Edwin Ernest Henry (1944)

HENRY, CLARK

Posted By: Mary Welty Hart (email)
Date: 1/11/2006 at 18:15:46

Winterset Madisonian
Winterset, Iowa
November 9, 1949

EDWIN HENRY Buried in National Cemetery
American Service Man Was Killed in Battle for Philippines.

The body of Edwin Henry, Winterset service man who was killed in action in the Pacific during the recent war, will be buried Armistice day in the Zachery Taylor National cemetery at Louisville, Ky.

Henry entered the U. S. Navy in March, 1944, and died in action in a naval battle near the Philippines on Nov. 12, 1944. He was serving on an aircraft carrier that engaged the Japanese fleet in one of the major battles of the Pacific War.

Services are to be held at Louisville this Friday for Henry and nine others killed in this battle. His widow, Mrs. Ruth Henry, their three sons, Edwin, Russell and Carl, his brother and wife, Mr. and Mrs. Orville Henry, and his mother, Mrs. Mary Henry of Des Moines left Tuesday for Louisville to attend the services.
Transcriber note: He was the son of Benjamin and Mary (Clark) Henry of Madison County.
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Earlham Library Collection
Earlham Echo

Edwin Ernest Henry S 1/c, the second son of Benjamin S. and Mary Clark Henry was born May 22, 1911, on a farm near Earlham, Iowa. He attended Early Chapel church, and went to school in this neighborhood till March 1, 1920, when the family moved to Winterset, Iowa, where he attended the grade and high school.

He was married to Ruth Travis on May 9, 1932, at Princeton, Missouri. Shortly after their marriage they moved to the old family home south of Earlham, where they engaged in farming until 1942. Here their three sons, Carl B. age 10, Edwin E. Jr. age 7, and Russell T. age 5 were born.

Edwin attended the Rapids School of Welding in 1939, graduating in November of that year. After graduating he worked in War Industries in Des Moines, for about three years, as a skilled machinist, and welder. On March 21, 1944 he entered the U. S. Navy, and was assigned to Co 359-44, Camp Hill, at Farragut, Idaho. Here he completed his boot training, on May 3, 1944.

Following a 15 day furlough, spent at home with his family and friends, he returned to Farragut, and left immediately for Shoemaker, California, an embarkation camp. He was there only three weeks before being sent to Treasurer Island, from which port he sailed. He left June 20, aboard the M. S. Sommelsduk. On June 28, he was initiated into the Ancient Order of the Deep. He visited the Fiji and Somoa Islands on the way to New Guinea, where he landed on July 21, 1944.

Edwin served with a repair fleet off the coast of New Guinea until assigned about August 1, to the repair ship, U. S. S. Achilles. He was on active duty, and saw action from then on till his death, on November 12, 1944.

On November 12, 1944 his ship was in San Pedro Bay, Philippine Islands, in support of the operation at Leyte. The fleet was attack by enemy aircraft. All hands were at their battle stations fighting. One plane hit the Achilles causing a large explosion, killing a number of men. Edwin was at his station, in the area where the explosion occurred.

Edwin was a kind husband and loving father. He died in keeping with the highest traditions of the U. S. Navy. He gave his life for his country. He died at his battle station in action against the enemy. All of his ship-mates felt his loss deeply.

Besides his good wife and three sons, he leaves to mourn his loss his mother, Mary M. Henry of Des Moines, and father of Winterset, his two brothers, Orville Henry of Earlham, and Harold Henry of the U. S. Army and one half brother, Duane Henry of Winterset, two nieces, three nephews, numerous aunts and uncles and other relatives, and a host of friends.

Memorial stone
 

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