Private Louis Vandevelde, son of Fredericus “Fred” and Philippina (Thielman) Vandevelde, was born 01 May 1894 in Norway, Dickinson County, Michigan.  His family recently immigrated to the U.S. from Belgium and moved frequently when Louis was young – to Michigan in 1894, to Illinois in 1896, back to Antwerp, Belgium in 1901 and finally to De Soto County, Florida in 1912.

When Louis registered for the draft on 05 June 1917, he was single with no dependents and worked as a Farmers Engineer for Sturgis & Oliver, a road construction company. He was inducted into military service on 15 July 1918 and on 04 August 1918 he was assigned to the 139th Supply Company Field Artillery with the grade of Private.  On 06 October 1918 his company set sail for Liverpool, England as part of Transport No. New York 242 aboard the British White Star liner S.S. Cedric.  During the night of 16 October 1918, the S.S. Cedric was struck by two torpedoes fired from an enemy submarine approximately one mile offshore from Liverpool, England.  Louis and four other servicemen were found dead the next morning. They were removed from the ship and given burial with military honors in the Liverpool soldier’s cemetery plot adjacent to the local hospital. Col. Robert L. Moorhead in recording these events wrote, “Fine boys every one and it was hard to lose them in such a way.”

A grave marker for PVT Vandevelde can be found today in the Brookwood Military Cemetery in Surrey, England located at Plot D, Row 4, Grave 10.

The Wound Certificate was rescued on eBay.

A replacement medal and the Wound Certificate was presented to Louis’s niece, Mrs. Sheryl Kay Buckner.

Returning the medal was Valor Guard member, COL (R) John E. Bircher III.