Biographical Notes
Wallace E. Rand was born June 24, 1893, in Rye, New Hampshire, to Jedidiah and Edith Rand. He enlisted in the United States Army on March 3, 1917, one month prior to the United States officially joining World War I. Assigned to Company A, 1st Battalion, 14th Engineers, he achieved the highest rank of Private First Class. Rand was deployed to Britain and first stationed with the British Expeditionary Forces before being moved to France. His duties abroad with the 14th Engineers included transporting explosives via train. Rand was involved in the Third Battle of the Aisne and the Second Battle of the Marne, and received the World War I Victory Medal for his service. Rand was injured while breaking a ration train, requiring hospitalization. During his period in the hospital, he was diagnosed with tonsillitis. Rand later returned to his duties with the 14th Engineers. While serving in France, Rand succumbed to a bout of pneumonia and died on November 7, 1918. He was buried in Gondrecourt Cemetery in France, but later repatriated to his family’s plot in Rye, New Hampshire.