Weakley County, Tennessee
| TILLMAN, Boyd Serving in France 1918-1919 |
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| Boyd Tillman was born on 28
March 1898 in Greenfield, Weakley Co., Tennessee, to John Washington
Tillman and his wife Lillie Belle Morrow. He was the grandson of
James Calvin Tillman and Elizabeth 'Bettie' Campbell, and also William
Speer Morrow and his wife Susan Jane Garrison. His early life was
spent living on the Tillman farm lands located on the Tillman Road
about 7 miles west of Greenfield. He only completed the 6th grade
and had attended the Normal School prior to moving to Texas. The family moved to Humble, Harris Co., Texas in 1907, where his father was a foreman in the oil fields. Boyd was an automobile mechanic prior to enlisting in the US Army Air Service (s/n 1269107) at Fort Sam Houston, Texas on 26 December 1917, where he spent several months in training, but not in the use of fire arms. Boyd then relocated to New York to board the troop transport "ORAZABA" (id SP1536), see photo, for the trip to Brest, France where he was assigned to the 16th Co, 3rd regiment AEF stationed in Romantine, France as a PFC from 9 July 1918 to 16 June 1919. While in France he was an airplane engine/service mechanic. It was not all work while there but some play time also: see photos. Boyd once had the opportunity to chauffer General John "Black Jack" Pershing. A funny story but sad too: While in France the soldiers had to use "outhouses" and their sanitation was to use lime, but they ran out, so gasoline was poured down the hole. WELL, one soldier went to sit and lit a cigarette and dropped the match in the hole and "WHAM". Then he was called "red ass" for seversl weeks. Also no more smoking in those places. He returned to the USA on the troop transport USS Harrisburg (id 1663) arriving back in New York. After returning, he received his Honorable Discharge from the service at Camp Travis, Texas and went to work for Gulf Oil Corporation in Tampico, Mexico as a roustabout/mechanic in the oil fields. Then returning to Houston, Texas and retired as the Assistant Foreman in 1955 after 35 years. Boyd died on 9 October 1969 in Rosenberg, Texas. Submitted by Don & Claudia
Tillman
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| Boyd driving the
truck |
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| Boyd standing on
the left |
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| Boyd middle front with snowball
in his hand |
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| Boyd Tillman shipped out
on The ship U.S.S. Orizaba from New York City to France 1918 |
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| Boyd Tillman came home from
France on the U.S.S. Harrisburg 1919 |
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