Cause of Death: Coronary Thrombosis
REFN: 2
"Guil" entered the Marine Corp on May 2, 1917, took his Boot Camp
Training with 27th Co. 2nd Regiment, Marine Barracks, Paris Island, SC
and fought with the 74th Company of the 6thMarine Regiment, Fourth
Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, American Expeditionary Forces (AEF). He
was seriously gassed at Camp Fountaine, St. Robert, on the plains of
Picardy near Verdun, France on April 13, 1918. The story goes that he and
3 buddies were in the trenches preparing fried potatoes. A gas attack
came so the guys covered their potatoes. A artillery barrage followed.
When they returned to their potatoes, they had become uncovered, but they
ate them anyway. Two of his friends died from ingesting mustard gas. Guil
was unconscious for 72 hours. Apparently his taste buds were all but
destroyed. He could never get food spicy enough from then on. He was
hospitalized at Ramblasaunt, (sp?) France. He tells of the French doctors
applying tape underneath his arms and between his legs to keep the gas
from coming out through his pores. When they took the tape off it tore
skin loose. He was not a happy camper.His outfit, assigned to the 38th
Infantry Regiment of the 2nd Infantry (Indianhead) Division saved Paris
from being taken by the Germans by holding, thenturning them at the
Marne River. It was the practice then to assign Marine outfits to Army
regiments, which was the case here. This action gave the 38thregiment
the title "The Rock of the Marne" Regiment. His son Neil fought inKorea
with the same Regiment. (See Neil Aikin notes)
He was discharged on June 13, 1919 after returning to the states.
On May 25, 1921 he was hospitalizedfor 98 days in the U.S. Health
Service Hospital No. 60 in Oteen, North Carolina for tuberculosis. Upon
returning to Chicago, IL he was admitted to U.S. Public Hospital No. 73
for another 30 days for chronic bronchitis and released. Condition
unimproved.
He moved to Los Angeles in the early 1920's and metBerenice Holbrook
where both worked for Pacific Telephone & Telegraph. As ofJanuary 24,
1922 he lived at 618 Lincoln St, Alhambra, CA. On June 21, 1923he lived
at 801 N. Marguerita St Alhambra, CA. (See USMC correspondence in his
Biography album). It's interesting to note that the 1920 census shows
the Holbrook family living at 1337 Waterloo St. in Los Angeles. They had
a husband & wife couple boarding with them. The husband, Percy Davis was
an Efficienty Engineer for the Pacific Tel & Tel. They were married in
1924 in Los Anbeles(?) & took pictures at the Riverside Inn, Riverside,
CA. They moved to Lakewood, Ohio sometime later (abt January 1927) where
he worked as a travelingsalesman for Beldon Plug (a wire manufacturer).
Neil was born there in 1929.(1249 W. Clifton Blvd.)
They moved to Oak Park, Ill., then to Niles Center (now Skokie, Ill.),
where Bob was born. In 1933 they moved to Hollywood, CA. andlived at
1030 North Orange Grove Ave. In 1935 they bought a 2-bedroom home at 1947
West 80th Street which was on the southwest edge of L.A. (Manchester &
Western) for $4200. He remained there for the balance of his life.
He worked for Pacific Tel. & Tel. in Directory Advertising, then as a
supervisor forCoin Box Collection (pay phones).
He loved to fish (salt water), was an excellent mechanic and supplemented
his income by making redwood lawn furniture for the neighbors. When
asked where he learned to do something he would say "Ilearned it in the
Old Country."
Neil Aikin
30 June 2002

1. 2. Neil Holbrook AIKIN  
2. 3. AIKIN