Vigo County Historical Society
Historical Treasure Article

February 21, 1999
By Alice Mahalek
Vigo County Historical Society

Museum memorabilia shows life in WWI

In a northwest corner of the Historical Museum of the Wabash Valley there is a room commemorating the activities of Wabash Valley citizens who supported the United States through various wars.

Although, as might be expected, most of the memorabilia reflects contribution made by men, at least one display pays tribute to a woman of distinction. It contains the uniform, medals and miscellaneous decorations that attest to the courage and dedication of a World War I nurse.

Margaret Ellen Gillespie Freed was born in Charlottestown, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, but as a little girl she moved with her family to Rockford, Mass. After graduating from high school, she attended Simmons College at Boston before beginning nurses’ training at New England Deaconess Hospital.

When World War I erupted in 1914, the young Miss Gillespie, by then a registered nurse, responded to the nation’s call and volunteered for duty overseas.

Tragically, on the day she was to ship out, the family received notification that her doughboy brother had been killed in France. Although the Army, in consequence, offered her the opportunity of staying stateside, she declined. With her mother’s encouragement, she determined to go to France and carry on her brother’s mission by ministering to other soldiers suffering from wounds and deprivations.

After landing at Brest, France, the fledgling angel of mercy was sent to Toul and Pagney-sur-Meuse to care for men who became casualties in the Meus-Argonne battle. From there, she went on to Royameux where those wounded at St. Mihiel had been taken.

During the heavy fighting on the Hindenburg Line, she and five others were sent to become part of a staff of 12 nurses to care for the great many badly injured men who had to be evacuated.

It was while engaged in this arduous and frequently hazardous work that Margaret became acquainted with Dr. John Freed, a captain in the Army Medical Corp who recently had returned from the front. They were married in Indianapolis six months after the war ended.

Among the relics of her devoted service are a complete uniform including a navy blue jacket with insignia, service pins and campaign ribbons; medals commemorating participation in the battles of St. Mihiel and the Meuse-Argonne; black ribbons bearing a watch inscribed “Presented to M.E. Gillespie by the people of Rockland, Mass., in grateful recognition of services rendered in the World War, 1917-1919;” and an 11-inch by 7 1/2 inch flag.

The flag was handed to Margaret by her sister, Mrs. L.E. Rhodenizer, as she left with the injunction that she bring it back home to her. It subsequently served as a good luck charm for her son, Dr. J.D. Freed Jr., when his mother tucked it in the pocket of his World War II uniform the same admonition. She also saw to it that her grandson, John Freed III, carried it with him when he joined the marines.

The Historical Museum of the Wabash Valley, 1411 S. Sixth St., is open from 1 to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday.


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