It is dedicated "to the memory of those from Meriden who made a supreme sacrifice in the service of their country during World War I, 1917-1918."

This was the first monument in New England to pay tribute to the nurses who served in the military along with the soldiers.

The placement selection of the monument was Lorenzo Hamilton and the sculptor was Aristide B. Cianfarani.

World War I started August 1, 1914 in Europe.  There were two sides. Britain, France, Italy,  Belgium and Russia were called the Allies.  The other side was called the Central Powers.  They were the countries of Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Turkey.  The war also involved 24 other nations.  They battled for four years.  Many citizens in the United States tried to stay out of the war.

President Woodrow Wilson was re-elected in 1916.  One of his many slogans was "he kept us out of the war."

 Germany had submarines that could sink ships without a trace. They were called U-boats. The Americans tried to ship supplies to other countries in the war. In May 1915, a ship called the Lusitania traveled from New York to Britain with weapons but was sunk by one of Germany's U-boats .  1198 people died when the Lusitania was sunk, and 128 were citizens of the United States.

To protect the Americans from attack, the United States bought the Virgin Islands from Denmark in 1917.  The United States started building a naval base on the islands.  From January to March in 1917, the German army sunk eight American ships.  The United States declared war on Germany on April 16, 1917.  American troops were shipped to Europe.  The boats stayed together in fleets for safety.  In May 1918, the number of American soldiers going over seas reached almost 250,000.

World War I was meant to be "the war to end all wars."

This is the City of Meriden's World War I Roll of Honor.
It is located on Broad Street in Meriden, Connecticut.