HENRY D. BATTERTON, LCDR, USN
Henry Batterton '23
Lucky Bag
From the 1923 Lucky Bag:
Henry Donald Batterton
Malaga, Washington
"Soc" "Batter-tone"
SMUG. No other word would characterize Soc more aptly than that. His close clipped raven locks, and the cynical smile, would also lead one to suppose that he was of the cold and haughty type. That is, before a close scrutiny of his eyes—which give the secret away. He is amiable.
Did someone mention the Radiator Club? He is charter member and secretary of that organization. Any winter afternoon (except Wednesday, when he migrates to the Circle) you can find him propped up on his bed boning a Cosmo and chewing Juicy Fruit. They say he keeps a file of the Red Book, too, back behind the box of Washington apples which he always seems to have at hand.
He doesn't fuss. Seems to be rather satisfied with life in general without the more deadly of the species—but wait. Some of these days a girl is going to catch him out of his shell and marry him for his good looks.
Henry Donald Batterton
Malaga, Washington
"Soc" "Batter-tone"
SMUG. No other word would characterize Soc more aptly than that. His close clipped raven locks, and the cynical smile, would also lead one to suppose that he was of the cold and haughty type. That is, before a close scrutiny of his eyes—which give the secret away. He is amiable.
Did someone mention the Radiator Club? He is charter member and secretary of that organization. Any winter afternoon (except Wednesday, when he migrates to the Circle) you can find him propped up on his bed boning a Cosmo and chewing Juicy Fruit. They say he keeps a file of the Red Book, too, back behind the box of Washington apples which he always seems to have at hand.
He doesn't fuss. Seems to be rather satisfied with life in general without the more deadly of the species—but wait. Some of these days a girl is going to catch him out of his shell and marry him for his good looks.
Loss
Henry was lost on August 11, 1942 when a "signal depth charge" -- perhaps a training depth charge -- accidentally exploded aboard his vessel while off Port Angeles, Washington. It was reported he had been active in minesweeping and patrol duties.
Other Information
From researcher Kathy Franz:
On Henry’s WWI draft registration card on September 12, 1918 he was a student at the Marion Institute in Alabama. He was tall, had a stout build, and had gray eyes and dark gray hair.
In July 1919 Henry was appointed to the Naval Academy by Congressman Stanley J. Webster to fill a vacancy caused by the resignation of Midshipman James Gordon Scott (‘22).
Because of a transfer in duties, Henry’s wedding date was changed from August 27, 1927. He married Dorothy Angel on September 10, 1927 at the First Presbyterian Church in Oakland, California. His sister Margaret came in from Malaga for the wedding.
In 1930 Henry and Dorothy lived in Coronado with their daughter Joan, born in 1928. Their son William was born in 1931. Dorothy filed for divorce in Reno, Nevada, in March 1934. She then married Louis Drexler ('23) on June 2, 1934.
The Naval War College in Newport listed Henry and his second wife, the former Marian Adelaide Smith, in the directory for new classes in July 1935. Henry was living in Newport with his children, Joan and William.
Henry and his second wife Marian were patrons of the Seattle Sea Scouts annual Bridge of Honor and ball on February 15, 1941. Marian died in February 1985, in Los Angeles.
Funeral services for Henry were held on August 14 in the naval reserve armory on Lake Union in Seattle.
In 1900, his father William was a butcher in Oakesdale. In 1910, his father had an 80-acre fruit orchard in Malaga. Henry’s mother was Gertrude, sister Margaret, and stepbrother Gifford.
He was survived by his second wife, his two children from his first wife (Joan and William), and his mother. He is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.
Other
His wife sponsored USS San Carlos (AVP 51).
Related Articles
Henry divorced his first wife, Dorothy, in 1934. She later married his classmate, Louis Drexler, Jr. '23, who was killed in action in Okinawa.
The "Register of Commissioned and Warrant Officers of the United States Navy and Marine Corps" was published annually from 1815 through at least the 1970s; it provided rank, command or station, and occasionally billet until the beginning of World War II when command/station was no longer included. Scanned copies were reviewed and data entered from the mid-1840s through 1922, when more-frequent Navy Directories were available.
The Navy Directory was a publication that provided information on the command, billet, and rank of every active and retired naval officer. Single editions have been found online from January 1915 and March 1918, and then from three to six editions per year from 1923 through 1940; the final edition is from April 1941.
The entries in both series of documents are sometimes cryptic and confusing. They are often inconsistent, even within an edition, with the name of commands; this is especially true for aviation squadrons in the 1920s and early 1930s.
Alumni listed at the same command may or may not have had significant interactions; they could have shared a stateroom or workspace, stood many hours of watch together… or, especially at the larger commands, they might not have known each other at all. The information provides the opportunity to draw connections that are otherwise invisible, though, and gives a fuller view of the professional experiences of these alumni in Memorial Hall.
July 1923
September 1923
November 1923
January 1924
March 1924
May 1924
July 1924
September 1924
November 1924
January 1925
March 1925
May 1925
July 1925
October 1925
January 1926
October 1926
January 1927
April 1927
October 1927
January 1928
April 1928
July 1928
October 1928
January 1929
April 1929
July 1929
October 1929
January 1930
April 1930
October 1930
January 1931
April 1931
July 1931
October 1931
January 1932
April 1932
October 1932
January 1933
April 1933
July 1933
October 1933
April 1935
October 1935
January 1936
April 1936
July 1936
January 1937
April 1937
January 1938
July 1938
January 1939
October 1939
June 1940
November 1940
April 1941
Memorial Hall Error
Henry is not listed in Memorial Hall with his classmates. He was identified through the diligent efforts of Leslie Poche, a volunteer who combed through Shipmate issues to find operational losses not accounted for in Memorial Hall. Specifically, his loss was listed in the October 1942 issue of Shipmate: "HENRY DONALD BATTERTON, '23, Lt. Comdr., U.S.N. Died 11 August, 1942, off Port Angelus, Washington. Accidental explosion of signal depth charge."
The Register of Alumni gives "Port Angeles, WA" and his date of death.
Henry is one of 25 members of the Class of 1923 on Virtual Memorial Hall.
The "category" links below lead to lists of related Honorees; use them to explore further the service and sacrifice of alumni in Memorial Hall.
