Tuesday, September 7, 2021

Cranston war memorial mystery - " Harold E. Thayer "

 

Returning from the Knightsville Library in Cranston I glanced at the war memorial in the square at the intersection of Cranston St. and Park Ave. I focused on a few names . One of them was " Thayer , Harold E. . I wondered if I could connect that name with a face and a buried story in newspaper archives. I did . A Providence Journal article dated April 8, 1944 read : " Sgt. Harold E. Thayer of 28 North Street , Cranston was killed accidentally by gunshot at Camp Luis Obispo , Cal ; his wife Mrs. Mary Thayer was informed yesterday by the War Department "
However there is another " Harold E. Thayer " ;
[ "During his service in World War II, Army Sergeant Thayer experienced a traumatic event which ultimately resulted in loss of life on December 18, 1944. Recorded circumstances attributed to: Killed in action. Incident location: Luxembourg. "
[ "In December, 1944 his unit was stationed near the village of Troisvierges in Luxembourg during the the Battle of the Bulge. They received orders to hold some crossroads located near Bastogne. Sgt Thayer was killed in action under an onslaught of enemy Panzer tank attacks. Many of his comrades were killed that day."]
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