Historic Hood River
Corporal Melvin Le Francq
11-11-2020
Notes
For this Veterans’ Day we have this image with the caption, “Corporal Melvin Le Francq, gas and bomb instructor at French training camp.” He safely returned to Hood River in July 1919.
Corporal Le Francq’s father, Leon Le Francq, immigrated to Hood River from Belgium. He was a local farmer, with newspaper accounts linking him to Twin Oaks Farm and Paradise Farms, both farms we’re familiar with.
Charlott
Melvin was born in Missoula, Montana on 27 December 1893 to Leon and Mary Christina (Holmdahl) Le Francq. Eventually the family moved west, first to the Bingen area and finally Hood River. He had a number of siblings, Lewis, Oscar, who resided in White Salmon, Paula who ‘s married name was Ballieu, Julius and Paul. Melvin didn’t get to spend Christmas 1917 at home because he left Hoboken, New Jersey on 13 December aboard the ship President Lincoln for the European front. He was a corporal in Co. C. 161st Infancy, 41st Division.
He married Mary Helen Manning on 9 March 1931 and resided in Seattle, where he died on 26 March 1950.
L.E.
My grandparents immigrated from Belgium right after the war. My grandfather had been a German prisoner of war, but was fortunate in that he worked as some kind of farm labor.
As a kid, I remember Grandma came from the chicken house and handed Grandpa an egg. He cracked it on top of a fence post and dropped the raw egg into his mouth. I gagged and must have said something because Grandma sternly told me that is what kept Grandpa alive during the war.
Arlen L Sheldrake
Flag is up, heading to the Oregon Rail Heritage Center in a bit to participate in the Bells of Peace…..11-11-11. A time to reflect………
Bill Seaton
Veteran’s Day always causes me to remember the first veterans I knew. This takes me back to shortly after the end of World War 2. We had moved into an apartment in the Downing Building on 1st and Oak, and living in the other 4 apartments were couples. Each husband had just gotten back from the war. They were Russ Hawn, Don McConn, Homer Ireland, and Ken McQuary.
Judy
Charlott,
Where do you get all your info?
Very nice
Fritz
Bill, the name was spelled Hahn. His wife’s name was Sylvia.