The Heroism of William Noble Wallace (1895-1918)

This bit of Wallace family history is in honor of Veterans Day. Lew and Susan Wallace had one son, Henry. Henry and his wife, Margaret Noble Wallace, had two sons. Their eldest was named Lew Jr. and their second son was named William Noble. Both grandsons would have made their grandfather proud with their service during World War I. If Lew Wallace was a hero in the Civil War, his grandson William should also be remembered for his valiant service.

Nicknamed “Tee,” William Noble was born in 1895 and attended Indianapolis Public Schools. A handsome and dynamic young man, he had a stronger scholastic aptitude than his famous grandfather as he ultimately graduated from The Hill School, an exclusive preparatory school in Pennsylvania. He then enrolled in and graduated from Yale where he was a member Hill School Club at Yale; the University Club, the university wrestling team; the Sword & Gun Club, Delta Kappa Epsilon and the Elihu Club.

A young man with spirit and drive he left Yale without graduating in 1916 to enlist in the American Field Ambulance Service with the French Army. He did this even though the United States had not yet entered the war. Serving as an ambulance driver for six months his unit received 3 citations, including the French Croix-de-Guerre with palm and the Fourragere for Souville-Tavanne. In December of 1916, he returned to Yale and finished his senior year, graduating in June of 1917. In July, he reenlisted and was commissioned as a 2^nd

lieutenant in the Marine Corps. He completed his training and in February of 1918 he sailed to France. In two different training classes, he graduated at the top of his class, again demonstrating a classroom aptitude foreign to his grandfather.

In June 1918, his command moved to Chateau Thierry and in the attack at Belleau Woods he led his platoon over the top of a hill in fighting as fierce as any Lew witnessed in the Civil War. Just a few weeks later in July, Tee took his platoon forward and was hit by piece of high explosive about noon while leading his men in the attack on Vierzy - the preliminary advance on Soissons. His regiment was cited by the French for this action and his company was awarded Croix-de-Guerre with Palm. Tee was evacuated to Base Hospital No. 43 where he recovered.

By September, he had been promoted to 1^st Lieutenant but, communications at the front being what they were, he never knew it! In Memorial Sketches in Yale in the World War, it says he actually received this rank July 1 and the next day had been made a provisional Captain. In October, he rejoined his command for the Meuse-Argonne offensive and was appointed Battalion Scout Officer. His company was withdrawn for replacement, but he was retained because of his sketching ability (perhaps an artistic trait inherited from Lew) he volunteered to map enemy positions on the front line with one other comrade. His mission was accomplished with great skill and daring, and as he was returning across open country to HQ on Blanc Mont ridge in the early dawn, he was struck by a shell and instantly killed. His partner survived. That night, with the aid of the regimental chaplain, he was buried by his men and a brother officer at the side of the road between Somme-Py and St.-Etienne. World War I ended just weeks later.

For his service, Tee was posthumously given the American Field Service Medal with letter from the French Ministry of War; a trophy was awarded in his memory by his friends at a track meet held by the Second Division Post, American Legion, in New York City; he received the Distinguished Service Cross for extraordinary heroism; and he was given the Navy Cross. After the War, Henry travelled to France and reclaimed his son’s body. William Noble Wallace is buried in Oak Hill Cemetery with the rest of his family.

A fellow officer said: In his last battle his company had lost 132 men in twenty minutes and was ordered to retire for replacement. But Lt. Wallace, “owing to his indifference to high explosive shell fire and skill in sketching, was ordered to remain and sketch the ground in advance. He had accomplished this special mission and was returning to deliver his map when struck by a shell. No nobler life has been laid on the altar of Liberty.”

Cherry on Top

Restoration efforts are coming along nicely here at the Study! The striking copper finial that sits on top of the Study cupola has been chemically cleaned, polished and restored to its place of honor overlooking the Museum grounds. It was unclear at first whether the original finial, which had the same green patina as the original copper roof, would be in salvageable shape, but as one can see from these photos, it's made a beautiful return to what will soon be a beautiful, shiny roof.

Meanwhile, workers have removed the copper roof from the mechanical room on the north side of the building and have begun to repair the damaged wood slats and battens underneath. This roof was in a slightly worse shape than the roof over the main room, so even though it's a smaller job, repair work may take a bit longer in this location. Thankfully, we have been blessed--still--with great weather! Keep your fingers crossed that our luck holds!

Hammer Away

On a windy November day, bundled-up workers hammer the joints where the copper sheets meet the battens on the dome roof. After hammering the copper together, they will solder the joints to make them watertight. It's a very time-consuming process! Meanwhile, more workers are lying down on the job to seal the windows in the cupola in anticipation of the inclement weather we are supposed to get over the next couple of days.

Click on the post title for a video of workers hammering the copper.

Through the Roof

As a regular part of the Study Restoration Project, the architect and some grantors inspect the progress on the construction. This week's inspection includes the resetting of the glass panels in the cupola. The panels on the west side (by the tower) have been removed, cleaned, reset, and resealed to make them waterproof. They expect to be done with the south side (front of the building) today. One worker is knee deep in the dome preparing the steel framework for the glass panels to go back in.

Click on the title of this post to see a video.

No Longer Slippery When Wet

The front and back porches are getting a new traffic coating to help them shed water - preventing it from leaking into the basement of the Study - and seal and unify all the small cracks in the stone.

The gray sticky stuff was the first layer to go down, and then workers mixed in sand which gives it a pebbly appearance. There is another top layer that should make it look more like the Indiana limestone that make up the porches.

Grab Your Shades

The first panel of new copper is on the roof! Workers are braving the wind to install the new roof on the east side of the building. As predicted, it's bright and shiny, so if you can make it out to see the progress, make sure you bring your sunglasses!

To see a video of the workers placing the copper, click the title to this post!

Southern Exposure

Workers removed the copper from the south side of the Study earlier this week. That leaves two sides without copper and two sides still covered. You can see the wooden decking and battens, just like what they found on the east side, before they installed the weatherproof barrier. From their investigation inside the dome, the workers report additional interior steel supports for the wood and copper that make up the roof.

They covered the wooden structure with the rain and snow shield until they get the new copper on (ETA for new copper: next week!). Today they worked near the cupola to remove sealant and other material from around the windows and the joints between the cupola and roof. Even though they're complying with safety regulations, I am glad they still steady themselves on stable parts of the building while they're up there!

Click on the post title for a video of the final stages of removing the south side copper.