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name
BURDEN, William Edward - Date of
birth
1 July 1916 -
Age
28 -
Place of birth
Buffalo, Erie County, New York -
Hometown
Buffalo, Erie County, New York
Personal info
Military service
- Service
number
32131975 -
Rank
Technician Fourth Grade -
Function
Loader -
Unit
B Company,
8th Tank Battalion,
4th Armored Division
-
Awards
Purple Heart
Death
-
Status
Missing in Action - Date of
death
23 December 1944 - Place of
death
Chaumont-Hompré, Belgium
Grave
-
Cemetery
American War Cemetery Ardennes - Walls of the Missing
Immediate family
-
Members
Edward burden (Father)
Emma (Krieger) Burden (mother)
Charles Burden (brother)
Eleanor Burden (sister)
More information
T/4 William E. Burden graduated from South Park High School and the American Technical Society of Chicago. He was employed at the U.S. Post Office as a mail carrier.He enlisted in Buffalo, New York on 2 June 1941.
T/4 Burden's tank was knocked out by anti-tank fire and immediately burst into flames. He was the only one of the five crew members who didn't manage to escape the burning tank.
An Ordnance Salvage Unit could recover human remains and two identification tags of William Burden from the tank.
These remains were removed from the tank and were placed in a mattress cover and stored in a mortuary in Hamm, Luxembourg. Also a report was submitted to the Base Headquarters of the 610th QM Grave Registration Company in Verdun, France.
It is most probably that later instructions were received to bury the remains as an Unknown.
Source of information: Raf Dyckmans, Terry Hirsch, www.archives.gov, IDPF, WWII Draft Card, 1930 US Census
Photo source: Siemon Bierma, Buffalo Evening News - 24 January 1945