USA > Massachusetts > Essex County > Wenham > Wenham in World War II : war service of Wenham men and women and civilian services of Wenham people > Part 11
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Wenham in World War II
From November 1943 to January 1944 the Ingham was perman- ently stationed at Panama where her job was training U. S. sub- marines. She was finally converted to a Communications Ship and left for Hollandia, New Guinea, arriving in December 1944. From this point they were sent north to take part in the invasion of Subic Bay, P.I., February 1, 1945. As flagship, (they carried an ad- miral) and radioship, they were the brains and directors of this am- phibious landing and led the ships carrying troops and materiel into the bay. In order to waste no space they carried troops themselves and were the first ship off the beach.
As Communications Ship, they took part in directing the landings on Bataan, February 15, 1945. At Corregidor, February 16, 1945; their job was the same. On D-Day they were saved from destruc- tion at the hands of a Jap 5-inch gun battery by the action of the USS Denver which silenced the battery for them.
George Landers returned from the Pacific, landing in Vancouver' September 9, 1945. He was honorably discharged November 27, 1945.
American Defense Service Medal with bronze A
American Campaign Medal with stars for battle of the Atlantic, 1942
.European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with stars' for Convoy SC-121 and for sinking a submarine
Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with star for Luzon Operations. World War II Victory Medal
U. S. Coast Guard Rifle Bar (expert)
ROBERT EDWIN LANDERS entered on active duty as an ap- prentice Seaman in the U. S. Naval Reserve on December 28, 1942. He was sent to the U. S. N. T. S. (Naval Training Station), Great Lakes, Ill. for training. As Seaman 2/c he then went on to the U. S. Naval Gunnery School, Gulfport, Miss. and was then assigned to the Armed Guard at New Orleans, La. The Navy assigned Arm- ed Guards to merchant ships for their protection and Landers' detail was made up of 20 men, a coxswain, a gunner's mate and a lieuten- ant. The ships on which he served carried one large 3" gun for- ward and aft as well as eight 20 mms.
His first assignment was to the SS Gordon Bennett. They left Savannah, Ga. in April 1943 for New York and then to Cardiff, Wales, returning to New York in ballast. The Bennett was part of a large convoy. There had been a lull in submarine warfare and
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Personal Records of Those in the Armed Forces
men at sea and their families at home were feeling a little more se- cure. This feeling was rudely shattered by the voice of Winston Churchill who broke off one of his speeches to say that at that mo- ment a convoy from Cardiff had been for several days under contin- uous attack by a wolf pack; they had already lost many ships and there was nothing that could be done about it. Robert Landers on the Bennett was in that convoy. "We were under 11 days of attack by the wolf pack in the N. Atlantic and lost 11 ships and one Cana- dian corvette. While in this convoy our ship was hit by a torpedo in #1 hold. It lodged in our sand ballast where it failed to explode. We carried it all the way back to New York."
After one or two more trips in the Bennett, Landers was assigned to the SS Benjamin Lundy in New York and in the next six months among others, made trips to Bristol, England, Baltimore, Md. and Brindisi, Italy. Every kind of war materiel was being carried to Italy, as the United States was trying to pile up food for an army of 1,000,000 men for six months in case Spain, the Ger- mans, or both, should manage to close the Straits of Gibraltar. The departure of convoys was always reported by spies to the Germans. As the ships passed in single file through the narrow lane that at that time was all that had been swept through the minefields, off the coast of Algiers, they could count on being attacked. The return to the States from Brindisi was no exception and the convoy took three' direct attacks lasting 1} hours, the planes making their runs and going off. One, however, was hit by the gunners on the Lundy and perhaps others in the convoy and they saw the plane come down and crash into the mountains along the Algerian coast. This time the ship came in to Boston and after a few trips, Landers, now S 1/c, was assigned to the SS James Harlan.
Her first trip was to Khorramshahr, Iran with supplies for Russia. She carried planes folded on her decks, tanks, and supplies of every sort which the Russians took north by truck. They loaded sisal at Mombasa for use in the States; delivered tanks and jeeps at Bom- bay; and brought men and mail home from Capetown and Brazil. Landers says: "I received my shellback certificate for crossing the' equator on the 31st day of August 1943 aboard the SS James Har- lan, longitude 53ยบ 5', latitude 0, bound for Brazil from Capetown, So. Africa." Toward the end of the war, the Harlan carried cloth- ing collected in the U. S. clothing drives, reconditioned army shoes, food and Red Cross supplies to Antwerp, Belgium.
After one more assignment (to the SS Samuel Ashe, 2 mos.)
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and a few more trips, Robert Landers was honorably discharged October 6, 1945. He says, "While anchored off Port Said our ship stood colors for President Roosevelt's ship as it passed through on the way to the Yalta Conference." He adds, "When entering Beira, a neutral country, we had to cover our forward gun to show that we' were not a Man of War. We could not wear any identification of any kind showing that we were in the U. S. Navy. It was interest- ing to see the building of the German Consulate with the Swastika' flying overhead."
Good Conduct Medal
American Campaign Medal
European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with star for plane shot down off Algiers Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal
World War II Victory Medal
JOHN JAMES LEYENDECKER* entered on active duty as a Private in the U. S. Marine Corps Reserve on May 23, 1945. He was sent to boot camp at Parris Island, S. C. Upon the completion of this training, and a 10-day leave, he was sent back to New River for Infantry Training.
In September he was transferred to Camp Pendleton in California, where he was put in the 88th Replacement Draft. A month later, he was assigned to the Marine Corps Base in San Diego and went to work in the Base press shop, of which he subsequently was put in charge. He was advanced to Pfc. on December 8, 1945. After leaving this base in April 1946, his next assignment was to the USMC Depot of Supply at Barstow, Calif.
In April 1946, "while en route from California to Massachusetts on furlough, I traveled with the ATC (Air Transport Command) from Mines Field in Los Angeles to Roswell Field in New Mexico, and after having waited three days got tired of waiting for a flight further. I decided to hitch-hike. I got several rides which got me as far as Amarilla, Tex. I was out in the middle of nowhere, and getting nowhere fast. I was just about ready to call it quits when a broken- down '35 Ford struggled to a stop; and, from there on out, it was 'peaches and cream' because that one ride took me clear to Roxbury, Mass."
*This paper is based only on facts obtained from the first questionnaire.
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Personal Records of Those in the Armed Forces
John Leyendecker was honorably discharged at San Diego, Calif. on August 30, 1946.
American Campaign Medal
World War II Victory Medal
FURBER MERRILL LIBBY*, a veteran of World War I in which he served as 2d Lieutenant in the 42nd Infantry Division, entered on active duty as First Lieutenant in the Army of the United States, Corps of Military Police. He was sent to PMG School, Camp Williams, Utah and on September 15, 1942 was assigned to Hq. 754th M.P. (Military Police) Battalion, Camp Flint, Calif. where he served as Adjutant. In January 1944 he was transferred to Hq. C.S.D. 9th Service Command, Presidio of San Francisco and re- mained with this unit as Adjutant until March 1, 1945 when he was ordered overseas.
On arrival in France he was assigned to Hq. Oise Intermediate Section at Reims where he was Operations Staff Officer for PW's' (Prisoners of War) and DP's (Displaced Persons) of all nationali- ties, totalling at peak 1,000,000 persons. In April 1945 Headquar- ters moved on into Germany where Libby's duties were the same.' He was promoted to Captain and Major and later transferred to the' Adjutant General's Department.
Furber Libby was released to inactive duty on March 16, 1946.
World War I Victory Medal
Unit Citation
American Campaign Medal
European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal
French Citation (personal)
Polish Citation (personal)
World War II Victory Medal
Army of Occupation Medal
*This paper is based only on facts obtained from the first questionnaire.
ARTHUR LINDSLEY was commissioned 1st Lieutenant in the Army of the United States in July 1942. As he had had many years of flying experience and held a license, he was assigned to the Air Corps and sent to OTS (Officers' Training School) at Miami Beach, Fla. for indoctrination and then assigned to Newark AAB (Army Air Base). As he was on flying status, he was made Flight Opera- tions Officer at the base.
At Newark he was transferred to the Army Air Transport Com-
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mand (Domestic Air Force Ferrying Division ). This branch of the service was responsible, in the United States, for the delivery of all aircraft from the manufacturers to the seaboard air bases to be flown or packaged and shipped to the theater of operations. He was promoted to Captain June 1943 at Newark USAAB.
Early in January 1944 Lindsley was transferred to overseas operations assigned on temporary duty at Hamilton Field, Calif. Shortly after this he was transferred to Hickam Field, Oahu, Hawaii, Pacific Division of the Air Transport Command, flying in- terislands operations and the Sunset Route to Australia, New Zealand and interisland.
The operation and mission of the ATC was to deliver personnel' (mostly enlisted men) and high priority supplies to the forward areas, returning with wounded. Air Evacuation was one of the major missions of the ATC throughout the Pacific Divisions.
In September 1944 Lindsley was ordered to Naudi, Fiji as C.O. of the ATC Base unit. Naudi, Fiji was a rest area where personnel' was sent for rest, recuperation and reassignment. Lindsley's work was administrative. Earlier Lindsley established the forward area' as C.O. for the ATC at Saipan, Mariana Islands, and in July 1945 he was reassigned to Johnston Island in the Pacific as C.O. From there he returned to the States in January 1946, was pro- moted to Lieutenant Colonel and released from active duty at Ft. Devens, Mass. on June 18, 1946. He retains his commission as a' member of the Active Reserves, U. S. Army Air Corps (Lt. Col.).
Commendation ribbons (3 citations)
American Campaign Medal
European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal
Asiatic-Pacific Medal with two stars for the Marianas and Gil- bert and Marshall operations.
World War II Victory Medal
SIDNEY GOULD LINDSLEY was sent to the University of Con- necticut in August 1944 preparatory to entering cadet training under the ASTP (Army Student Training Program). When this was discontinued, he came home and enlisted as a Private in the Army of the U. S. on August 17, 1945. He entered on active duty August 6, 1945 and was sent for basic training to Squadron V, Keesler Field, Miss. where he was assigned to the Medical Corps, specializ- ing in surgery. On June 1, 1946 he was transferred to Medical Technician School, Camp Atterbury, Ind. for extra training. He
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was promoted to Private First Class at Keesler Field on February 1, 1946 and to Corporal on April 1, 1946.
Sidney Lindsley was honorably discharged December 1, 1946 at Keesler Field, Miss. and entered Clark School in the fall of 1947.
American Campaign Medal
World War II Victory Medal
CHESTER LUXTON entered on active duty as a Private in the Army of the U. S. on August 7, 1942. He reported to Ft. Devens, Mass., where he was assigned to the 708th Military Police Battalion, which was sent to Camp Niantic, Conn., for training.
In December 1942, the 708th M.P. Battalion was ordered to the Army Hospital at Rocky Hill, Conn., where Luxton was engaged in M.P. duty at the hospital.
Chester Luxton was honorably discharged at Rocky Hill, Conn. on April 21, 1943.
World War II Victory Medal
ELMER THOMAS LUXTON entered on active duty on March 10, 1942 as a Private in the U. S. Army Air Forces at Ft. Devens. He went to the 460th School Squadron, Moody Field, Ga. where he received training in aircraft fire fighting and basic aircraft mechan- ics. When these courses were completed, he worked on the flight line. After a year there, he was sent to the 1080th School Squadron, Freeman Field, Ind. to work as an aircraft painter and while there was promoted to Corporal. In June 1944 he went to Camp Luna, New Mexico for combat training. From here the Army transferred him to San Bernardino Army Air Base, Calif. to Aircraft and Engine Mechanics' School to fill the needs of the rapidly expanding Air Transport Command.
His first assignment with ATC was at Newcastle AAB, Dela- ware, the home base of Crescent Caravan, one of ATC's four daily flights overseas, and the maintenance base for all ATC planes assigned to La Guardia Field. He worked as a maintenance mechanic on C-54's that were flying wounded men and later high pointers back from Europe.
About two months after V-E Day most of the planes and men of ATC's Atlantic Wing were reassigned to the Pacific Wing to carry out their assignment. Elmer Luxton was sent to the Maintenance Squadron, 1521 AAF Base Unit, Hickam Field, Hawaii. At this base the unit was servicing and repairing ATC planes from the en-
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tire Pacific area. After V-J Day all of ATC's C-54 planes were sent to fly American PW's (Prisoners of War) from Japan to Hickam Field. Because of the great amount of air travel through Guam Air Base, all of the inspection and maintenance work on the C-54's was done at Hickam Field. Luxton was promoted to Ser- geant in October 1945 and was given an additional assignment work- ing with a repair detail on a "shop plane," a flying repair shop capable of doing almost all of the repair and overhaul jobs necessary. on a plane. With this special shop plane, he made trips to the Naval Air Base on Johnston Island which ATC was using and to the Army Air Base on Canton Island to restore to flying condition ATC planes that were grounded there with various troubles.
In January 1946 Elmer Luxton returned to the States and was honorably discharged at Ft. Devens, Mass. on January 13, 1946.
American Campaign Medal
Good Conduct Medal
Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal
World War II Victory Medal
EDWARD FRANCIS LYNCH entered on active duty as a Pri- vate in the Army of the United States on September 12, 1942, when he was sent for basic training to CRTC (Cavalry Reserve Training Center) Squadron 5, Troop B, Ft. Riley, Kan. He went next to the 882nd Ordnance Heavy Auto Maintenance Co. at Ft. Sill, Okla., and with the same organization went to Camp Howze, Tex. where he served as dining-room orderly. The unit was sent to Camp Shanks, N. Y. preparatory to going overseas.
The 882nd sailed from New York on September 9, 1943 on the USS Mariposa, a troop ship. She had been a luxury liner built at Quincy ; but now the walls of her saloons were covered with beaver board to protect them, and as many bunks as possible had been crowded into each stateroom. Meals were served to the troops twice a day. Luckily she didn't have to poke along at convoy speed, but traveled alone, counting on her own great speed for safety.
After landing at Bombay October 12, 1943, they were stationed at Camp Hieleah at Calcutta, where the Company found good bar- racks put up for them by Indian labor under British direction.
"The organization's duty was to repair trucks, jeeps and bull- dozers. These were used by the units stationed in Calcutta and also to carry loads from Calcutta to Ledo where they took the long and difficult 'Ledo Road' into Burma. The workshops were good
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Personal Records of Those in the Armed Forces
and well-equipped. They were old cement-floored car-barns with tin roofs. Other shops had the sides left open for air, but in the rainy season, they were very wet."
Edward Lynch's duties were on the post where he acted as assist- ant cook, P. X. helper, and made improvements in the grounds.
When he got a furlough he went up to the Army rest camp in the mountains where he was fortunate enough to land in the right season and see Mt. Everest when it was not hidden by mist and clouds. He says, "My greatest experience was seeing the highest mountain in the world, Mt. Everest, which I saw from Tiger Mt. in Darjeeling, India almost 9,000 feet above sea level. We came home on the US A. T. Greeley through the Red Sea and at Port Said at the end of the Suez Canal, at the Mediterranean side, saw some smoke stacks of ships sunk by the Germans sticking out of the water. We saw the Aegean and the Rock of Gibraltar. Very in- teresting."
He landed at Newport News, Va. June 23, 1945 and then went to Camp Patrick Henry. He was honorably discharged at Ft. Devens, Mass. June 30, 1945 after serving a few days short of two years and ten months.
Good Conduct Medal
American Campaign Medal
Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal
World War II Victory Medal
LESTER HAMILTON LYNCH entered on active duty as a Pri- vate in the Army of the U. S. on September 21, 1942. He was sent for basic training to Ft. Riley, Kan. where he joined Troop D, 5th Squadron Cavalry Replacement Training Center and was promoted to Private First Class.
Lester Lynch's first assignment was to the 232nd Infantry Quar- termaster Salvage and Collection Co. at Camp Barkeley, Tex. The duties of this unit were to salvage guns, clothing and all things that were dropped behind the lines.
He was sent next to the 97th QM Co., Camp Swift, Tex., where he served as truck driver. The duty of this unit was to supply the Regiment with food and ammunition.
On March 20, 1943 Lester Lynch was honorably discharged at Camp Swift because he was over age. He says that, "all dis- charged soldiers worked at something essential to the war," and he went to the Ford Motor Company's Willow Run Bomber plant near
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Detroit, Mich. "making the Liberator B-24 used by the Army," from March 26, 1943 to March 31, 1945. He worked as small parts assembler and was later transferred to manufacture as stock checker. When the war was over, he returned to Wenham.
World War II Victory Medal
DONALD JOHN MACDERMAID entered on active duty as a Private in the Army of the U. S. on January 10, 1942. He was assigned to the Coast Artillery and sent to Ft. McKinley, Me. for basic training.
In January 1942 he was ordered to Ft. Preble, Me. near Port- land. This Coast Artillery post is situated at South Portland, Me. (Casco Bay) and is part of the coastal defense of Portland Harbor. While here he was promoted to Corporal in March 1944.
He was later assigned to Ft. Williams, also near Portland where he served as gun commander on 40 mm. Anti-Aircraft and 90 mm. guns.
Donald MacDermaid was honorably discharged on January 7, 1946.
Good Conduct Medal
American Campaign Medal
World War II Victory Medal
EDWARD FORD MACNICHOL, a veteran of World War I in which he served as a 2d Lieutenant, 332 Field Artillery, 32nd Divi- sion, received his commission as a Major in the Army of the United States, Air Corps, on May 16, 1942. Following six weeks at Offi- cers' Training School in Miami Beach, Fla. and other temporary assignments, he was ordered to Mitchel Field, N. Y., and assigned to duty as Commanding Officer of the 27th Airways Detachment, Air Service Command, then being organized there.
He went overseas with his unit, sailing from Hampton Roads, Va. on the SS Mauretania on October 7, 1942, arriving at Karachi, India on December 2, 1942.
On April 3, 1943 he was assigned to duty with the Headquarters of the India-China Wing, Air Transport Command, then in Upper Assam, India, as executive for Airways Detachments, and in June 1943 was also designated Administrative Inspector of the Wing.
He was appointed Personnel Officer of the India-China Wing on September 1, 1943, promoted to the grade of Lieutenant Colonel
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Personal Records of Those in the Armed Forces
on December 22, 1943 and on March 6, 1944 was assigned to duty as Deputy Assistant Chief of Staff of the Personnel Section of the Wing.
He returned to the United States on April 4, 1944 and was re- leased to inactive duty on September 4, 1944.
Distinguished Unit Badge
Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal
India-Burma Campaign Medal
World War II Victory Medal
ANGUS FRANCIS MERRILL, JR. enlisted as a Private in the Army of the United States January 12, 1938. He was sent to the Headquarters Company, 13th Infantry, Ft. Devens, Mass. and then assigned to H.Q. First Service Command, Boston Army Base with 3rd Signal Service Co. as Photographer where he was promoted to Specialist Third Class and Specialist Second Class and on Septem- ber 28, 1940 became Acting Corporal. He was transferred to Ft. Devens as N.C.O. in charge of Training Film Library where he was promoted to Sergeant in March 1941 and Staff Sergeant in January 1, 1942. He says, "The use of Visual and Graphic Aids in training is fairly recent. The idea behind it is that their use employs all the senses except that of smell and therefore leaves a more vivid impression in the trainees' minds than the old lecture and demonstration method of instruction. Our best films were those which we ourselves took under combat conditions. There were no Hollywood sequences or 'hokum' in these. We could not actually portray the whole moral and intent of the story in these films be- cause of adverse conditions in battle. Therefore, Hollywood made pictures for the services employing their stars as actors. Combined to make a good story as well as a lesson in battle preparedness, Training Films served their purpose well as illustrative examples.
"Training films were used extensively to orient and indoctrinate new men into the workings of the Army. They could reach more personnel and teach in a shorter time than by stage and voice methods. Also by using the same films in every corner of the world, a standard was made which was invariable."
Angus Merrill was sent to Officer Candidate School at Ft. Mon- mouth, N. J. and commissioned as 2d Lieutenant on July 13, 1942. He took the Officer Specialist Training Course at Ft. Monmouth and was then assigned to H.Q. 8th Service Command, Dallas, Tex. as Assistant Signal Officer. From there he went to Ft. Sill, Okla.
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as Assistant Post Signal Officer in charge of the Photo Lab, the Cryptographic Office and the Training Film Libraries.
He was promoted to 1st Lieutenant May 27, 1943 and was sta- tioned at Manila, P.I. with the 4026th Signal Photo Battalion, GHQ from March 6, 1945 to November 1945 as Battalion Civil Affairs Officer, Claims Officer and then as Adjutant and Civil Personnel Officer.
"While in Manila, my battalion's mission was to photograph everything in the forward lines that could be used for historical record, military information, and documentary evidence of our, and the enemy's damage to property, places and personnel. Primarily, we were combat photographers on the spot with, and sometimes just before, the advances made by our ground troops. This was the most dangerous part of our work. You can imagine trying to crawl in- to and photograph an area held by the enemy at the same instant that our troops were trying to destroy same. I say crawl, but if you have ever seen the movie cameras used in Hollywood, which were the same as we used for motion pictures, you can imagine try- ing to crawl with one of those. Needless to say there were many Purple Hearts, Silver Stars and Legions of Merit in my battalion. The still and motion photography of combat from beginning to end was our prime purpose.
"Immediately after the war we photographed such events as the signing of the armistice aboard the Missouri, MacArthur in Japan, took photos of the war crimes trials in our theater, made motion pictures of the Philippines and its people for use in our civilian theaters at home. Our job as a battalion consisted of photography of all descriptions for the purpose of news value, historical record, documentary evidence, foreign news of importance in the States, combat and post war conditions for use in rehabilitation, and recon- struction."
Angus F. Merrill, Jr. was promoted to Captain December 19, 1945 and released to inactive duty March 28, 1946, Signal Corps Reserve.
Good Conduct Medal
Meritorious Service Plaque
American Defense Service Medal
American Campaign Medal
Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with 3 battle stars for Luzon, Borneo and Southern Philippines.
World War II Victory Medal
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Personal Records of Those in the Armed Forces
Angus Merrill also received a Letter of Commendation for initia- tive from Brig Gen. Jesmond Balmer, FA at Ft. Sill on Sep- tember 28, 1943.
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