Post by Frank Kinsman on May 29, 2008 7:21:55 GMT 8
I have communicated with all of you before about my uncle Ferris Champney. I am now trying to better establish what 503 units he served in. From his letters he indicated he was in the Service Co. while at Ft. Bragg. Much later he recounted how he had transferred to Bn.1, Co. A. I thought this had occurred after he left Corregidor but now I find he is listed on the Regimental Roster in Co. A while on Corregidor.
This would indicate that our family oral history is wrong and he did not drop on Corregidor but landed on South Beach.
Another thing that gives credence to an earlier transfer, perhaps at Leyte, is that in his letters he indicated he was in the initial assault on Mindoro. I had thought he was in the 3rd Bn perhaps in Co. I but the 3rd was held in reserve at Mindoro while the 1st and 2nd went in first (I believe).
One of his letters states he had made the decision to request a transfer "while on the way up". (From the letter date this was probably on the way up from Noemfoor to Leyte.) When he arrived he found he had made Sergeant but he had to agree to be reduced to Private in order to transfer to Co. A.
(1) Would this be a normal thing to occur if he had been in the Service Co. all the preceding time?
(2) Are there 503rd Regimental Rosters available from Gordonvale, Port Moresby and Noemfoor so I could verify which unit he was in during those times?
As you may know he requested a transfer to Co. A so that he could be with his good friends James Jordan and Richard Cox, good friends of his. I don't know what happened to Cox but Ferris found Jordan shot through the stomach at Water Tower Hill and helped carry him back to the hospital that night. The next day Ferris was back at Monkey Point and went through that explosion.
What I'm wondering, is it proof, or a good possibility that Ferris was in the Service Co. all the time up to Leyte since he had to be reduced in rank to join Co. A or do I need to get other documents like Regimental Rosters to determine what 503rd unit he was in from the time at Ft. Bragg to landing on Leyte?
What do you guys think?
This would indicate that our family oral history is wrong and he did not drop on Corregidor but landed on South Beach.
Another thing that gives credence to an earlier transfer, perhaps at Leyte, is that in his letters he indicated he was in the initial assault on Mindoro. I had thought he was in the 3rd Bn perhaps in Co. I but the 3rd was held in reserve at Mindoro while the 1st and 2nd went in first (I believe).
One of his letters states he had made the decision to request a transfer "while on the way up". (From the letter date this was probably on the way up from Noemfoor to Leyte.) When he arrived he found he had made Sergeant but he had to agree to be reduced to Private in order to transfer to Co. A.
(1) Would this be a normal thing to occur if he had been in the Service Co. all the preceding time?
(2) Are there 503rd Regimental Rosters available from Gordonvale, Port Moresby and Noemfoor so I could verify which unit he was in during those times?
As you may know he requested a transfer to Co. A so that he could be with his good friends James Jordan and Richard Cox, good friends of his. I don't know what happened to Cox but Ferris found Jordan shot through the stomach at Water Tower Hill and helped carry him back to the hospital that night. The next day Ferris was back at Monkey Point and went through that explosion.
What I'm wondering, is it proof, or a good possibility that Ferris was in the Service Co. all the time up to Leyte since he had to be reduced in rank to join Co. A or do I need to get other documents like Regimental Rosters to determine what 503rd unit he was in from the time at Ft. Bragg to landing on Leyte?
What do you guys think?