Name:                                                  HERBERT WILBUR ALLEN SPAULDING

            Known as:                                           “Allen”

Hometown per military records:                      Proctorsville Village in Cavendish Town

            Date of Birth:                                       August 14, 1915 at Cavendish

            High School:                                        Cavendish

            Entered military service at:

            Entered military service on:                 December 13, 1943

            Rank:                                                   T/5 (Baker/cook)

            Army serial number:                            31403298

            Unit:                                                    10^th Mountain Division

                                                                        87^th Mountain Regiment

                                                                        3^rd Battalion

                                                                        Company K

            Killed In Action:                                  April 21, 1945 at Madna della Provvidenza, Italy

            Buried:                                                 Proctorsville

            Medals:                                                            Purple Heart, Silver Star

            On local WWII monument?                 Unknown

            Age:                                                     30

            Married?                                              Yes

            Details of Death:                                  According to his Individual Deceased Personnel

                                                                        File, cause of death was “KIA-S[hrapnel]

                                                                        F[ragment] W[ound] Pen[etrating]. skull”

Award of Silver Star, Posthumous

HERBERT W.A. SPAULDING, 31403298, Technician Fifth Grade, Infantry, 87^th Mountain Infantry, United States Army. For gallantry in action on 21 April 1945, near Madonne della Providenza, Italy. When a rifle squad, acting as the point for a battalion advance, was pinned down by intense machine gun, grenade, and small arms fire from enemy held building less than one hundred yards away, Technician Fifth Grade SPAULDING crawled forward alone to an exposed position, and opened fire on the hostile position, covering the withdrawal of his comrades, and the flanking movement of his company. For twenty minutes he engaged the enemy alone, giving the company time to work around the flank of the buildings, and storm the position, capturing sixty-seven prisoners. Technician Fifth Grade SPAULDING was killed by enemy machine gun fire during the battle. His outstanding heroism will forever be an inspiration to his comrades, and has earned him their perpetual admiration and praise. By his gallant deeds, he has added lustre to the finest traditions of the United States Army.

T/5 Spaulding had arrived in the front lines only the night before his death. He hadn’t yet had time to meet the men in his company. As a stranger and as a baker/cook his heroism as shown in the above citation speaks volumes of his character.