They Call Us The Flying Circus: Two West Virginians In The Great War

The Great War, World War I, changed the lives of millions in the U.S. Michael Coker, a Master’s in Public History student at NKU University recently discovered a trove of letters written by Cecil “Zeke” Gabriel and Louise Marsh during this period. Coker is working and annotating these documents, dating primarily from 1917-1919. This correspondence provides an intimate window into the lives of two West Virginians separated by a conflict which forever altered the course of history. Zeke became a mechanic of the 147th Aero Squadron, working on the first high-tech planes used in warfare. Louise, an educator in Parkersburg West Virginia, provided a lifeline back home to the man whom she would ultimately marry, and start a family with. At the time of these letters their blissful future is still unknown and uncertain. Coker managed to track down Daniel Gabriel, grandson of Zeke Gabriel and Louise Marsh Gabriel, who provides his memories of his remarkable grandparents.