Hi, My name is James D. Neville.
My father, now deceased, was with the 49th ECB from start to finish. He joined them as a Second Lieutenant, fresh out of Fort Belvoir OCS, in Camp Carson as part of the initial cadre, and served on the battalion staff througout the war.
I am currently conducting research in order to publish a book on the history of the 49th Engineer (Combat) Battalion in WW II. I have managed to locate two other veterans, and the daughter of another deceased veteran, from whom I've received photographs and information. I have the factual information I need to outline the story of the stateside training and oversees operations of the battalion. I nee the personal experience of 49th ECB veterans to 'flesh-out and humanize' the story.
I would like to hear from any other living veterans of the 49th ECB or the families of deceased veterans. I have a questionnaire that I would like to provide ot the evetrans to capture their WW II memories as members of the 49th ECB.
Particularly, I am in need of good reproducible quality photographs to illustrate the book. Photos of the 49th ECB veterans themselves in uniform in WW II, and general photos taken by veterans of the battalion;Colorado, Louisiana, UK, North Africa, continental Europe. Photos of construction projects (ie., bridges) in training or actiual operations, or enemy fortifications breached would be of particular value. I have, for example, a photo of a sawmill operated by the battalion in Belgium during December 1944.
Thanks in advance,
Jim Neville