine Grove cemetery, with his parents. Sadly, his father Dr Alred F Peck never saw his son's return to Spencer...he died of heart disease at the end of March, 1921.

Albert's older brother, Edward Bates Peck also served, but survived the war and returned to a career as a chemist with Exxon in NJ.

His name, and Edward's, is on the Roll of Honor in the Spencer Town Hall, and his sacrifice is memorialized in the Isaac L Prouty Memorial Park on E Main St, just a few hundred yards from his home. ."They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old: Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn; At the going down of the sun, and in the morning, We will remember them."