Soldier News continued, 1944

Lt. Stanley Lord Graduates

Bainbridge News & Republican, July 27, 1944

Stanley B. Lord, son of Wallace Lord, of Watervliet [Albany Co., NY] and formerly of Bainbridge [Chenango Co., NY], has graduated as a pilot from Blytheville Army Air Field, Blytheville, Ark.  Lieut. Lord, who was a student at Carnegie Tech before entering the service, is now receiving training at Maxwell Field, Ala.

Lt. Gerald Dalton Killed in Action in Germany

Bainbridge News & Republican, Aug. 3, 1944

Mrs. Lena Dalton, of Roscoe [Sullivan Co., NY], has been advised by the War Department that her husband Lieut. Gerald Dalton, reported missing in March, was killed on March 18 on a bombing mission over Germany.

Pvt. Philip Urofsky Killed in Shooting Accident

Bainbridge News & Republican, Aug. 3, 1944

Private Philip Urofsky, of Liberty [Sullivan Co., NY], whose death occurred at a San Antonio, Tex., army camp, was accidently shot in the abdomen while at target practice on the rifle range there. 

 

Cpl. Ralph Arrandale Killed in Action

Bainbridge News & Republican, Aug. 3, 1944

 

Cpl. Ralph Arrandale, of Sidney [Delaware Co., NY], was killed in action on Saipan Island recently.

 

Pfc. Hayes French Seriously Wounded

Bainbridge News & Republican, Aug. 10, 1944

 

Mr. and Mrs. Charles French, of Afton [Chenango Co., NY], have received word from the War Department that their son, Pfc. Hayes C. French, was seriously wounded in action in France on July 12, and is now in a hospital somewhere in England.  He was recently awarded the Purple Heart Medal.

 

Sgt. John Hill Completes 51 Missions in Pacific

Bainbridge News & Republican, Aug. 10, 1944

 

Headquarters, 13th AAF, Southwest Pacific:  Technical Sergeant John N. Hill, of Bainbridge [Chenango Co., NY] has recently returned from a 10-day rest leave in Australia.  Sergeant Hill is an aerial engineer in a 13th AAF B-24 Liberator operating from an advanced base in the Southwest Pacific.  Since coming overseas in September, 1943, he has successfully completed 51 raids on heavily defended Japanese bases at Rabaul, Truk and Yap Island.  Sergeant Hill's mother, Mrs. George Hill, resides in Dauphin, Manitoba, Canada.

 

Letters from Edwin Wilkinson

Bainbridge News & Republican, Aug. 10, 1944

 

Edwin C. Wilkinson, Ph.M. 3/C, of Bainbridge [Chenango Co., NY], son of Mr. and Mrs. Clifford Wilkinson, of Berkshire, had a part in the French Invasion.  He has recently written several letters to his parents giving some account of his experiences.  In one of his letters he wrote:

 

"I suppose you are anxious to hear form me after what has been going on over here.  I am fine, even though I was in the "big push."  I wish I could tell you all about it but I will have to save that until later.  It was very thrilling and I am sure it was the most impressive sight that I will ever see.  I certainly don't want to go through another experience like it, though.  No doubt you will see it is the news reels, but being here was an added excitement.

 

"I received several letters the day before the big push and that made me feel much better.  My mail comes in spots, none for awhile and than a whole lot all at once.  My watch is broken and I think I shall send it home instead of having it fixed here.  It takes the English so long to get anything done.  They have to stop and get a 'spot of tea' about every hour and then they knock off for an hour at tea time (10 and 4) for tea and cake.

 

"Your cookies arrived in excellent condition and they really hit the spot.  All the boys that sleep in my compartment enjoyed them too.  The next time you send some (in the near future, I hope) you might include some of those excellent ginger cookies that Sheldon and I used to 'steal' from your cookie jar.  You know those little things are what we miss..."

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The first of this week the Wilkinsons received another letter from their son.  In this letter he wrote:

 

"Today three of my pals stole a jeep and started running around the beach with it.  The tide came in and they had the thing on a sand bar with water all around it.  They tried to drive it off but water got in the spark plugs and they got stuck  It turned out that the jeep belonged to an army captain.  He saw it about in the middle of the brink (tide was still coming in) and started yelling his lungs out.  They finally got a bulldozer to pull them out, but the captain was plenty mad.  He made them clean the darn thing up and by that time the tide was all the way in and, so the fellows had to swim back to the ship.  They were a sad looking trio.  I would have been with them except that I was running from one ship to another, looking for an oxygen gauge for the ship fitter.  I got back to the ship after my pals did and I had to swim 50 yards. 

 

"Today is Sunday, and I didn't have a chance to go to church.  I wish I could go regularly, but under present circumstances, it is quite impossible.."

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Mate Wilkinson enlisted in the Navy, July 13, 1943 and was sent to Newport, R.I., for "boot" training.  He received his basic training at Portsmouth, Va., and was later assigned to the naval hospital at Bainbridge, Md., as a hospital attendant.  On June 1 of this year, he was advanced in rating to a pharmacist's mate, third class.  He attended Berkshire High School and later transferred to Bainbridge, where he graduated in 1943.  He is a brother of Mrs. Frank L. Smith, Jr., of Bainbridge.