WW1 Tank Battalion PH Question

[Trevor Arendall]

Hello all! I recently acquired this WW1 Purple Heart to James B Troy. I have found little information on him and could use some help! 
 

James was sent overseas on July 20, 1917 in the 14th railway engineers. I have located a newspaper article that states he “later obtained a transfer into the American Tank Corps” and another article that states he was “severely wounded in battle.” I have also located his grave stone which shows that he was in the 345 Tank Battalion. Further research shows that the 345 Tank Battalion was equipped with French FT-17s which have a two man crew, a commander and driver. 

 

I do not know a lot about WW1 Tank Corps stuff and have a question 

 

He is marked as a saddler in the Tank Corps on his grave. Would this put him inside the tank as a driver or would he a mechanic who stayed behind the lines? 

 

Any information is welcome. Please feel free to comment below or send me a PM. Thank you all greatly!

[scottplen]

That’s a cool heart !

[Trevor Arendall]

8 minutes ago, scottplen said:

That’s a cool heart !

I thought so! I am wondering if he is marked as saddler on his grave because he was proud of his technical rank from when he was in the engineers. Maybe he thought saddler would look better on his grave than private did? 

[Allan H.]

Typically, individuals do not get the option of choosing a rank that appears on their headstone. In the overwhelming majority of cases, headstones are left to the family of the service members who passed away. 

 

What I believe you have here is a soldier who transferred from the Engineers to the Armored forces, which fell under the Cavalry Corps. With the fledgling Tank Corps not having newly established specialty ranks, they had to revert to established ranks within the Cavalry. The Saddler rank is the equivalent of a Private First Class. He could have just as easily been listed as a farrier or some other Cavalry specialist position. Obviously, tanks don't use saddles or horseshoes, but the ranks still existed because of the need to pay soldiers with a skill level above that of a regular private.

 

As has been mentioned before, that is one great Heart.

 

Allan

[unclegrumpy]

I agree with Allan, that with more research, the saddler rank will be from his time in the Tank Corps.  

 

He was dead when the grave marker application was filled out, so maybe his family knew that was what he wanted for his rank, or more likely, that was what was listed on whatever paperwork was used to confirm his service and generate the form.

 

Very neat Purple Heart....maybe there is a unit history that mentions him and what happened.

[tdogchristy90]

2 minutes ago, Allan H. said:

Typically, individuals do not get the option of choosing a rank that appears on their headstone. In the overwhelming majority of cases, headstones are left to the family of the service members who passed away. 

 

What I believe you have here is a soldier who transferred from the Engineers to the Armored forces, which fell under the Cavalry Corps. With the fledgling Tank Corps not having newly established specialty ranks, they had to revert to established ranks within the Cavalry. The Saddler rank is the equivalent of a Private First Class. He could have just as easily been listed as a farrier or some other Cavalry specialist position. Obviously, tanks don't use saddles or horseshoes, but the ranks still existed because of the need to pay soldiers with a skill level above that of a regular private.

 

As has been mentioned before, that is one great Heart.

 

Allan

I second this. 

[Trevor Arendall]

7 minutes ago, Allan H. said:

Typically, individuals do not get the option of choosing a rank that appears on their headstone. In the overwhelming majority of cases, headstones are left to the family of the service members who passed away. 

 

What I believe you have here is a soldier who transferred from the Engineers to the Armored forces, which fell under the Cavalry Corps. With the fledgling Tank Corps not having newly established specialty ranks, they had to revert to established ranks within the Cavalry. The Saddler rank is the equivalent of a Private First Class. He could have just as easily been listed as a farrier or some other Cavalry specialist position. Obviously, tanks don't use saddles or horseshoes, but the ranks still existed because of the need to pay soldiers with a skill level above that of a regular private.

 

As has been mentioned before, that is one great Heart.

 

Allan

I see, makes perfect sense. Thanks so much for your help! So I would assume he would be a driver as a private? I would think a commander of a tank would’ve been at least a sergeant if not an officer. 

[Trevor Arendall]

8 minutes ago, unclegrumpy said:

I agree with Allan, that with more research, the saddler rank will be from his time in the Tank Corps.  

 

He was dead when the grave marker application was filled out, so maybe his family knew that was what he wanted for his rank, or more likely, that was what was listed on whatever paperwork was used to confirm his service and generate the form.

 

Very neat Purple Heart....maybe there is a unit history that mentions him and what happened.

Makes perfect sense! Thanks for the information! 

[Allan H.]

Just now, Trevor Arendall said:

I see, makes perfect sense. Thanks so much for your help! So I would assume he would be a driver as a private? I would think a commander of a tank would’ve been at least a sergeant if not an officer. 

You would be correct. The "saddler" was most likely the tank driver.

 

Allan

[Trevor Arendall]

1 minute ago, Allan H. said:

You would be correct. The "saddler" was most likely the tank driver.

 

Allan

That’s super cool! Thanks again! 

[aerialbridge]

Interesting to see a suspension  brooch and what to me looks like typical WW2 hand engraving style for a WW I PH, definitely not a 1932 BB&B like they usually seem to be.  I'm guessing that heart was issued during WW2.  Great service history, a WWI tanker.

[Trevor Arendall]

1 hour ago, aerialbridge said:

Interesting to see a suspension  brooch and what to me looks like typical WW2 hand engraving style for a WW I PH, definitely not a 1932 BB&B like they usually seem to be.  I'm guessing that heart was issued during WW2.  Great service history, a WWI tanker.

Correct, it is not a 1932 BB&B one. The Purple Heart is numbered in the 82000 range. Robbins received a contract in late 1941 and made the ones numbered 75000 to about 100000. So it is a early/mid 1942 issue PH. 

[AustinO]

Here is his headstone application.  It would have been filled out by the family, and then verified and corrected by the government prior to production.  

You can see that his wife put his rank as Private (which was corrected to PFC).  She also entered his pension number instead of his service number (also corrected). 

On the reverse, your details around prior service, having been wounded (awd ph), and service as saddler. 

 

I would propose that he did in fact serve in some capacity as the unit saddler (that detail would have come from his record, not the family).  Certainly the BN commander would have been mounted, as would a few message runners.  I don't know the organization of a WWI tank BN but they would have for sure had 6-8 horses on hand at the end of the war.  He may have just had enough experience to give him the job.  

 

That all being said, his return transport record lists him as a Private in Company C 348th Infantry, returning in December as sick/wounded. Could be in error - if he was unable to speak it's easy enough to think the guy compiling the transport rolls "heard" 348th instead of 345th.   The plot thickens!  Worth pulling his PH award card for sure, once NARA opens back up.

[dhcoleterracina]

The brooch we used to call a "Bent Slot Brooch" it was almost always for WW1 wounds though it could be for earlier actions. Unless I'm remembering incorrectly, there might be some early WW2 awards where these stocks were used up. Pearl Harbor? 

 

I second the comment about the award card, it might add.