Happy New Year

From Francis Tolliver, 1914

To Martin Richard, 2013

Peace on Earth, goodwill to men.

Merry Christmas!

My cousin James Edward Clancy enlisted in the U S Army on February 24, 1941, at the age of 31.  He was the eighth child and sixth son of John Francis and Alice (Bryan) Clancy of Lynn, Massachusetts.

In the 1940 census he was living at home with his parents, sister Alice, and 3 brothers at 112 Cottage Street and working as a restaurant manager.

My grandmother, Jimmy's aunt, saved this clipping about him, probably from February or March, 1941.  It most likely appeared in the Lynn Daily Item..

The caption reads In this group are selectees at Fort Bragg, South Carolina, two of whom are from Lynn.  Who is that big man in the front row, white shirt and cigar in mouth?  He is Jim Clancy, Lynn umpire.  He left Lynn one morning with a group of guys from West Lynn and Uncle Sam has not found an army jacket for him.  Directly behind him is John Blackjohn, son of George Blackjohn, proprietor of the 20th Century Barber Shop.

This is the last Christmas card my mother and grandparents received from Jimmy.  The back reads Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, Uncle John, Aunt Nellie, Cousin Mary, Love, Jimmy.

Jimmy was a Staff Sergeant, 11th Infantry Regiment, 5th Infantry Division, died January 23, 1945.  He is buried in Plot G, Row 6, Grave 16 at the Luxembourg American Cemetery and Memorial located in Hamm, Luxembourg City, Luxembourg.

Copyright 2015 Kathleen Sullivan. All Rights Reserved