"WE BUILT THAT." RED BANK FIREFIGHTERS MARK MONUMENT'S 100 YEARS

A May 31, 1926 photo of firefighters at the unveiling of the Red Bank War Memorial. The photo hangs in the Navesink Hook and Ladder Company firehouse on Mechanic Street. (Photo by Brian Donohue. Click to enlarge.)

By BRIAN DONOHUE

In March, members of Red Bank’s volunteer fire department were going through old documents to prepare for the installation of a new heating and air conditioning system at the Navesink Hook and Ladder Company firehouse on Mechanic Street when they found an unexpected relic: a six-page booklet that was the program for the May 31, 1926 unveiling of the Red Bank War Memorial monument.

The timing of the discovery was perfect — just two months before the 100th anniversary of the unveiling of the statue, a gift from members of the volunteer fire department to the town.

“It was pretty amazing,” said Chief Michael Welsh.

Another souvenir from that day has long hung in the firehouse stairway: a group photo of 106 uniformed members of the department in front of the monument at 51 Monmouth Street, then home to borough hall.

Viewed together, as the department prepares for another Memorial Day ceremony on Monday, the two items form a tactile testament to what an integral civic role the all-volunteer department has played for generations.

“I think it gets to the fabric of the fire department and the community itself, as the driving force,” said longtime firefighter Kevn Moss, pointing to the program. “(They were) saying all these other towns have a war memorial, and we don’t. And we need it. I think the volunteer department is still part of the fabric.”

Red Bank Borough Memorial Day ceremony 2025

On Memorial Day 2025, members of the Red Bank Fire Department conducted the annual ceremony at the War Memorial their predecessors installed as a gift to the town. (Photo by Brian Donohue)

Today, that commitment is shown less through raising money for statues and more by members jumping out of bed to respond to modern fire alarms sounding predawn false alarms seemingly every day – and occasionally, true tragedies.

That’s not the only difference the century-old relics illustrate.

Today, the department’s rolls are only about half as long as the 106 names beneath the glass frame containing the 1926 photo.

Along with volunteer departments across the country, the department has struggled in recent years to recruit new members.

Kevin Moss Chief Michael Welsh 052025 Red Bank Fire Department

Longtime firefighter Kevin Moss and Chief Michael Welsh hold the 100-year-old photo from the 1922 War Memorial dedication. (Photo by Brian Donohue)

From 1984 to 2020, the number of volunteer firefighters nationwide dropped by 25 percent, according to the International Association of Firefighters.

“As we’ve shrunk, there’s a real opportunity for people who want to get involved with Red Bank. This is a good starting spot,” Moss said.

If the folks who gathered at the monument 100 years ago could be awakened from their eternal slumber, they might be surprised the town still has a volunteer department at all.

As morning showers gave way to sunshine, the unveiling of the statue drew a massive crowd to Monmouth Street on Memorial Day 1926, according to the June 2, 1926 Red Bank Register.

“Seven Civil War veterans in a large automobile were the center of attraction,” the paper reported. “As one speaker expressed, they were ‘the glorious remnant of the Grand Army of the Republic, which used to gather in large numbers in Red Bank every Memorial Day.'”

The statue depicts three veterans, one each from the Civil War, Spanish-American War and World War I. In later years, other monuments were added on the site now referred to as the “Veteran’s Monument.”

The ceremony contained an element of suspense and surprise. Word had gotten out that two of the figures in the sculpture were depictions of local war heroes from Red Bank. Until it was unveiled, no one knew who they were.

“Curiosity as to the names of the heroes, local pride and a widespread public desire to show appreciation for the gift of the firemen drew an enormous gathering to the exercises,” the Register reported.

When the flags hiding the statue were pulled back, locals “instantly recognized” two of the figures, the paper said.

The central figure, a Civil War veteran with one arm, represented the late Henry M. Nevius, who was circuit judge. One of his arms was shot away during a battle of the Civil War.

The figure on the left side of the monument represents Dr. Peter P. Rafferty, a Red Banker physician who served as a major during World War I. The third figure represents the traditional “unknown soldier” and is not based on anyone specific.

The ceremony program discovered in the Mechanic Street Firehouse includes a three-paragraph narrative of the firefighter-led effort to raise funds and install the monument.

There’s mention of a sealed metal box embedded within the statue containing “a complete record of this committee’s work” along with “other interesting articles.”

In its edition a few days later, The Register quotes Harry O. Degenring, chairman of the war memorial committee, in his welcome speech:

“I am proud that in the years to come, when Red Bank has grown into a big city and has a paid fire department, when your children have grown to be fathers and mothers and grandfathers and grandmothers; when they look in the vault of this memorial monument they will find deposited there papers and records showing that the monument was erected and presented by the Red Bank volunteer fire department to the town of Red Bank.”

There’s no need to open the vault.

Because DeGenering himself is still there in the Navesink Hook and Ladder, telling the story, as he stares out from that photo,11th from left in the front row.

“When I joined the department 50 years ago, the old guys used to say, ‘respect that – that’s our monument,” Moss said holding up the framed photo inside the firehouse. “We built that. The fire department built that. That was very important to the guys that were in 50 years when I was in one year.”

Red Bank’s Memorial Day Ceremony will be held Monday, 11 am, at the Veteran’s Monument at 51 Monmouth Street. In the event of rain, the service will be moved indoors to the Red Bank ELKS Lodge #233 at 40 W. Front Street.

redbankgreen editor Brian Donohue may be reached via email at [email protected] or by calling or texting 848-331-8331.