Marion County Remembers - WV

08/14/2026

The Mountaineer Military Museum in Weston, WV was extensively damaged by the July flooding. They need help- both in man power and financially!

07/07/2026

07/07/2026

07/05/2026

250 years of freedom. 🇺🇸🦅

07/04/2026

Remembering PVT Arthur Hudson Gault (Rachel)
June 27, 1910 - July 3, 1944

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PVT Arthur Hudson Gault (service # 35761754) was born in Sutton, WV on June 27, 1910, the son of John and Neoma "Susie" (Rose) Gault. In 1910, John was a foreman at a cooperage company in Otter, WV (Braxton County). By 1920, their family had moved to Plum Run in Marion County, where John worked as a laborer at the gasoline plant.

The Gaults later moved to Hope Hill in Rachel (1930 census), and though the 1940 census vaguely describes their 1935-1940 address as "Rt 250," Arthur's 1940 draft card indicates that their family remained in Rachel.

Arthur most likely graduated from Farmington High School, around 1937 or 1938.

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Arthur entered the draft on October 16, 1940. At that time, he was working as a laborer for Jones Collieries, Inc. He is listed as being 5'8" and 150 lbs with blue eyes, brown hair, and ruddy skin.

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Military Service
On September 30, 1943, Arthur enlisted in the Army in Clarksburg. He became a member of the 175th Infantry Regiment, 29th Infantry Division.

From the 29th Division Association Website:

"The regiment landed on Omaha Beach on the morning of June 7th, delayed a day from landing because of the chaos of the beach. The regiment then captured Isigny, a key German position and an important objective in linking the Omaha and Utah beaches. Practical continuous combat in St. Lo, Vire, Brest, Fallaise Gap, Belgium, Holland, Aachen, Aldenhove, Borheim, Roer Valley and finally a juncture with the Red Army on the Elbe River on 3 May 1945.

Fighting with the 29th Infantry Division in France and Germany during World War Two, the 1st Battalion, 175th Infantry gained a Presidential Distinguished Unit Citation and the French Army’s Croix de Guerre with Silver-Gilt Star for its June 1944 stand on Hill 108, just outside St. Lo. The 2nd Battalion later gained a Croix de Guerre for its gallant performance during the siege of Brest in September 1944."

Link to source: https://29thdivisionassociation.com/29th-division-175th-infantry/ #:~:text=The%20175th%20Infantry%20has%20been,as%20the%20Baltimore%20Independent%20Cadets.

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Death and Legacy
PVT Arthur Hudson Gault was killed in action on July 3, 1944. He is buried at the Brittany American Cemetery and Memorial in France. He is honored on the "Marion County Veterans Killed in Action" Memorial at Veterans Square in Fairmont, WV, and at the West Virginia State Veterans Memorial in Charleston, WV.

Arthur was survived by his parents, John and "Susan," as well as one brother, Wesley Gault.

Note: At the time of his death, Arthur's parents were living in Mannington, so some sources list Arthur's hometown as Mannington.

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For sources and more information, please visit our blog:
https://marionremembers.blogspot.com/2024/07/pvt-arthur-hudson-gault-wwii.html

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06/28/2026

Remembering SGT Harry Edgell

May 22, 1912 - June 26, 1945

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SGT Harry Edgell (Service Number 35386728) was born May 22, 1912 in Marion County, West Virginia, the son of Raymer and Mary (Snyder) Edgell. Their family lived in the Lincoln District near Mannington, where Raymer was a farmer (1910, 1920 Censuses).

At time of publication, I could not find a 1930 census record for Harry, who would have been around 18, but the 1940 census shows Harry imprisoned at the Moundsville Penitentiary near Wheeling, WV. Based on newspaper articles, he'd been imprisoned since at least 1936, including two jail-breaks ("Catch Convicts in West," "Three Fugitives Caught by Police").

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Military Service:
On October 16, 1940, Harry, now employed by "various farmers," entered into the draft. He gave his home address as Mannington. Harry was 5'8" and 130 lbs with blue eyes, blonde hair, and light skin (Draft Card).

He enlisted in the Army, and presumably turned his life around. The Fairmont Times says of his military service and untimely demise, "Edgell returned a short time ago from three years of overseas service in the European Theater of Operations and was on a 30-day furlough when killed" ("Sgt. Edgell Dies In Auto Accident," The Fairmont Times). The Journal Herald reported that SGT Edgell had participated in "four major engagements in Europe" ("Crash Kills Veteran").

According to 1944 Morning Reports, Harry was assigned to be "Ground Echelon" for the 600th Bombardment Squadron, 398th Bomb Group (Heavy), which flew B-17 Flying Fortresses (March 1944 Morning Report). In other words, he was a member of the ground crew that served the 398th Bomb Group.

Harry, who was promoted to Sergeant on March 1, 1943 at the Blythe Army Airfield in California (March 1943 Morning Report), was stationed at the Rapid City Army Air Base in Rapid City, South Dakota from at least August 1943 (August 1943 Morning Report - March 1944 Morning Report), until the 398th was sent overseas. According to the 398th Bomb Group Memorial Association, the 398th was formed in 1943 and stationed in Nuthampstead, England from April 22, 1944 to May 26 1945 (Brief History of the 398th Bombardment Group).

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Death in Ohio:
After they returned home from England, Harry went on furlough to see his family. On June 25, 1945, SGT Harry Edgell was traveling in a car with his brother Stanley, when their car struck a parked truck on Highway 7 in Ohio ("Veteran Dies in Crash," The Cincinnati Enquirer).

The Fairmont Times reported: "Edgell, son of Raymond [sic] and Mary Snyder Edgell of near Mannington, had spent a short time at home and then left for Ohio to visit his brother, Stanley Edgell of Clarington, when their car struck a truck in the middle of the highway. The driver of the truck is reported to have been asleep at the time of the accident. The sergeant was fatally injured and his brother received slight wounds" ("Sgt. Edgell Dies In Auto Accident," The Fairmont Times).

Unfortunately, Harry succumbed to his wounds at 1 am on June 26, 1945 (Ohio Death Certificate).

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Legacy and Survivors:
Harry is buried at the Mannington Memorial Park Cemetery in Mannington on June 30, 1945, alongside many of his family members. SGT Harry Edgell was survived by his parents, five brothers, and two sisters. Harry's brother, Tec5 Ira Edgell, also served in the Army during WWII.

He is also honored on the West Virginia Veterans Memorial in Charleston, WV.

For sources and more information, please visit our blog: https://marionremembers.blogspot.com/2025/06/sgt-harry-edgell-wwii.html