My Uncle, William Mabry Mayfield was reported missing in action on Nov. 7th, 1944. In April of 1944 The War Department sent word that he was a prisoner of war. Soon after there was correspondence from them that that had been a mistake. I inherited a chest of letters from my grandmother that tells a fascinating story of a mother trying to bring her boy home.
Right after my grandmother, Josephine Mabry Mayfield received word that Maybry (Bill) had gone missing, she began to write a series of letters to the other mothers who had had sons in Company E asking them to please write to her to let her know what had happened to her boy. The mothers wrote that they had written to their sons asking for information. A wonderful friend, Bill Myers, (I would love some info on him) began to write my grandmother on what an amazing young man her son was. Everybody loved him and they gave him the nickname "Molly Mayfield" after an advice to the lovelorn columnist. He also wrote that after landing at Cherbourg, it became Bill's lot to carry the bazooka, since it was named after a musical instrument, he began tooting out the current popular tunes while carrying the cumbersome gun.
Letters came that said Charles Juday was Bill's buddy and if my grandmother could just get in touch with him, he would know of Mabry's plight.
There is a letter signed by Eisenhower telling my grandmother that he had received her information and that they were seaching for Mabry. She also received letters signed by Ulio and letters from the White House all saying the same thing.
This is the story of a mother's frantic search for her boy.
Finally, after interviewing some of the few remaining guys, (My research is showing that Company E had about 180-190 guys and only 20 remained after the war's end) a letter arrived from that sweet friend, Bill Myers who said he had interviewed someone who had withnessed an 88 mm. shell with a direct hit on Bill and Charles Juday's foxhole. He said they felt no pain. He was killed about 10:00 pm. They were relieved by the first Canadian Army at midnight.
My grandmother then began to write to mayors in Holland post war to see if anyone would go look for her boy. A family answered her letters in English. My grandmother described some artifacts on Bill's body, watch etc. and this family began their search. After several years of correspondence, my grandmother hosted the daughter of this family, Ann Balthesson at her home in Shreveport, Louisiana.
Also she wrote the Timberwolf newspaper asking for eyewitness information. She received wonderful and informative letters from David Bossler from Miles City, Montana that described details that are so valuable to a searching mother in November of 1946.
He was with Bill at Fordham in New York where the program they were in got cancelled so they were sent off to Camp Carson to train for the infantry. They went by train to St. Louis, Kansas City, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Washington, DC and finally to New York City where they boarded a ship captured in the previous war from the Germans and renamed the George Washington.
He told the details of arriving at Cherbourg 10 days later; Marching to the other side of the peninsula near the Guernsey Islands. They then left by boxcar around the first of October then went on to a town called Mallnes north of Brussels. She also received a letter from his mother.
From the article in The Timberwolf, she also received another informative letter from Dean Hopson. Also several other letters. One stating that the Timberwolves were dug in in foxholes about 500 yards from Moerdijik Holland. Any information would be appreciated.
