Kenneth Gordon Anderson  

1897-1968

  Kenneth Gordon Anderson,  Who was a yeoman in the U.S. Naval Reserve Force,  Was born in Caswell County, on March 5th,  1897.  His father,  George A. Anderson married Miss Mary Elizabeth Slade,  both of these parents being native born Caswell County people.  On his mothers side,  his grandfather was Captain Ezekiel Slade,  an old Confederate veteran,  who served through the Civil War as a member of Rheinhart's Cavalry.  His Great Grandfather on his maternal side was Thomas Harrison,  a veteran of the Revolutionary War.  On his paternal side,  he is a grandson of Dr. John Quinton Anderson, and on his fathers maternal side,  his great great grandsire,  William Hickerson Rice was a veteran of the Revolutionary War who fought with the North Carolina Militia at The Battle of Guilford Courthouse.

  Kenneth Anderson attended the public schools in Caswell,  his first work being done at the old Bellefield school house in Anderson Township.  His parents moving to Yanceyville in 1905,  he there attended the graded and high school.  After finishing this course he accepted a position as shipping clerk in the Glen Raven Cotten Mills,  near Burlington,  in Alamance County,  and was at work there when war was declared against Germany.

  In June 1918 he resigned his position which he held at the Glen Raven Cotton Mills,  and offered himself for enlistment in the U.S. Navy before the recruiting officer in Raleigh,  and was recieved for service. he was sent to the U.S. Naval Operating Base at Hampton Roads for his training.  During this training he was transfered to the Yeoman branch of the service and finishing the required course was made Yeoman.  The Armistice,  putting an end to the hostilities,  he did not see war time service,  but was transfered to the S.S. Prometheus,  this being the Mothership for the Atlantic Battleship Fleet.  After several months service on this ship he was transfered to the U.S.S. Princess Matoika and was ordered overseas.

  While in transport service he crossed the Atlantic four times.  His first voyage was by way af the Azores,  to St Nazaire,  frrom which place they brought back to New York about 6000 soldiers.  The second voyage was from New York to St. Nazaire,  bringing home American troops,  landing in Charleston, S.C. His next trip was possibly his most interesting one,  carrying from Charleston, S.C. a large number of German Prisoners who had been interned in America duing the war.  As he Stated in one of his letters "we are carrying back to Rotterdam,  Holland,  a very motley crew.  We have all grades of Germans from sea captains,  down to the crew of the treacherous who scuttled the Vaterland,  and also a number of German spies,  the intire number being about 2200".  These prisoners were carried to Rotterdam,  Holland and there turned over to military authorities.  He came back from Rotterdam through the North Sea and English Channel, to Brest;  taking on there a ship load of American Soldiers landing at New York.  His fourth and last trip was to Brest. bringing back this time a large labor brigade.  While he was at Brest he was givin a seven days leave of absence and during this time he had the opportunity of visiting many of the Battlefields in France;  visiting such cities as Soissons and Rheins spending more than a day at Chateau Thierry and did much sightseeing in Paris.  He came back to New York  at which place the Princess Matoika went out of commission and he was sent to the Naval Operating Base at Hampton Roads,  and there placed on Recieving ship until the 29th day of September 1919,  when he was discharged from active service.

Written By His Father George A. Anderson for the Book Caswell County in World War 1.