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name
DURHAM, Thomas Serron - Date of
birth
3 January 1923 -
Age
22 - Place of
birth
Arkansas -
Hometown
Fort Smith, Sebastian County, Arkansas
Personal info
Military service
- Service
number
38357551 -
Rank
Private First Class -
Function
unknown -
Unit
A Company,
312th Engineer Combat Battalion,
87th Infantry Division
-
Awards
Purple Heart
Death
-
Status
Killed in Action - Date of
death
11 January 1945 - Place of
death
Libramont-Chevigny, Belgium
Grave
-
Cemetery
American War Cemetery Luxembourg
| Plot | Row | Grave |
|---|---|---|
| E | 16 | 56 |
Immediate family
-
Members
Lorenzo M. Durham (father)
Minnie A. (Moore) Durham (mother)
Dorothy Durham (sister)
Cleveland A. Durham (brother)
George M. Durham (brother)
More information
The explosives used in the mines planted by the engineers was known by chemists and engineers to explode spontaneously if it became cold. The planners had no intention of using the mines in a cold climate, but they expected the war in Europe to be over before the winter of 1944. 24 members of 312th were inside a building receiving instruction about placing mines, when the mines exploded, destroying the building they were in and two buildings to the left. The explosion was heard seven miles away.Pfc Thomas S. Durham was first buried at the Temporary American Military Cemetery in Grand Failly, France.
Source of information: Peter Schouteten, www.abmc.gov, www.wwiimemorial.com, www.ancestry.com - Headstone and Interment Record / U.S. WWII Draft Cards Young Men, http://87thinfantrydivision.com, www.findagrave.com – Rick Lawrence
Photo source: www.findagrave.com - Anonymous