The Woodside Doughboy
Historic site · Woodside, New York
A bronze and granite World War I monument in Doughboy Park, alternately known as "Lest We Forget" or the "Returning Soldier," sculpted by Burt W. Johnson (1890-1927) with a granite pedestal designed by C. N. Kent, dedicated in 1923. Its inscription reads LEST WE FORGET / 1917-1918. NYC Parks describes a somber soldier "with a downcast bandaged head, holding his helmet in front and his gun to the side."
History
The Woodside Community Council commissioned the monument at a cost of $5,000. Johnson was born in Flint, Ohio, lived for a time in Flushing, and studied with James Earle Fraser and Louis Saint-Gaudens; his health was failing as the piece was completed, and he supervised the final work from his wheelchair. The statue was dedicated on Memorial Day in 1923, with music by St. Mary's Military Band, the "Star Spangled Banner" sung by the children of P.S. 11, the unveiling by Gold Star Relatives, and blessings by ministers from St. Paul's and St. Sebastian's Churches. In 1928 the American Federation of Arts selected it as the best war memorial of its kind. In April 2007 the Woodside Civic Association had a stone marker placed at the foot of the statue listing the names of the 13 servicemen from Woodside who gave their lives during World War I.
Visit
Woodside and Roosevelt Avenues at 39th Road and 52nd Street, Woodside, NY 11377
Photo "The Woodside Doughboy in Doughboy Park": Lesly7, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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