Howard J. Landrigan was the son of Mr. and Mrs. John Landrigan, well-known residents of Tecoma, Elko County, Nevada. He was born in Aspen, Colorado, May 10, 1893. When he was twelve years old his parents moved to the Nevada gold camps, locating in Tonopah. The boy, Edward, was well known in the early days of the camp for his activities with the old time “newsies” in selling papers. In Tonopah, too, he attended the public schools. Miss Anna Bradley, who was his first teacher there, has kept photographs of all her students, and one of them is now marked with a gold star—that of private Edward Landrigan—for supreme devotion to Country.

On September 22d, 1917, he entered the Army from Tecoma, Elko County, to which place the family had moved from Nye County. He went to Camp Lewis, American Lake, Washington, and was assigned to Headquarters Company of the 348th Field Artillery, 91st Division. In June, 1918, he was enabled to make a short visit home through the efforts of his Captain, Ben Gillen of Tonopah, who in former days had been his schoolmate. Immediately afterward, the regiment went overseas, going first to Puy-de-Dome for artillery range and tractor training. When their course was finished they were sent direct to the front, but arrived too late to enter the conflict which terminated on November 11th. Later the command moved across the frontier into Germany with the Army of Occupation.

On January 8th, 1919, Private Landrigan went to a school near Trier (Treves) to study the problems of communications between aeroplanes and artillery. He returned to the regiment with a cold, and a few days later went to the American Evacuation Hospital No. 12 at Trier with an attack of influenza. The disease developed rapidly into pneumonia, from which he died on the 24th of January, 1919.

His Commanding Officer, Captain Virgil W. Samms, wrote to one of Private Landrigan’s sisters: “He was laid to rest beside his American comrades, who, like himself, have given their lives for their Country. A man cannot die more nobly. The joy and excitement of battle were withheld from his lot but he nevertheless remains as true a hero as those who fell on the field. . Private Landrigan was a man of fine character, who commanded the respect of everyone about him. Active, strong, willing, always a good soldier, he had won a high place in our estimation. His loss was a shock to all of us.”

Besides his parents who live at Tecoma, Nevada, he left five sisters, Mrs. Margaret Hinman of Aspen, Colorado, Mrs. Leretta Lee and Mrs. Thompson of Montello, Nevada, Mrs. Gertrude Yeates of Leadville, Colorado, and Mrs. Mary Cavanaugh of Tonopah, Nevada.