The gravestone of an American pilot who fought for Poland in the so-called Kościuszko Squadron

Wildwood Cemetery in Winchester

Wildwood Cemetery is very rarely visited by Poles. It was established in 1852 on Palmer Street in the town of Winchester (Middlesex County, Massachusetts), situated in the northern part of the Boston metropolitan area. It is an exceptionally picturesque cemetery set amongst undulating terrain, designed on a grand scale, well-maintained and with a park-like character.

Edwin Noble’s gravestone

Among the numerous gravestones of various forms, skilfully crafted from fine materials and seamlessly integrated into the greenery without appearing crowded, one can also find a reference to Poland. However, without knowing the exact location – plot (lot) 1994 by Lily Path off Mountain Ave., memorial ID 194060015 – finding this spot will prove time-consuming.

Here stands a gravestone, modest in its simplicity – an irregularly shaped granite boulder partially sunk into the ground. It is 65 cm high at the front, 78 cm at the back, and 122 cm wide. On the boulder there is an equally modest inscription, consisting of letters carved into the stone and filled with black paint:

NOBLE

1891 EDWIN L. 1951

1895 SUSAN P. 1981.

This is a memorial to Edwin Lawrence Noble and his wife, Susan Phillips. In front of the boulder, 143 cm away, there is a rectangular brass plaque measuring 30 x 61 cm set into the ground, specifying that the person buried here was Second Lieutenant of the US Army Air Corps from the First World War.

American pilots in the service of the Polish Air Force – the Kosciuszko Squadron

Edwin Lawrence Noble was born on 23 August 1891 in Charlestown – one of Boston’s oldest neighbourhoods. He studied engineering at the Sheffield Scientific School (part of Yale University) and took up a post as managing director at his family’s company, Noble Milk Co. In 1917, he joined the US Air Service and, after training at Mineola Field, was posted to France, from where he returned home at the end of the war.

He joined the Polish Air Force as a volunteer and served there from 1 September 1919 to May 1920 in the 7th Tadeusz Kościuszko Fighter Squadron, also known as the famous Kosciuszko Squadron. Alongside him, other American volunteers set off from America to the front in Poland: Merian Cooper (who later became a famous filmmaker, director of, amongst others, the film ‘King Kong’), Cedric Faunt le Roy (Fauntleroy), George Marter Crawford, Kenneth O. Shrewsbury, Edward C. Corsi, Carl H. Clark and Arthur H. Kelly. Nineteen American pilots were associated with the Kościuszko Squadron, none of whom had Polish roots. During the Polish–Bolshevik War, beginning in December 1919, the American and Polish pilots of the squadron carried out over 460 combat flights, conducting intensive reconnaissance and attacking ground targets.

Edwin L. Noble’s final flight

Pilot Edwin L. Noble undertook his last three combat flights on 26 April 1920 in the vicinity of Berdyczów, during which he was exceptionally effective in destroying Bolshevik columns and convoys. During his final flight, he single-handedly attacked an enemy armoured train, thereby causing confusion and enabling many Polish prisoners of war to escape. However, he was seriously wounded in the elbow of his right arm by an enemy bullet fired from the train. Despite the pain and blood loss caused by the gunshot, he flew almost 100 km, steering with his left hand, to land at Połonne airfield. He subsequently underwent treatment at a hospital in Kaunas, followed by a difficult operation in Paris, but despite this, he never returned to flying.

For his final combat flight, by order of the Minister of Military Affairs dated 12 March 1921, he was awarded the Silver Cross of the Virtuti Militari War Order, No. 77, and the Cross of Valour, and was promoted to the rank of captain. For his actions on the battlefield, he was also awarded the Polish Cross of Soldiers from America, and in 1928, the Field Pilot’s Badge No. 109.

Upon his return to the United States, Edwin L. Noble continued to work in the family business. He died on 23 April 1951 in a hospital in Winchester, and following a funeral service at Bennett Funeral Chapel, he was laid to rest in the local cemetery.

Today, a grave candle with a red-and-white ribbon, lit by representatives of Polish diplomatic missions in America, can sometimes be seen by the gravestone of the heroic pilot, Captain Noble. They visit his grave, accompanied by the town’s authorities and its residents, who are proud to have in their cemetery the grave of a fellow countryman and hero who volunteered to fight for the freedom of Poland – a small, unknown country in the east of distant Europe.