 Lloyd Chesley Cairns,
future veteran of the Great War, was born January
11, 1897, at St. Louis, Missouri. He was of
Scottish/German ancestry and the second of two
children born to Edward C. Cairns and Jessie E.
(Mundwiller) Cairns. His father was an engineer
with the Missouri Pacific Railway Company.
Lloyd’s father died on December 28, 1904 at
Tucson, Arizona while on business.Lloyd enlisted as a private
in the 93rd Aero Squadron on August 10, 1917.
This unit was formed from select recruits at
Jefferson Barracks at St. Louis. The unit was
activated on August 21, 1917 at Kelly Field in
San Antonio, Texas and was assigned to the Third
Pursuit Group, First Pursuit Wing of the First
Army.
The 93rd departed
Kelly Field on September 29, 1917 for Europe
after completing their training. Lloyd’s
unit traveled to Hoboken, New Jersey, leaving on
October 13, 1917 aboard the SS. Pannonia and
arriving at Liverpool, England on October 29,
1917. The 93rd remained in England at Beaulieu
until June 24, 1918. Cairn’s unit left for
France arriving at Issoudon, France on July 7th
for further training. The 93rd finally arrived at
the front at Vaucoulers on July 28th. The unit
participated in operations in the Toul Sector at
St. Mihiel and the Meuse –Argonne offensive.
The 93rd was stationed at Lisle-en- Barrois,
Foucaucourt and Colombey - les- Belles from
September 24th until December 15th.
The war came to a
conclusion on November 11, 1918 with the signing
of the Armistice. The unit participated in 157
missions and shot down 32 enemy planes. The 93rd
Aero Squadron suffered 2 men killed, 1 wounded
and 5 taken prisoner during the conflict. Lloyd
was promoted to the rank of Corporal on October
1, 1918 and to Chauffer 1st Class on December 1,
1918.
The 93rd departed
for America on March 3, 1919 at Brest, France
aboard the S.S. America and arrived in Hoboken
New Jersey on March 13, 1919. The unit was
stationed at nearby Camp Mills until the end of
March. The 93rd Aero Squadron was demobilized at
the Air Service Depot at Garden City, New York on
March 31, 1919. Cairns was given an Honorable
Discharge on April 5, 1919.
He returned to St.
Louis following his service and took a position
as an accountant with a local company. He married
Marie S. Crinnion on November 23, 1921. Three
children were born from this union, Thomas
“Lloyd”, Mary Jean and Virginia. The
family moved to East St. Louis, Illinois around
1931 so Lloyd could be closer to his job as a
co-owner of the Illinois Typewriter Company that
later became the Illinois Typewriter and Cash
Register Company. The family moved to
Collinsville in 1936. He opened the Dairy-Del Ice
Cream Company on West Main . Sherry’s School
of Dance is currently located at the former site
of the Dairy Del. He was also co-owner of the
Chicago Cash Register Parts Company in Chicago
and a Westinghouse Appliance Distributorship in
St. Louis. In later years he became a Real Estate
Developer in Collinsville and kept active in this
vocation until his retirement. He developed the
large subdivision behind Portland. Two of the
streets are named after his granddaughters, Karen
and Jeri Lynn Lane. He was also involved in the
Pine Lake Manor development .Lloyd Cairns died
January 18, 1977 in Belleville, Illinois. He was
laid to rest at Lakeview Memorial Gardens in
Fairview Heights, Illinois.
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| Lloyd C. Cairns,
80, Fairview Heights and formerly of
Collinsville, died Tuesday at the Notre Dame
Hills Convalescent Center, Belleville.  His wife, the former Marie Stella
Crinnion, died in Sept. 1973.
Surviving are a
son Thomas Lloyd Cairns, Houston, Tex; two
daughters, Mrs. Mary Jean Diesel, Fairview
Heights, and Mrs. Virginia Beals, Collinsville;
12 grandchildren and 8 great-grandchildren.
Mr. Cairns was a
retired owner of several local businesses and a
real estate developer.
Funeral services
will be at 11:00 a.m., Friday at the Herr Funeral
Home, Collinsville. Burial will be in the Lake
View Memorial Gardens. Friends may call at the
funeral home after 4 p.m. Thursday.
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