First Patriots Day, The: An Eyewitness Account By Dr. Alfred Worcester
- Transcript
In 150 on the occasion of the 170 fifth anniversary of Patriots Day the lower Institute cooperative broadcasting Council recorded an extraordinary account of some of the events on the day of the Battle of Lexington as they had been remembered by a woman who was living and while famine 775. This woman was the great grandmother of the late Dr. Alford Wester who until his death in the summer of 1050 won at the age of 96 was a well-known resident of Waltham. His great grandmother told him this story more than 90 years ago and for many years he had been passing it on to children of the neighborhood Dr. Webster agreed to let us record the story of a little girl's impression of that famous day so that we might continue to pass it on to us. We hear now the voice of the late Dr. Alfred wester from the study of his home in Waltham. I am going to tell you or today what I heard
from my great grandmother about 90 years ago. She told me what she remembers of the battle of lacing Tim. Then when she was 19 years old and went back to when she was a little girl of five say I wish I could offer her illustration Dorise of airplane lane a little ole.
Ring Girl. They warm up a lady's rough calf women old women your way. When she began to Delos the dough Ray and the first Woods My father had gone on the day of the Lexington battle. When I weighed job he had my father were gone and they said that our girls have gone. The minute men were called out in the night my father had to go.
Well well then you're going to hear the drum. No. And you know the fight of the sower to have stuff on their minds. They say they have been fighting up in the linking to and the British. I've come to the surge. Oh how was that. They think the British and the Minutemen was solo. God knows I'm proud of all that we had was taking before I was up. I don't believe I had any breakfast that day.
But I heard the drum and I read I'm not here on the road. I crossed the meadows Wade children had been playing in the meadow. They were just throwing out. I knew Grandma and Grandpa of those whoa was all over the corner and they Lexington rolled Brendan Lingen role. And no we could not see them more I will way to live. I ran I've crossed country to my grandfather of. Oh and they have the
soldiers were on the opposite side of the role of a great lot of them they kept coming and that was and they had children with them. They have children and by the. Way in their men's Vogue celeb would be at the mercy of. The British. So what do you do on the hood. Rome a horse run one I've learned the other would come with a noble heart covered with foam with order from time to dive from Carnival.
Right again. I remember that name. She said Then why are there more women and children rather than. The danger that the British might come back not as a rule from Congo where they'd been fighting that way her blood might come back either by Lincoln and by and they sing and if they came by Lincoln they would go down through the wall them supplement the law blend and the town would be by. Then she said
I don't know does they likely have what time I draw. Budget road who wrong Iowa. I've I rage. Rahm Oh and eyes they had hail in the no roof. Hey I'm dead. They sell order the Minute Men must go to one thing that drills or move going you're a dream. I was floored. I remembered. That she had nothing to say about the reinforce memes that say I'm British.
She burning a song changed. She said I see in. Many sad thing. In my along with. The Never have I had to see him and this sadness like that. I know well that they had read and have never thought. Many of the horror. Man. I will never see in a lot of work. She wandered off as she drawled the star A and A wide. Eyed really impressed. Mark and then the day he got on with that.
British father relieved of the Kong had died. How good died of. Pressing the British. I got of some kind and then the. Or so and then they British reinforce runs got up a as far as liking and never cannonading. From then. The cannonading. I had of true. I was leaving Hong. Kong. And they're here to ramble on. But I think I have told your own that I want true. To carry away.
They. Show the battle of relating to that. My great grandmother. What do. You. Give me. Out of memory. I can see the ring go along. So are you grandmother. I think. I love them. I still do. Of the age they. Are. I can hear noises. I can hear her say. I've seen many as that thing. But nothing like the. Right
that. They have. They love. Us. Say goodbye. You have heard the voice of the late Dr. Alfred wester from the study of his home. And while fans. I mean the story of the Battle of Lexington as it was told to him by his great grandmother over 90 years ago. One of the most striking things about this account. We feel is that until recently it was possible to encompass the entire history of the republic and the lives of just two people. To Wester. I was a practicing physician and while fam from 1883 until my nine hundred twenty five until his death in the summer of 951 at the age of 96 he
was Henry K. Oliver a professor of hygiene Emeritus as a physician he was among the first to operate for appendicitis and he was the founder of the wall fam training school for nurses. Who are indeed grateful to the memory of Dr. Webster for making it possible. Through this recording of his voice to keep his story alive.
- Producing Organization
- WGBH Educational Foundation
- Contributing Organization
- WGBH (Boston, Massachusetts)
- AAPB ID
- cpb-aacip/15-77sn0hcb
If you have more information about this item than what is given here, or if you have concerns about this record, we want to know! Contact us, indicating the AAPB ID (cpb-aacip/15-77sn0hcb).
- Description
- Description
- Update/repack done in 1978 with contextual background of the original 1950 broadcast and new introduction by Bill Cavness (?).
- Description
- Fitzmaurice
- Date
- 1950-04-00
- Topics
- History
- Media type
- Sound
- Duration
- 00:13:07
- Credits
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Producing Organization: WGBH Educational Foundation
Production Unit: Radio
- AAPB Contributor Holdings
-
WGBH
Identifier: 50-7000-00-00-001 (WGBH Item ID)
Format: 1/4 inch audio tape
Generation: Dub
Duration: 00:13:00
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- Citations
- Chicago: “First Patriots Day, The: An Eyewitness Account By Dr. Alfred Worcester,” 1950-04-00, WGBH, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC, accessed September 9, 2024, http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-15-77sn0hcb.
- MLA: “First Patriots Day, The: An Eyewitness Account By Dr. Alfred Worcester.” 1950-04-00. WGBH, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC. Web. September 9, 2024. <http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-15-77sn0hcb>.
- APA: First Patriots Day, The: An Eyewitness Account By Dr. Alfred Worcester. Boston, MA: WGBH, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC. Retrieved from http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-15-77sn0hcb