292nd Engineer Combat Battalion (New Member)

[Sir Gator]

Hello, all,

I went to the Camp Butner Society museum yesterday. They have next to nothing on the engineers and were pleased to get the Company A photo. Maybe we can get them a Company C eventually. Gary, can you give me a list of the guys you've identified so far? They'd like to have the names to go with the photo.

 

Right now they have a lot in storage, with a few display items being in a small room. They're raising money to expand. They are collecting items specifically about Butner. However, they do have one campaign map for the 78th Infantry that lists the 303rd Engineers. I didn't take a photo of that. I do have a photo of one little mystery on a hand-made "pillowcase" (new term to me). The "Build - Fight - Destroy" motto sounds like a combat engineers unit, but I think I've found online that the 35th was an infantry division. I don't know how divisions were made up, but it seemed an odd motto for an entire division.

 

Another pillowcase is for engineers, but no battalion number.

 

I'll also took some photos of the blueprints for Camp Butner, if anyone is interested. They are not particularly clear, so I won't post them here. The entire place was built in 90 days by a private contractor. There was also a POW camp nearby.

 

At any rate, the museum is not currently worth going out of your way for, but it should be eventually.

 

Lisa

 

Lisa,

 

Here's a list and location of those that have been Identified on the A Company photo thus far for the folks at the Camp Butner Society:

 

Randall Gates is 7th from the left in Row 1

Sterling Sykes is 11th from the left in Row 2

Daniel Leasure is 16th from the left in Row 2

Earl Haughton is 2nd from the right in Row 2

Arthur Clark is 5th from the left in Row 4

Ralph Richardson is 10th from the left in Row 4

Leopold DeMello is 16th from the left in Row 4

 

That's it for now, but hopefully more to follow as identified. Randy and Lisa, tell me what you think about sending the C Company photo to Hampton House if it can be removed from the frame.

 

Gary

 

The first photo may be him. I will print them out and take them to my grandmother and have her look. She knows better than most.

 

I have not had the chance to arrange for the photo to be sent to me, but I will be and if we can't by then we will once I get it.

Ken,

 

I was thinking that, also. I thought a good smile on the first guy and I think we'd definitely see even more of a similarity.

 

Gary