PVT Frank Austin Phelan

courtesy of Marijke Taffein

PVT Frank Austin Phelan was born 7 Nov 1888 in Providence, Rhode Island the 5th of 7 children of Patrick Francis and Mary C. Phelan.  His father was a native of Ireland and worked as a carpenter and as a pattern maker in a machine shop.  By 1910, Frank was working as a clerk in a drug store.  When he registered for the draft in 1917, Frank was working in Massena, New York for the Aluminum Company of America (ALCOA).

Frank already had a year's experience as a PVT in the Rhode Island National Guard when he was called to active duty and assigned to L Company 116th Infantry.  He trained with the unit at Camp McClellan, Alabama and then sailed with the regiment from Hoboken, New Jersey aboard the USS Finland.  After training for trench warfare the regiment went into the line in a "quiet" sector.  When the command organized a big "push" in October 1918, the 29th Division was part of it.  PVT Phelan was killed in action on 23 Oct 1918.

PVT Phelan was buried in the Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery.