JOHN L. WELCH, LT, USN
John Welch '23
Lucky Bag
From the 1923 Lucky Bag:
John Lytle Welch
New Bethany, Pennsylvania
"Jack" "Pete" "Savvy" "Doc"
"WHAT only two this morning?" "Hey! Assistant! come here!" Pete's only worry in life is the mail chart. It takes all his time, two fountain pens and his roommates' stamps to keep sat in correspondence. One day, the rest of the room drew down more than he, and he didn't speak for a week.
Pete hails from western Pennsylvania where the smoke hangs dark and thick. He went out for "pants hanging" as soon as he drew his gym shoes, and has developed into one of Mang's best. Athletics and correspondence have bilged many, but Pete's too savvy to let the Acs even get a toe hold on him. For straight dope on an exam, a good time in a port, or the best of shipmates for a cruise, Pete's your man.
"Say, mister, come over and look at this picture. How much do you rate her?"
Gym Squad (3, 2); Track Squad (4).
John Lytle Welch
New Bethany, Pennsylvania
"Jack" "Pete" "Savvy" "Doc"
"WHAT only two this morning?" "Hey! Assistant! come here!" Pete's only worry in life is the mail chart. It takes all his time, two fountain pens and his roommates' stamps to keep sat in correspondence. One day, the rest of the room drew down more than he, and he didn't speak for a week.
Pete hails from western Pennsylvania where the smoke hangs dark and thick. He went out for "pants hanging" as soon as he drew his gym shoes, and has developed into one of Mang's best. Athletics and correspondence have bilged many, but Pete's too savvy to let the Acs even get a toe hold on him. For straight dope on an exam, a good time in a port, or the best of shipmates for a cruise, Pete's your man.
"Say, mister, come over and look at this picture. How much do you rate her?"
Gym Squad (3, 2); Track Squad (4).
Loss
John was lost when the Japanese "Hell Ship" he was aboard, Enoura Maru, was bombed on January 9, 1945 while docked at Takao.
He had earlier survived the bombing of the Oryoku Maru on December 15 in Subic Bay.
Other Information
From researcher Kathy Franz:
John's father was also named John. He was a glass maker in Smethport, Pennsylvania. His mother was Mary, and his older brother was Edward. John and his wife Sally had a daughter Raye who was born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1924.
In 1930, John's family lived in Coronado, and they all sailed from Honolulu to San Francisco in November. His wife, the former Sally Fenwick, died in October, 1980, in San Diego. Their daughter Raye was now Mrs. Raye Lenson.
John was on Corregidor when that island surrendered; before then he was serving on the submarine tender USS Canopus (AS 9) before that ship was scuttled on April 10, 1942. He was mentioned in Part III of a column on Canopus in the November 1948 issue of Shipmate; he was the senior member of the "Naval Battalion" when it became part of the Fourth Marine Regiment.
It's unclear how John was only a Lieutenant.
(Note: Some listings have his date of death in December 1944; believe it more likely that he died in January.)
His wife was listed as next of kin; he was also survived by a daughter.
Prisoner of War Medal
From Hall of Valor:
Lieutenant John L. Welch (NSN: 0-58274), United States Navy, was captured by the Japanese after the fall of Corregidor, Philippine Islands, on 6 May 1942, and was held as a Prisoner of War until his death while still in captivity.
General Orders: NARA Database: Records of World War II Prisoners of War, created, 1942 - 1947
Service: Navy
Rank: Lieutenant
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 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
1LT David Claude '24 (Marine Barracks, Naval Academy)
January 1931
April 1931
July 1931
LCDR Robert English '11
LT Joseph Severyns, Jr. '20
LT Samuel Arthur '20
LT Robert Smith '20
LT Paul Slawson '20
LT John Jones '21
LT John French '22
October 1931
January 1932
April 1932
CDR Robert English '11
LCDR Lyman Swenson '16
LT Samuel Arthur '20
LT Robert Smith '20
LT Paul Slawson '20
LTjg William Hobby, Jr. '23
LT Louis Drexler, Jr. '23
October 1932
January 1933
April 1933
July 1933
October 1933
April 1934
July 1934
October 1934
January 1935
April 1935
October 1935
January 1936
April 1936
July 1936
January 1937
April 1937
September 1937
2LT Robert Moore '36 (Marine Corps Schools, Marine Barracks)
2LT James Bromeyer '37 (Marine Corps Schools, Marine Barracks)
2LT Alben Robertson '37 (Marine Corps Schools, Marine Barracks)
2LT Radford West '37 (Marine Corps Schools, Marine Barracks)
January 1938
2LT James Bromeyer '37 (Marine Corps Schools, Marine Barracks)
2LT Robert Ruge '37 (Marine Corps Schools, Marine Barracks)
2LT Radford West '37 (Marine Corps Schools, Marine Barracks)
July 1938
LTjg Edward Allen '31 (Naval Aircraft Factory)
2LT James Owens '38 (Marine Corps Schools, Marine Barracks)
2LT Douglas Keeler '38 (Marine Corps Schools, Marine Barracks)
2LT Dorrance Radcliffe '38 (Marine Corps Schools, Marine Barracks)
January 1939
LTjg Edward Allen '31 (Naval Aircraft Factory)
ENS Louis Gulliver, Jr. '36 (Naval Finance and Supply School)
2LT James Owens '38 (Marine Corps Schools, Marine Barracks)
2LT Douglas Keeler '38 (Marine Corps Schools, Marine Barracks)
2LT Dorrance Radcliffe '38 (Marine Corps Schools, Marine Barracks)
October 1939
June 1940
November 1940
April 1941
The "category" links below lead to lists of related Honorees; use them to explore further the service and sacrifice of alumni in Memorial Hall.
