Sunday, June 19, 2016

PFC William George Wolford

PFC William George Wolford was born 22 Feb 1920 in Windber, Pennsylvania. He was the 2nd of 4 children born to Noah Austin and Anna (Bateman) Wolford. His father was a coal miner. Noah died in Johnstown Memorial Hospital on 4 Aug 1931 so by 1940 William's 2 older brothers were supporting the family by working for the Civilian Conservation Corps earning a reported total of $328 in 1939. William's education had not progressed beyond grammar school and he was still unemployed in 1941 although he might have worked for a time at a power generation station.

William was drafted in February 1942. After completing his basic military training he was assigned to I Company 116th Infantry possibly before the unit was sent to England in September 1942. Once in England he trained for the amphibious landing that was to be an integral part of the effort to liberate Nazi occupied France. PFC Wolford took part in the D-Day landing on 6 Jun 1944 and continued to fight with his unit until he was killed in action on 19 Jun 1944. 

PFC Wolford was repatriated and re-interred in the Dunmyer Cemetery in Salix, Pennsylvania.  

William's father and served in WW1 as a PVT in the 1st Section Training Battalion 158th Depot Brigade

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