Memorials 294th Combat Engineer Battalion

During World War 2, the US 294th Combat Engineer Battalion was based in and around Sherborne from Feb-June 1944 prior to landing in Normandy. The First plaque commemorates 29 soldiers who died in an accident on an exercise when a lorry carrying anti-tank mines rolled backwards over a mine that had been laid. The second plaque commemorates those men of the Battalion who died in Normandy and the subsequent battles across the European Front


1st Plaque
294TH ENGINEER COMBAT BATTALION
(-Corps of Engineers, US Army insignia-)
UNITED STATES ARMY
ON MARCH 20, 1944, WHILE COMPLETING THEIR TRAINING FOR THE INVASION OF NORMANDY, 29 MEMBERS OF C COMPANY, 294TH ENGINEER COMBAT BATTALION, WERE KILLED IN AN ANTI-TANK MINE EXPLOSION IN SHERBORNE. THIS PLAQUE IS DEDICATED TO THEIR MEMORY.
(Names, 1st Column)
SGT DONALD J. WALSH
T/5 FRANCIS X. GALLAGHER
T/5 WARREN F. RAPP
T/5 LAWRENCE C. SBARATTA
PFC FRANCIS J. MURPHY
PFC MARTIN A. NORTON
PVT CHARLES W. BRINKOFSKI
PVT ROBERT M. BUCELLA
PVT EDWARD D. CHIARIERI
PVT ANTHONY CUTRONE
(2nd Column)
PVT JOHN P. DEEVY
PVT JOHN W. GADEK
PVT ROBERT GLADEN, JR
PVT GEORGE E. GUNDY
PVT HARRY B. HANSCHKA
PVT JOSEPH B. HENNING
PVT LEONARD B. KERR
PVT STEPHEN E. KOSIOROWSKI
PVT ROGER E. KROEGER
(3rd Column)
PVT LEO A. LYON
PVT JOHN J. MCHUGH
PVT THOMAS S. NICOL
PVT LUCIEN P. PESSOZ
PVT CONRAD PROPP
PVT ROBERT L. READY
PVT ANTHONY T. RUSSO
PVT ANDREW TER WAARBEEK
PVT FRED. C. TRACEY
PVT JOSEPH J. ZANELLI
(bottom part)
(-VII Corps insignia-)
JUNE 6, 1989

Second plaque:
294TH ENGINEER COMBAT BATTALION
(-Corps of Engineers, US Army insignia-)
UNITED STATES ARMY
ON JUNE 6, 1989, SURVIVING MEMBERS OF THE 294TH ENGINEER COMBAT BATTALION PRESENTED THE PLAQUE TO COMMEMORATE ITS MEMBERS KILLED IN ACTION AND TO EXPRESS ITS GRATITUDE TO THE PEOPLE OF SHERBORNE FOR THEIR FRIENDSHIP IN 1944 WHILE THE BATTALION COMPLETED ITS PREPARATIONS FOR THE INVASION OF EUROPE, THE BATTALION LEFT THIS TOWN TO SERVE AS PART OF THE VII ARMY CORPS IN THE BATTLES IN NORMANDY, NORTHERN FRANCE, THE HURTGEN FOREST, THE ARDENNES, THE RHINELAND AND CENTRAL GERMANY. WE RECALL THOSE KILLED DURING THESE CAMPAIGNS.
(Names, 1st Column)
CAPT LEROY G. WEBSTER
SSGT JOSEPH M. PATINO
SGT EDWARD P. MICALLEF
SGT JOHN MURPHY
SGT PERRY J. REED
(2nd Column)
T/5 LAWRENCE N. LUCIANO
T/5 DELMAR G. TUCKER
T/5 WILLIAM F. WELLS
PFC EDWARD J. BILICKI
PFC ALEX. M. HEIMAN
PFC DANIEL J. O’KEEFE
(3rd Column)
PFC STANLEY E. PRICE
PFC KARL SCHECTER
PVT FRANK P. RENDINE
PVT STANLEY G. SUDA
PVT ALTON L. WEAVER
(bottom part)
NORMANDY
(-VII Corps insignia-)
CENTRAL GERMANY
NORTHERN FRANCE
RHINELAND
ARDENNES
HURTGEN FOREST

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Source

• Text: American War Memorials Overseas
• Photos: Anthony (Sharky) Ward