Joe Tillman of Nebraska, U.S. served during the Great War in Company “B” of the U.S. Second Regiment of Engineers, part of the 2nd Division of the American Expeditionary Forces. “The Second U.S. Engineers left the U.S. on September 10th, 1917, sailing on board the R.M.S. Carpathia from New York and arrived in Halifax on the morning of September 12th. The boat lay anchored in the harbor of Halifax nine days waiting for a convoy to be made up for the trip. The convoy of fourteen boats pulled out on September 21st, and no more land was seen for eleven days. On the early morning of October 2nd, the shores of Scotland were sighted and before noon the Regiment was sailing between the beautiful banks of the Clyde. The boat docked at Glasgow, the Regiment debarked, and immediately boarded waiting trains for Southampton, England.” (History of the Second Engineers: 1916-1919). The Carpathia was torpedoed and sunk the following year. “After discovering information about his voyage to the Western Front (he was involved at Belleau Wood and other major battles) via Halifax, I have sometimes wondered whether my mother’s name – Nova – has any connection to his nine-day stopover in Nova Scotia. My mother is still living and I asked her that question, but if she was named after the province it was never mentioned when she was growing up.” (Kevin Boatright.)

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