02/24/2026
Is his name on the World War I memorial at Jefferson Barracks? You'll find out on my blog in April.
David Hickey holds the unfortunate distinction of being the first St. Louisan killed in action in World War I.
Hickey, who grew up north of downtown St. Louis, worked in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch mail room prior to entering the U.S. Armed Forces.
Hickey, a member of the U.S. Army Sixth Field Artillery, was stationed in the commune of Seicheprey in northeastern France when he was struck by shrapnel on Feb. 12, 1918. He would die of his wounds on Feb. 24.
In all, 1,072 men from the St. Louis area died in the war.
Hickey was initially buried in France. In 1921, the U.S. brought the remains of more than 7,000 soldiers back home, Hickey’s among them. He was reburied at Memorial Park Cemetery in Jennings.
Hickey Park was dedicated in his honor on April 10, 1941, located at Goodfellow and Bircher boulevards. The park’s existence was short-lived, as the land was reclaimed for the construction of an ammunition plant after the U.S. entered World War II.
The second—and current—Hickey Park is located along North Broadway in the Baden neighborhood.
