PVT John Edwin "Buck" West (WWII)


Remembering PVT John Edwin "Buck" West (Fairmont)

February 10, 1915 - August 29, 1944

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Note from the author: two days ago, we published a story about PVT West's brother-in-law, PVT Charles William Reynolds. Tragedy struck their family three times in two months, as PVT Reynolds was killed August 27, 1944, PVT West was killed August 29, 1944, and the brother of their respective wives, PFC Carl Tatterson, died as a POW on October 20, 1944. 

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PVT John Edwin "Buck" West was born in Fairmont, WV, on February 10, 1915, the son of Clinton and Edna (Pople) West. Their family lived at 326 Haymond Street in Fairmont at the time of John's birth (November 1914 West Virginian), and Clint worked as a laborer at Owens-Illinois (1920 Census). The family moved around a bit, living at 332 Blaine Street for a time (1923, 1929 Fairmont City Directories) while Clint worked as a tinner, before moving to Holidays Cove in Brooke County where Clint worked as a house painter (1930 Census). The family returned to Fairmont, where Buck attended East Fairmont High School for two years (1946 Orion, Army Enlistment Records).

In 1938 or 1939, Buck married Alma Rosa Tatterson. He was a salesman at J.M. Hartley & Son, and the duo lived at 713 Morgantown Avenue (1939 Fairmont City Directory, 1940 Census). 

Military Service:

He registered for the draft on October 16, 1940. He was 5'8" and 143 lbs, with brown eyes, brown hair, and light skin. Buck enlisted on August 28, 1943 in Clarksburg, after which he trained at Camp Wolters (Texas), Ft. Meade (Maryland), and England (Young American Patriots).

Buck was a member of the 12th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Division, which landed on Utah beach during D-Day. They continued to fight their way across France, leading up to the liberation of Paris on August 25, 1944, the day before Buck was wounded (Holocaust Encyclopedia).

PVT John Edwin "Buck" West was seriously wounded in action on August 26, 1944, and died of his wounds on August 29, 1944 (Young American Patriots). Based on a map of the 4th Division's Progress, he was likely injured in or near Bois de Vincennes, France. He is buried in the Epinal American Cemetery and Memorial in Epinal, France.

Legacy and Survivors:

PVT John Edwin "Buck" West is honored on the West Virginia Veterans Memorial in Charleston, WV.

Buck was preceeded in death by three younger siblings: Lewis (1917-1917) and twins Maxine and Christine (1918-1920). He was survived by his wife Alma, with whom he never had any children, his parents Clint and Edna, and six remaining siblings (two brothers and four sisters). 

Of Buck's siblings, three also served in the military. GM2 Richard West served in the Navy during WWII, CPL Lawrence West enlisted in the Army at age 17 in 1947 and served during the occupation of Japan, and Mary Belle West (Cassidy) was a member of the United States Cadet Nurse Corps after graduating from EFHS in 1945.

Sources and More Information:

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