CPL John Wilbur Thierauf

courtesy of David King

CPL John Wilbur Thierauf was born 6 Oct 1918 in Baltimore, Maryland. He was the eldest of 2 children born to John Henry and Eva Beatrice (Mundie) Thierauf. He was called Wilbur to distinguish him from his father who worked in the dry docks as a paint chipper before becoming a Baltimore City policeman. Wilbur's younger sister wasn't born until 1932. The father was a traffic cop in 1940 and the family was then living at 4713 Pennington Avenue which was valued at $2300. Wilbur was also working, he as a "weigher" for Bethlehem Steel at Sparrow Point, Maryland and earning a reported 1939 income of $1500 while his father earned $2100 for the same period.  

Wilbur was drafted in May 1941. He was likely sent first to Fort George Meade, Maryland before being selected for training as a medic. We don't know when that happened immediately after completing his training but in December 1942 PVT Thierauf was assigned to the 104th Medical Battalion when he fell and broke his jaw on both sides which put him in the hospital for a month. It was likely in early 1943 that he was sent to England and assigned the the 111th Field Artillery which was the 29th Division divisional artillery unit. PVT Thierauf was transferred from the 111th to Medical Detachment 116th Infantry on 26 Jul 1944. He was promoted to CPL on 18 Aug 1944. The division was in the early stages of its participation in the effort to liberate Brest, France. CPL Thierauf was killed in action at Brest on 31 Aug 1944. 

CPL Thierauf was repatriated and re-interred in his family plot in Cedar Hill Cemetery in Brooklyn Park, Maryland.