PFC Frenchman Ratliff

courtesy of Sheila Compton Ramsey

PFC Frenchman Ratliff was born 23 Sep 1914 in Murphy, Virginia. He was the 8th of the 10 children born to Manuel Washington and Victoria (Hackney) Ratliff. 3 of those would not survive infancy and 1 died before the age of 12. His father farmed and would die in 1928 of heart failure at age 51. The family continued to farm off Route 605 near Sand Lick, Virginia.

Frenchman was drafted in May 1941. In accordance with policies in effect at that time he was sent to Fort Meade, Maryland and assigned to D Company 116th Infantry. He would train with the unit there, in the Carolina maneuvers and at Camp Blanding, Florida before boarding the Queen Mary for England in September 1942. After arriving in England he trained with the unit for the planned amphibious assault that was to be a part of the invasion of occupied France. He was with the unit on D-Day, 6 Jun 1944 for the landing and fought with the unit until killed in action on 19 Jun 1944.

PFC Ratliff was repatriated in 1948 and re-interred in the Ratliff Family Cemetery in Dickenson County, Virginia.

Frenchman's younger brother, Kindred Ratliff, served as a SSG in the Army Air Corps during WW2 and later opened Ratliff Jewelers in Haysi, Virginia.