By: Natasha Smith
A WORLD War I veteran’s watch, lost nearly a century ago, has stood the test of time.
William B. Gill lost his watch in France, where he served in the US Army. Carl Grothaus won the watch in a poker game and brought it back to South Dakota, searching for the owner based on an engraving on the back: “W.B. Gill, Sioux City, IA, U.S.A.”
After Grothaus’ death, his son Dewey continued the search enlisting the help of Peggy Powell, a genealogist. Powell finally located Gill’s grandson, who reclaimed the watch at the American Legion Post in Sioux City.
His grandfather died in 1962 after suffering from effects of mustard gas exposure during the war. “To see that watch and hold it in my hand, knowing it belonged to my grandfather,” said the grandson, pausing and slowly shaking his head in a loss for words, “I don’t know if I can describe it.”
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