 who gleaned it from a West Virginia newspaper [unspecified] of the World War II era |
Remember...Samuel Walter Fredrick Balch
|
Samuel Walter Fredrick Balch was born to parents Eliza Catherine Stone Balch and Delbert Otis Balch in Leon, Mason County, West Virginia. While his draft registration shows a birth date of November 12, 1913, other records indicate that he was born in 1912. (This discrepancy was not unusual when a clerk or person other than the subject filled out the draft card and the subject only signed it.) Delbert and Eliza's large family consisted of seven additional children: Delbert Valcie, Vesta Merle, Verta Belle, Nellie, Marie, Bonnie Acel, and Warren E. Balch. In 1940, Samuel married Avis Jane (possibly Ione) Baker in Kanawha County, West Virginia.
When Samuel enlisted in the United States Army on September 1, 1943, he stated that he had completed four years of high school and his civilian occupation was that of "farm hand, general farms." However, at the time of his draft registration, he stated that he was employed by the Boyertown Casket Company of Columbus, Ohio, and other sources note his employment at Boyertown at the time he entered the service (perhaps another clerical misconception). Founded in Boyertown, Pennsylvania, the Boyertown Casket Company produced high-end caskets, and the Columbus factory employed many residents of the south side of that city. Samuel and Avis lived on the same street as the company, just a block or so away. (Boyertown information source: Bob Grove, "Southside Columbus Alumni," Facebook posting 22 February 2022, accessed 15 July 2025.)
Private First Class Balch was headed for the European Theater of World War II. He became part of the 110th Infantry, 28th Infantry Division. The 28th, nicknamed the "Keystone Division," was formed from the Pennsylvania National Guard. The division trained in the Carolinas, Virginia, Louisiana, Texas, and Florida under the command of General Omar Bradley. The division left the U.S. in October of 1943 and began additional training in South Wales. Seven weeks after the D-Day landings, it made its way to Normandy. The 28th then headed toward Paris, where it was given the honor of marching down the Champs-Elysees on August 29, 1944. Samuel Balch would likely have been with the division as they made that momentous march.
| The division then headed toward the German defensive Westwall, crossed the Our River, and was the first of the Allied armies to enter Germany. The division suffered heavy casualties in the Battle of Huertgen Forest (September 19 through December 16, 1944), but by that time Pfc. Balch had met his demise (September 16). Pfc. Balch's place of death is listed as Kreis Dren, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany, according to his Find A Grave memorial (Memorial ID No.: 88587854). (Division information: "28th Infantry Division (United States)," Wikipedia, last edited 13 June 2025, accessed 11 July 2025, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/28th_Infantry_Division_(United_States)).
|
 American troops of the 28th Infantry Division march down the Champs-Elysees in Paris in the "Victory" Parade. (Author: Poinsett/Signal Corps. This work is in the public domain: National Archives identifier [NAID] 531209.) |
Originally buried in an American Cemetery in Europe, Samuel W. F. Balch was returned to the States in 1949. He is buried in the Creston Cemetery in Mason County, West Virginia. Pfc. Balch received the Purple Heart, the Combat Infantry Medal, and the Good Conduct Medal for his sacrifice.
Article prepared by Patricia Richards McClure
July 2025
West Virginia Archives and History welcomes any additional information that can be provided about these veterans, including photographs, family names, letters and other relevant personal history.
