Lawrence A. Boekhoff

Military Service
War: WWII
Branch: U.S. Army

Personal Details
Born: 20 February 1926
Enlisted: 12 May 1944
Died: Killed In Action: 25 December 1944
Parents: John B. and Mary (Vanderwerf) Boekhoff

Buried: At Sea
Military marker in Wellsburg Reformed Church Cemetery Wellsburg, Iowa

Lawrence Boekhoff Reported Missing In Action

Lawrence Boekhoff, son of Mr. and Mrs. John Boekhoff, has been reported missing in action somewhere in Europe. The family received the message from the war department Monday morning notifying them about their son's misfortune. When the family last heard from him he was in England.

Lawrence Boekhoff is in his 19th year. He left here for the armed service last June and was sent overseas about two months ago. The family hope to get further information soon from the war department regarding the fate of their son.

Lawrence Boekhoff has three brothers in the armed service. Albert is in the Navy. Ernest has been in the European war area for most of the past year. He was taken prisoner by the Germans, but he later made his escape. John is also in the European war area.

--The Grundy Register (Grundy Center, Iowa), 18 January 1945, pg 9

Pvt. Lawrence Boekhoff Reported Still Missing

Mr. and Mrs. John Boekhoff received a letter Sunday morning from the war department saying that their son Pfc. Lawrence Boekhoff was still listed as missing. The message said that at the end of three months they would receive definite word as by that time a thorough check of all casualties will have been made.

Pfc. Boekhoff was recently reported missing in a sinking of a troop ship (that was torpedoed) December 25 in the North Sea. After taking his training at Camp Fannin, Texas, he was transferred to Camp Ruker, Alabama, for a short period of training and from there went to a port of embarkation the latter part of October and landed in England where he was stationed up to the time he was reported missing.

Pfc. Boekhoff has three brothers in the service: Cpl. John Boekhoff in Germany, Pfc. Ernest Boekhoff in Italy and S. M. Third Class Albert Boekhoff in the Pacific theatre of war. Another brother, Sam Boekhoff was inducted but later received a medical discharge, and the youngest brother, George, will take his physical and pre-induction examination in April when he becomes 18 years of age.

--Wellsburg Herald (Wellsburg, Iowa), 31 January 1945, pg 1

L. Boekhoff Lost When Transport Sinks In Channel

Was Reported Missing In Action Few Weeks Ago; War Department Notified Family Monday That Son Was Lost

Lawrence Boekhoff, son of Mr. and Mrs. John Boekhoff of Wellsburg, was lost when an American transport was sunk in the English channel on Christmas night. Two weeks ago the family received word from the War Department that their son was missing in action. On Monday a second message came from the war department advising the family that an American transport had been sunk on December 25th, and while there were many survivors, their son was not one of them. The message stated that there might be some possibility that Lawrence Boekhoff had escaped but that he was not among those who were rescued. The message offered little hope.

First Death in Family of 20 Children
Lawrence Boekhoff is the first of a family of 20 children to be taken. This family, which is one of the largest in the state, consists of the father and mother, nine sons and eleven daughters. Of this large group, five of the children are from the father's first marriage and the other fifteen are from the second wife. Lawrence is a son of the second marriage.

Entered Service in May
Lawrence Boekhoff would have been 19 years old on the 20th of this month. He was born in St. Cloud, Minn. He came here when his parents returned to Grundy county 16 years ago, and attended school at Wellsburg. He entered the service last May. Others from here who entered the service at the same time were Harold Geerdes, who is now in Italy, and Lawrence Bausman, who is in France.

Lawrence received his early army training in Texas and in Alabama. He was home in October and left for overseas on November 14th. The last letter his parents received from him was written on December 21st, four days before he was lost. Lawrence Boekhoff is the second Grundy county war casualty who was lost on a troop transport.

Three Brothers in Service
There are four service flags in the front window of the Boekhoff home. Now one of them will bear a gold star. The three brothers in uniform are: John, who is somewhere in Germany; Ernest is in Italy--he was taken prisoner some months ago but escaped; Albert is in the South Pacific.

Other Surviving Members
Other surviving members of this large family are the father and mother, five brothers and eleven sisters. The brothers are Sam, George, Ben, Dick and Arnold. The sisters are Mrs. Menno Johnson, Rice, Minn.; Mrs. Geo. Tjaberding, Parkersburg; Mrs. Sam VanHeiden, Ackley; Mrs. Henry Riebkes, Ackley; Mrs. Fred Kannegeiter, Ackley; Mrs. John Wehrman, Waterloo; and Grace, Lorraine, Evelyn, Esther, and Marlys, who are at home, together with the younger brothers.

--The Grundy Register (Grundy Center, Iowa), 1 February 1945, pg 1

Boekhoffs Receive Final Notice of Son's Death from War Department

Mr. and Mrs. John Boekhoff received final notice from the war department concerning the death of their son, Pfc. Lawrence Boekhoff. First they received a telegram and Monday a letter which stated briefly that he was killed in action while on duty on a ship in the English Channel. The ship was attacked and sunk by the enemy.

--Wellsburg Herald (Wellsburg, Iowa), 14 March 1945, pg 1