King's Chapel's Veterans: Hamilton Coolidge, Flying Ace

By Mallory Hillary, Operations Manager and History Program Educator

At King’s Chapel, we are fortunate enough to host visitors from all over the world. This August, one of our international visitors helped us reconnect with some of our own history.
In the sanctuary of King’s Chapel, just above the main doors, there is a marble banner flanked by two eagles. This is the church’s official memorial for World War I. There are three names engraved on the banner: Hamilton Coolidge, Helen Homans, and Edward Blake Robins Jr.

Hamilton Coolidge in his service uniform. (Photo courtesy of Doughboy Foundation.)

Coolidge, often referred to as “Ham” by his friends, calls to mind something of a proto-Captain America type. Born to a well-to-do family in Brookline, Coolidge would go on to become a senior prefect, captain of the football team, and a pitcher on the baseball team at his high school. When Coolidge graduated in 1915, he went on to Harvard and was elected Vice-President of the freshman class. Eventually though, Coolidge dropped out and went into the military alongside his Harvard friend Quentin Roosevelt, the son of President Theodore Roosevelt.

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A book, titled Letters of an American Airman, gives us some insight into what life was like for these early American pilots. Flying was still so new to war that Coolidge and his friends were helping to set up the first American military flying school in France. Per his letters, the process required a good amount of work, but he often painted it all as jolly good fun. The only complaint Coolidge had about their conditions was the constant mud. In fact, it infuriated him so much that he wrote a poem to his family about how annoying he found it.

“The rain it raineth every day,
The mud is two feet deep,
We plough through it at work or play,
And see it in our sleep.

Whoever called this “sunny France”
(If I could have my way)
On red-hot coals would have to dance,
After his earthly stay.
​
The morn is always chill and drear,
And noon-day much the same,
But now of course we’re really here,
And mighty glad we came!”​

In his letters, Coolidge revealed himself to be enthusiastic, a hard-worker, a comedian, and eminently self-aware. He described exploring patisseries in Paris, outlined what he believed would be the future of aviation, and shared the day-to-day life of an American serviceman in France.

Hamilton Coolidge in the cockpit of one of the planes he flew in the war. (Photo courtesy of the Coolidge Family via Plimpton Publishing)

Ham quickly distinguished himself in the service, helping to teach new pilots how to fly and racking up feats himself. Eventually in October of 1918, he earned the title of ‘ace’ when he achieved four kills of enemy aircraft in a single two-day period. At the time, that brought his total count to five (the official benchmark for ‘ace’ status), but Coolidge would achieve eight kills before his own passing.

Plane News article excerpt showing Hamilton Coolidge among the flying aces from the Issodun region. The asterisk next to his name indicates that he had passed away by the time of this paper’s publication. (Photo courtesy of Fold3)

Many of the young men who were flying aces in World War I did not survive. Early engineering combined with the newness of aerial dogfights and strength of German anti-aircraft measures made for a deadly combination. Quentin Roosevelt was killed in action behind enemy lines a short while before Coolidge. Of his friend’s passing, Coolidge wrote:

“Death is certainly not a black, unmentionable thing, and I feel…that dead people should be talked of just as if they were alive. At mess and sitting around in our quarters the boys that have been killed are spoken of all the time when any little thing reminds someone of them. To me Quentin is just away somewhere. I know we shall see each other again and have a grand old “hoosh,” talking over everything together. I miss him the way I miss Mother and the family, for his personality or spirit are just as real and vivid as they ever were.”

Coolidge reunited with his friend on October 27, 1918. Ham was acting as an escort when the Germans began attacking the planes he was helping to shepherd. By all accounts, he immediately dove in, hoping to draw fire and eliminate the German threat. Unfortunately, the German military had extremely well-positioned anti-aircraft forces. His plane was struck by multiple shells, one of which hit immediately beneath his engine. This likely killed him instantly. His plane crashed near the Aire River and the village Chevières. Shortly afterward, his commanding officer tracked down the wreckage and helped bury his remains:

​“And here in the bend of the Aire, almost in full sight of the enemy, we came upon the body of Captain Coolidge. A lieutenant in infantry who had seen the whole spectacle and had marked down the spot where Ham's body had fallen, accompanied us and it was through his very kind offices that we reached the exact spot without much searching. The Chaplain of his regiment likewise accompanied us. And there, not sixty yards behind our front lines, we watched the men dig a grave. The Chaplain administered the last sad rites. Amid the continuous whines of passing shells we laid the poor mangled body of Captain Hamilton Coolidge in its last resting place. Over the grave was placed a Cross suitably engraved with his name, rank and the date of his tragic death. A wreath of flowers was laid at the foot of the cross.”

The American military moved Ham’s body to a central burying space for American servicemen in a different spot in France. However, the Coolidge family wanted him to remain where he fell. They purchased a plot of land near his original burial space and created a memorial, reinterring him at the memorial. Ham’s parents made an agreement with Chevières; in exchange for the village looking after their son’s grave, the Coolidge family helped fund the town’s rebuilding efforts. There are stories of them even acting as Secret Santa and purchasing Christmas gifts for the children.

Hamilton Coolidge’s burial card, which documents the movements of his remains after his passing. (Photo courtesy of Fold3)

Just last year, Coolidge family descendants had to move Ham once again. The original memorial site was disappearing quickly due to a change in the river flow and erosion. The new memorial is in a safer spot, away from the water. The U.S. military helped move his remains to the new space in a somber ceremony, where the town, including the mayor, recommitted to caring for Ham’s memorial.
This is where I get to reintroduce the visitors mentioned in the first paragraph, because they were none other than Jean-Charles Genty, the mayor of Chevières, and his family! They were on vacation in Boston and stopped in to visit as they walked the Freedom Trail. Mayor Genty generously shared updated photos of Hamilton Coolidge’s memorial once he returned to France.

Hamilton Coolidge’s memorial in modern day. (Photo courtesy of Jean-Charles Genty)

Closeup of Hamilton Coolidge’s grave with sunflowers behind. (Photo courtesy of Jean-Charles Genty)

Another closeup of Coolidge’s grave, decorated with the French and American flags. (Photo courtesy of Jean-Charles Genty)

Hamilton Coolidge and his legacy stand as a reminder this National Veterans and Military Families Month to pause and remember the men and women who have given their lives in service. For information on another King’s Chapel congregant who participated in World War I, see our article about Helen Homans, a nurse who also served in France.