Andrew Jackson MacElroy

[Barrett]

A local museum has some papers of US Army Major AJM who received the DSO from the British for his joint work. But there's no citation for the gong. Anybody able to help? Additional details on AJM also would be welcome.

[josquin]

Barrett,
I cannot locate an award citation for Andrew Jackson MacElroy in the London Gazette, Flight Magazine archives or the Medal Index Card collection at the National Archives, Kew. Kew does have an RAF officer service record for "Andrew Jackson McElroy" at file reference Air 76/317/26. There are a number of Air 76 files for U.S. Air Service officers attached to the RAF (examples, as stated in the file index, "F.E. Kindley," "Eugene H. Barksdale," "and "George A. Vaughn").
Andrew Jackson MacElroy was born at Homeworth, Ohio, on 14 Detember 1875; was a graduate of Cornell University; his residence, in 1910, was Hempstead, Nassau, New York; he joined the New York State National Guard on 14 June 1915, posted to Company L, 47th Infantry Regiment. He was co-author, with Lt.Col. W.G. Kilner, of "The Cantonment Manual: Or, Facts for Every Soldier," (Appleton & Co., New York, 1918) a general orientation guidebook for new recruits. I could not find any information about his service with the A.E.F./U.S.A.S. Postwar, he was living in Brooklyn, N.Y.C. in 1920, and in Rockville Centre, Hempstead Town, in 1935 and 1940. He died at East Farmingdale, New York, on 15 July 1963. Forum members with access to Gorrell's history, or references by Hudson and Sloan, may provide information concerning his Great War service.
Best regards,

Josquin

[Barrett]

Many many thanks Josquin, that's more detail than I think the museum has. Will forward with proper attribution!

[ONEALM]

Jon -

The compilation of service records by Cornell (which is quite abbreviated), provides only:

Cornell class of 1898, BS. Enlisted March 1917, Major USAS. Attached RAF. DSO. Discharged 9 July 1919.

There is photo of MacElroy in the 1920 Cornellian yearbook - a section of which is a review of the wartime casualties and grads and undergrads who were decorated. I can certainly send along a copy, but I suspect Cornell also has a better copy of this photo.

He is also listed as "McElroy" in the NYNG records (specifically referred to in his records as both Mac and Mc Elroy, seperate records provided for both names, same b'day, same home address....)

These further provide.

Mustered in 2 April 1917 as 2/Lt. Company L 47th Infantry.
Transferred to Air Service 19 Nov 1917, 1st Lt. ASSC.

The rest of this record is the same as provided below by the Adj. Gen. I suspect those were generated from those collected, hand written records.

The Adj. Generals service records for NY give us:

Born Homeworth, OH 14 Sept 1875. 47th (**) and 105th Infantry. 23 Aero and 161 Aero (no dates for any of these unfortunately).

Captain (ASSC) 12 Nov 1917. Major 22 Feb 1919.

Overseas 16 Feb 1918 to 18 July 1919 (*). Discharged 9 July 1919.

He sailed from NYC aboard "ship 508" on 16 Feb 1918 as a member of the 176th Aero Squadron and returned aboard the "SS Lousiville" departing Europe 26 June and arriving 7 July 1919.

NY National Guard Abstracts of Service provide:

"Enlistment or Commission date" in NYNG 9 Feb 1916. Not sure which it might be, but based on Josquins findings it might be his comm to 2/Lt.

(**) Company A, 47th Infantry - which is at odds with both Josquin and the other Adj Gen records. He was a 2/Lt. at this time (which included March and April of 1917, record not clear as to when he arrived or departed)
(*) this date is out of line... may be a typo on the original NY record

-Mike