LEW W. BAGBY, LT, USN
Lew Bagby '16
Lucky Bag
From the 1916 Lucky Bag:
Lew Wallace Bagby
New Haven, Missouri
"Hen" "Bags" "Mother" "Lulu" "Louie" "Martin"
THE old lady of the Navy—one hears so much about the old man—but here you have the old lady. "hen" is another maternal nickname, but it doesn't fit nearly so well as Mother. For four years he nursed the crew squad—meanwhile preparing that sterling work on the Upper Waters of the Severn, so completely illustrated with views done on the ground.
Lew comes of splendid Missouri stock. A military family, indeed, for he has more brothers in the Army and Navy than Beatty has cousins. He has upheld the family traditions of energy and ambition, and finishes the four years with a very creditable showing.
His versatility has exceeded that of any member of the Lucky Bag Staff, for he has taken pictures, drawn them, and hounded the delinquents who failed to turn theirs in, besides gladdening George Hussey's heart with many a clever bit of writing.
Cupid early claimed Hen for his own. A high-powered, explosive arrow struck the old lady amidships of his port thorax and laid him low First Class Year. Ben Holcombe scooped the Lucky Bag with that vicious yellow sheet, The Log, and gave the news to an already expectant public early in 1916. We foresee a domestic felicity too great for words—Hen is a home-loving soul.
The lure of Company A called Mother from off the "oorlogships" last June and he went ashore to take command. If it warped his erstwhile gentle disposition it gave him a fund of anecdote in re. "Ape," "Moke," and "Jew," that will never be exhausted. He bore up nobly under the strain of the summer and came out with the same old happy smile.
The perils of the sea are no menace to Lew, for he is a born sailor, albeit that the biggest water that he saw prior to "signing the articles" was the Missouri River. A complacent acceptance of the vicissitudes of life afloat is his best asset and he cares not for the agitation caused by wind and wave.
Buzzard; Football Numerals; Crew Numerals; Hustlers (1); Lucky Bag Staff; Log Staff (3, 2, 1).
Lew Wallace Bagby
New Haven, Missouri
"Hen" "Bags" "Mother" "Lulu" "Louie" "Martin"
THE old lady of the Navy—one hears so much about the old man—but here you have the old lady. "hen" is another maternal nickname, but it doesn't fit nearly so well as Mother. For four years he nursed the crew squad—meanwhile preparing that sterling work on the Upper Waters of the Severn, so completely illustrated with views done on the ground.
Lew comes of splendid Missouri stock. A military family, indeed, for he has more brothers in the Army and Navy than Beatty has cousins. He has upheld the family traditions of energy and ambition, and finishes the four years with a very creditable showing.
His versatility has exceeded that of any member of the Lucky Bag Staff, for he has taken pictures, drawn them, and hounded the delinquents who failed to turn theirs in, besides gladdening George Hussey's heart with many a clever bit of writing.
Cupid early claimed Hen for his own. A high-powered, explosive arrow struck the old lady amidships of his port thorax and laid him low First Class Year. Ben Holcombe scooped the Lucky Bag with that vicious yellow sheet, The Log, and gave the news to an already expectant public early in 1916. We foresee a domestic felicity too great for words—Hen is a home-loving soul.
The lure of Company A called Mother from off the "oorlogships" last June and he went ashore to take command. If it warped his erstwhile gentle disposition it gave him a fund of anecdote in re. "Ape," "Moke," and "Jew," that will never be exhausted. He bore up nobly under the strain of the summer and came out with the same old happy smile.
The perils of the sea are no menace to Lew, for he is a born sailor, albeit that the biggest water that he saw prior to "signing the articles" was the Missouri River. A complacent acceptance of the vicissitudes of life afloat is his best asset and he cares not for the agitation caused by wind and wave.
Buzzard; Football Numerals; Crew Numerals; Hustlers (1); Lucky Bag Staff; Log Staff (3, 2, 1).
Loss
Lew drowned in Lake Michigan while duck hunting.
Other Information
From researcher Kathy Franz:
Lew graduated from New Haven High School in 1911 and attended William Jewell College the next year. He was appointed to the Naval Academy by the Hon. Champ Clark.
Lew was stationed on the U. S. Cruiser Buffalo in 1917. He spent two years commanding a submarine in Panama, and then for 16 months, he was in charge of Recruit Training at the Great Lakes Naval Training Station. He was on a Lake Michigan pier to meet Lt. S. L. Shade to go duck hunting. Lew’s hat, gloves and match box were found floating in the water. His body resurfaced 24 hours later near the same spot. It was assumed he slipped from the narrow walk, and although he was a good swimmer, the heavy hunting clothing and supplies weighed him down.
On March 10, 1917, Lew had married Susan Gray Welch at St. Paul’s Protestant Episcopal Church in San Diego. Her father was Dr. William S. Welch, health officer of Annapolis. Because of the war, Lew could not get leave from the Buffalo to marry her in Annapolis. Their son Robert graduated from the Naval Academy in 1958. Their other son was William.
Lew’s parents Robert and Lillian owned a fruit tree nursery. Four of his brothers were in the military. Carroll graduated from West Point in 1911 and Robert in 1917. Oliver graduated from the Naval Academy in 1912. Ralph, a graduate of Massachusetts Institute of Technology, joined the Army in WWI and made a daring aerial reconnaissance in heavy rain over the German lines in the Meuse River area on October 20, 1918. The family also included two other sons and three daughters. Lew’s grandparents were pioneer settlers of Missouri from Virginia.
Photographs
From the 1916 Lucky Bag
From the St, Louis Post Dispatch on September 13, 1917
Memorial Hall Error
His loss was not operational; he should not be included in Memorial Hall.
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