Maj. Edward Ball Cole

A photo of Maj. Edward Ball Cole (1879 -- 1918), published Machine Gun expert. On June 1, 1918 his battalion was headquartered at Montgrivault Farm before the final offensive in Belleau Wood. Major Cole chose to join the front line of attack.

It was there, in the attempt to take out a German machine gun nest hidden in a quarry in the woods, that he was mortally wounded throwing back a German “potato masher” grenade. He survived for 8 days, and succumbed to his wounds on June 18, 1918 in the hospital at Chateau de Montanglaust.