Ernest Duncan Finley, Bloomington soldier, was first local man to die in World War I

Editor's Note: This is the second part of an exclusive Herald Times series from PBS documentarian Jo Throckmorton.

The small road that leads to the location where Sgt. Ernest Finley Duncan was killed in action during World War I was lined by fallen French oak trees, rendering it nearly impassable. One of us got out of the car and pulled a number of large logs far enough to the side of the path to allow us to pass. Another half mile down this dirt pathway of a road is where he died. 

I am a filmmaker from Bloomington who is in Eastern France to document the involvement of seven soldiers and one nurse, all from Indiana, who served in the Great War. They will be the subject of the documentary film, “Over There: Hoosier Heroes of the Great War,” which will air on all eight Indiana PBS-affiliated TV stations later this year. Sgt. Ernest Finley Duncan is one of those soldiers, and he was the first from Monroe County to die in World War I.

More on this docuseries:Bloomington documentarian traces WWI soldiers in France

Sgt. Duncan had been a painter before deciding to enlist in the U.S. Regular Army in 1912. Until his enlistment, he had been living at 1016 W. Sixth Street in downtown Bloomington. In 1915, he re-enlisted after completing his service time. 

When the U.S. entered the Great War, Duncan was shipped to France on Sept. 7, 1917, on the USS Pocahontas which departed from Hoboken, NJ. Duncan was assigned to the 2nd Division, Machine Gun Company of the 9th Infantry, Company A. 

Due to his years in the army before the start of the war, he was considered a professional soldier and a good one at that. His unit went into the battle around Chateau-Thierry, France, in early June of 1918 to stop, and then counter attack, a German offensive.

The German push toward Paris had been so effective it created a huge salient which reached the Marne River. The French forces in this sector had been depleted and U.S. Army General Pershing moved the men of the 2nd Division into the woods around the small village of Belleau. 

Just a few days after engaging with the enemy, Sgt. Duncan was killed along this small road, which is just southwest of Torcy and a little southeast of Bussiares. He was buried near the battle area temporarily before his grave was moved to the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery at the village of Belleau. 

The battle in the forested area outside of the village, Belleau Wood, was fierce. The U.S. Marines in that sector received wide acclaim for their fighting spirit, and a monument to their sacrifices is located just south of the cemetery.

The landscape and small towns throughout this region are nearly identical to Duncan’s hometown of Bloomington and Monroe County. The beauty during the summer of this battle would have been stunning, with rolling hills, small hamlets and planted fields for as long as the eye could see.

He was eventually brought home in the early 1920s and buried in Rose Hill Cemetery. For his exceptional bravery, Sgt. Duncan was awarded the Silver Star and was also honored by the French government, which bestowed the prestigious Croix-de-Guerre for his service. This is just one of the stories that will be told in the upcoming film, “Over There.” More information can be found at www.hoosierheroesofwwi.com.

Next, we will be tracing the steps of Private Laurens Bennett Strain, also from Bloomington, who has VFW Post 604 named in his honor.