2LT James McCoy Malcomb

courtesy of Marijke Taffein

2LT James McCoy Malcomb was born in January 1895 in Castlebury, Alabama the 2nd of 5 children born to Marion A. and Kennie Elizabeth (Fincher) Malcomb. His father was a merchant and traveling salesman who had been born in Pocahontas County, West Virginia. James was working as a manager for Standard Oil in 1916.

James enlisted in the Alabama National Guard's D Company 2nd Alabama Infantry.  He was then transferred to the Machine Gun Company where he was promoted to CPL.  After the unit was mobilized he was transferred to the 4th Alabama Infantry on 15 Aug 1917. CPL Malcomb was assigned to Machine Gun Company 167th Infantry when that unit boarded the SS Lapland for France on 3 Nov 1917.  It was in France that CPL Malcomb was commissioned as 2LT and reassigned to M Company 116th Infantry.  Wounded sometime after 8 Oct 1918, 2LT Malcomb succumbed to his wound(s) on 26 Oct 1918.

2LT Malcomb is buried in the Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery.

Maternal grandfather, James Thomas Fincher, served in the 1st Confederate Cavalry (Simpson's Mounted Rangers) during the Civil War.