Mark Darrison Clapsattle
Bio and Photo courtesy of Sam Pestle
Mark Darrison Clapsattle was born in Lockport, New York, on January 28th, 1891. He graduated from high school in about 1909 and later attended three years of college at Cornell from 1913-1915. He seems to have graduated with a degree and was later self-employed in the manufacture of shirts during the 1917 draft registration. Mark denied any deferments from military service and was inducted into the US Army on February 24th, 1918.
Following a short period of basic training, Mark was promoted to Corporal on April 13th and assigned to Company "C" of the 302nd Supply Train, 77th Division. His unit sailed overseas to France aboard the SS Leviathan on April 24th, 1918, and the 77th Division subsequently received combat training with the British in the Picardy and Artois Sectors. The 302nd Supply Train was a motorized unit responsible for the delivery of supplies from rear areas to the frontlines. This included delivering food, material, barbed wire, and sometimes ammunition directly to AEF combat units.
Throughout the latter half of 1918, the American 77th Division received campaign credit for the Baccarat Sector, Oise-Aisne, Aisne-Marne and Meuse-Argonne Offensive. This French photograph of Corporal Clapsattle is dated October 19th, 1918, and appears to depict him in full uniform while still relatively close to the front (or perhaps shortly after the 77th Division was relieved from the front in mid-October by the American 78th Division).
Although the 77th Division suffered significant casualties during their 68 days of combat, Mark thankfully remained physically unharmed during his time along the Western Front. Corporal Clapsattle returned to the United States aboard the USS President Grant on May 6th, 1919, and received an honorable discharge on May 19th. His service number was 1680296.
Mark returned to his life in New York after the war and became the president of a laundry company and later the proprietor of a men's clothing story. He married in 1933, and it appears that the couple fostered and adopted a daughter while in their 50's. Mark also remained active in the American Legion, Automobile Club, and the Masonic Lodge throughout his adult life. He died in a nursing home at the age of 79 years on New Year's Day of 1971 and is now buried with a military gravestone beside his wife and parents in the Glenwood Cemetery of Lockport, NY.