This Military Service Page was created/owned by
Sgt David A. Stutesman
to remember
Marine 1stSgt William Paul Higginson.
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Casualty Info
Home Town Philadelphia
Last Address Rochester, N.Y.
Casualty Date Jun 06, 1918
Cause KIA-Killed in Action
Reason Gun, Small Arms Fire
Location France
Conflict World War I
Location of Interment Mount Hope Cemetery - Rochester, New York
Other Memories The Fifth Regiment was among the first wave of American soldiers sent to the France after the United States declared war on Germany on April 6, 1916. The men shipped out from New York on June 14, 1917 and arrived in France by the end of June. Almost immediately, the Marines were put under the direct control of the US Army. For the rest of 1917, the Marines saw almost no action. Most of their time was spent in training and reorganizing for trench warfare (Metcalf 473-5). It was during this retraining time that Higginson received numerous promotions, rising to First Sergeant (Foreman 195-6). His rise was due to the fact that most of the Marines sent to France had never been stationed overseas. As a result, almost any international experience was rewarded with rank. At one point, William Paul was even offered an officer's commission in the Army, but instead chose to stay in the Marine Corps (Foreman 195-6). In March 1918, the Fifth Regiment was finally sent to the front lines. First, for a very short period, they were stationed along the lines of Verdun, a stalemated battle since the Fall of 1916 now famous for the highest casualty rates per square foot of battlefield. By the end of March, the unit had shifted to the east of Verdun and relieved French divisions along the lines stationed in defensive positions. This is where they stayed until the end of May when a German offensive threatened Paris. From May 30 until June 5, the Fifth Regiment supported the Sixth in defending a road that linked the front to Paris (Metcalf 476-481).
On June 6, 1918, the Marines began an offensive in the Belleau Wood to secure ground that was being given up by retreating French soldiers. The offensive was supposed to take twenty days, and it would represent some of the most ferocious fighting even seen. But Higginson did not see the end of the offensive; he died in the first day of the battle. William Paul, with the Fifth Marines, constituted the first offensive attack by Marines in France. The goal was to advance approximately one thousand yards in conjunction with French forces. Tactically, the attack was unsuccessful.