OH 1474 | Oral History

OH 1474

Attorney. His experiences in the North African and European Theaters during World War II. Education at the South Texas School of Law, Houston, Texas, 1936-40; employment with the Shell Oil Company, 1936-41; induction into the Army, December 2, 1941; basic training, Camp Wolters, Mineral Wells, Texas, 1941-42; Officer Candidate School, Fort Belvoir, Virginia, 1942; assignment to Corps of Engineers topographic battalion, Fort Custer, Michigan, and Camp McCoy, Wisconsin, 1942; decision to volunteer for the Airborne Engineers, 1942; Parachute Command training, Fort Benning, Georgia, 1942; assignment to the 307thAirborne Engineers, Fort Bragg, North Carolina, 1943; shipment to North Africa, April 29, 1943; parachute training, Ouijda, French Morocco, 1943; attendance at the British 8th Army mine school, 1943; invasion of Sicily and capture of Gela airfield, July, 1943; invasion of Italy at Salerno, September, 1943; convalescence from hepatitis at Oran, Algeria; mine laying during the Battle of San Pietro; Anzio invasion, July, 1944; combat around Nettuno and Cisterna; evacuation to Ullesthorpe, England, in March, 1944; preparations for the Normandy invasion; meeting and courting his future wife, Beryl Barton; the crash of his glider during Operation MARKET-GARDEN, September 17, 1944, and subsequent rescue; combat around the Waal River; liaison duty with British 1st Army headquarters; the Ardennes Offensive and the Battle of the Bulge, December, 1944-January, 1945; transfer to a signals and information unit in Bournemouth, England, 1945; his marriage to Beryl Barton, March 26, 1945; his transfer to the 104th Infantry Division in Germany; mustering out of the service and postwar employment with Shell; his wife’s move from England to the United States, March, 1946.

About this Oral History

Physical Description 145 pp.
Terms of Use Open
Interviewer(s) William J. Alexander
Date of Interview May 10, 2002

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