Mar 1, 2023
Medfield’s first honor square, at the intersection of North, Main, and Pleasant streets, was created by a town meeting vote in 1921 in memory of Clarence Meredith Cutler.
Cutler was the valedictorian at Medfield High School in 1910, a mere seven years after the Wright brothers’ first flight. He became a pilot in World War I, trained other pilots, and stayed in the service after the war ended in November, 1918. He was killed January 28, 1921, when his deHavilland DH-4 crashed in Irlich, Germany. He was 30 years old.
A recent out-of-the-blue email from Carol Triplett Radven of Tomball, Texas led to a poignant artifact donation for the Medfield Historical Society: three albums with photos from the 1920s of men in in Germany in the Army Air Service, and photos of Cutler’s funeral procession – and, from Cutler’s wrecked plane, the tip of the propellor, with an engraving. (Disclaimer – the funeral procession is definitely for Cutler, but despite the inscription on the back of the other 1921 photo, it is not 100% certain that the dapper leather-clad man standing in front of the DH-4 plane is actually Cutler.)
Carol wrote, “I am not related to Lt. Cutler, but my paternal grandfather, Edward Vincent Triplett (1902-1978) served with him and attended his funeral in Germany. I wish I had more information, but it has taken me 15 years to put together just whose funeral my grandfather attended overseas.”
Carol went on to explain that her grandfather’s photo albums, along with the broken-off propellor tip, had passed down to her father, who died in 2008. She added, “I have no family members who want the albums, and I don’t want them to end up in the landfill. I’m so happy to get these treasures into appreciative hands and out of my spare bedroom closet!”
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Sir Geoffrey De Havilland (1882-1965) was an aircraft pioneer who had a long and productive life, as did his brother Hereward. He started out as an automotive engineer but turned to aircraft in 1909. The DH-4 was one of his earliest designs, and it was widely used (there were over 30 DH-4 variations) in World War I. In World War II, the wood-framed De Havilland Mosquito was considered the most versatile warplane ever built. The De Havilland Comet prototype flew in 1949 – it was the world’s first passenger jetliner.
Two of De Havilland’s three sons were killed in De Havilland planes in World War II. Hollywood stars Olivia De Havilland and sister Joan Fontaine were cousins of Sir Geoffrey. For more info, click here.
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At the corner of Main and Pleasant streets, in front of the library, is a memorial plaque that give a brief summary of Cutler’s life. Here is the text on the plaque:
When Clarence Cutler was born in Newton, there were no cars, airplanes, movies, radios, or Red Sox.
But by 1910, when he spoke as valedictorian of the exciting challenges and opportunities awaiting his classmates at Medfield High School, all these modern conveniences were becoming common… and he’d become hooked on the Red Sox.
In 1917, when the United States entered World War I, he saw his chance to fly, so he enlisted in the Army’s new Air Corps. He became a flight instructor for new pilots, many of whom saw action on the Western Front.
Lt. Cutler loved flying. He stayed in the service after the war ended and logged over 3,000 flying hours. In January of 1921 he was killed when his De Havilland DH-4 crashed near Irlich, Germany, close to the Rhine River.
Funeral services for Clarence were held at Chenery Hall, followed by burial, with full military honors, in Vine Lake Cemetery.