Hereford, Gerald Page Jr.

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Date of birth:: December 6th, 1923 (Ferguson/St. Louis, Missouri, the United States of America)
Date of death:: September 24th, 1944 (Nijmegen/Gelderland province, the Netherlands)
Nationality:: American

Biography

Gerald Page Hereford Jr. was born on December 6, 1923, in Ferguson, St. Louis County, Missouri, the United States of America. He was the firstborn of Gerald Page Hereford Sr. and Ellen Rose Prendergast and had four brothers and two sisters. He liked sports in general but favored boxing as he was a contestant in the Golden Gloves amateur competition. Allegedly, he was also sports editor at the St. Louis University High School publication Prep News.

Gerald joined the US Army on March 27, 1942. He volunteered for the paratroopers and, after completing his parachute training, was assigned to D Company, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment (PIR), 82nd Airborne Division “All American”. Gerald participated in the campaign in Italy in 1943-44. His regiment, 504th PIR, suffered heavy (personnel) losses and couldn’t partake in operation Overlord (D-Day) in June 1944. However, Gerald jumped with the 504th PIR on September 17, 1944 near Overasselt, the Netherlands, as part of operation Market Garden. The objectives of his regiment were then achieved by seizing the bridges over the river Maas and the Maas-Waal canal. On September 20, he took part in the fighting during the famous crossing of the river Waal near Nijmegen with flimsy boats.

On September 22, 1944, his unit was relieved near Lent and pulled back to the south bank of the Waal for a few days of recuperation. Before dawn of September 24, 1944, his unit (2nd Battalion 504th PIR) had moved to the eastflank of Nijmegen before dawn and had just taken over the defensive positions from 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, in the Ooij-polder south of Erlecom. The hamlet of Wercheren was in the center of the 2nd Battalions sector. Enroute to a church service that morning (24 sep), PFC Gerald P. Hereford Jr., D Company, was killed by artillery fire. He was only 20 years of age.

At first he was buried in Molenhoek, the Netherlands, but in the 1950’s on his family’s request, his remains were repatriated to the US and buried on Calvary Cemetery in St. Louis, Missouri.
His name is mistakenly listed on the Waal Crossing Memorial, although his death was not related in any way with this heroic crossing.

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Purple Heart

Period:: Second World War (1939-1945)
Rank:: Private 1st Class
Unit:: D Company, 2 Battalion, 504 Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division
Awarded for:: Operation Market Garden

posthumously awarded