Lieut. William Fitzsimons
The First To Fall
First Lieutenant
William T. Fitzsimons, M.D.
1889 - 1917
Born in Burlington on April 18, 1889, Dr. Fitzsimons spent his childhood here, then graduated from the University of Kansas School of Medicine in 1912.
Shortly after World War I broke out in 1914, he volunteered his services to the Allied cause and spent a year treating casualties in England and Belgium. When the United States officially entered the conflict, he returned to active duty with the Army Medical Reserve Corps.
Just a few weeks later - on September 7, 1917 - Dr. Fitzsimons was killed during a German air attack on his field hospital in France, making him the first American officer killed in action in World War I.
Dr. Fitzsimons was buried in France.
Topics. This memorial is listed in these topic lists: Science & Medicine • War, World I. A significant historical month for this entry is April 1929.
Location. 38° 12.337′ N, 95° 44.375′ W. Memorial is in Burlington, Kansas, in Coffey County. It is on 4th Street (U.S. 75), on the left when traveling north. Touch for map. Memorial is at or near this postal address: 409 Cross Street, Burlington KS 66839, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this memorial is in Eastern Kansas. It is also in the American Midwest, in the Corn Belt, on the prairies, and on the Southern Plains. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Louisiana Purchase.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within one mile of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Marion Ellett "Most Easy" Budd (approx. 0.6 miles away); The Coffey County Republican
this page online
More about this memorial. Mural is about 300 feet west of 4th Street.
Also see . . .
1. A Death in France, September 7, 1917. University of Kansas entry (Submitted on February 1, 2015, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.)
2. Fitzsimons Army Medical Center. Wikipedia entry (Submitted on February 1, 2015, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.)
Credits. This page was last revised on December 7, 2021. It was originally submitted on February 1, 2015, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio. This page has been viewed 808 times since then and 27 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on February 1, 2015, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio. 3. submitted on January 19, 2021, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York. 4, 5. submitted on February 1, 2015, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.
