Remarkable: The University of Washington's Online Tribute to Its Fallen Students and Alumni of the First World War

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As part of the Centennial commemoration of the war, the University of Washington produced a tremendous website remembering the university's participation in the Great War titled Washington on the Western Front at Home and Over There that is still available online. It covers the special wartime activities of the college, the troops experiences overseas, women's service, and many aspects of the wartime experience on the home front. The full site can be accessed HERE.

Most notably, Washington has gone to extraordinary steps in honoring their 58 students and alumni who died in service during the war. They are prominently feature on the home page.  Each of the fallen (57 men and one woman) are shown, usually in uniform, with a link to a well-research biographical sketch for ever one of them.  It is a tremendously moving site to read through. Below are all the 58 subjects and one example to show how thorough the effort has been to honor them fully.

Example:  Lt. Cherrill Betterton, 91st Division

Lt. Betterton and His Mother Maude at His Grave at the Meuse-Argonne Cemetery on Her Gold Star Mothers' Visit

"Run for your life; I'm done for!" were the last words of Lieutenant Cherrill Roach Betterton during the American offensive of 29 September 1918, when the Wild West Division advanced to the village of Gesnes. (Seattle Star, 31 May 1919, pg. 10) During that attack—while traveling with Corporal John Cudd – Cherrill was in an advanced and exposed position when a blast came from a German machine gun. A member of the Intelligence Section responsible for scouting, patrolling, observing and sniping, Cherrill was cited for his bravery by General John J. Pershing for his efforts to get enemy information back to his commanding officers. Last seen when struck by the machine gun's bullets, Cherrill was declared missing, and it would be over eight months before his fate was confirmed. A member of the 361st Infantry with the 91st Division, Cherrill's remains were eventually recovered and he is buried at Meuse-Argonne Cemetery. (bit.ly/uw_betterton)

The oldest of Charles Leland Betterton and his wife Ellen Maude Cahill's five children, Cherrill was born in Oak Cliff, Texas. The family moved from Texas to Colorado to British Columbia before making their way to Seattle. A graduate of Victoria High School in British Columbia, Cherrill attended the University of Washington for two years (1912–14) before transferring to Stanford University. He was a junior when he enlisted and a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity. Cherrill was married to Ida May MacDonald on 18 December 1916, in Vancouver. Their romance began as a result of a train accident near Merritt, BC, they were both involved in. (Seattle Times, 24 Dec 1916, pg. 2)