MARION ELLIS WOODCOCK

Marion "Bud" Woodcock was just shy of his 21st birthday when he was lost at sea aboard the Merchant Marine ship the John SS Winthrop. Though his body was never recovered, his name appears on a memorial near Cambridge, England. Recently, his brother Don, from Ironton, received a flag that flew over the cemetery, helping to bring closure to a lifetime of longing for the only brother he ever had.

Parkland man haunted by the memory of the brother who died in war

The song, "I'll Be Home For Christmas" has haunted Donald Woodcock almost all his life. But this year, at long last, the Ironton man has found a sense of peace. And it came to him in a most unexpected way.

"He used to cash his paycheck and get it all in change and come home and 'jingle' it," said Don, with a grin. "I thought I had a rich brother."

Ten years older than Don, Bud liked to tease his little brother and called him, "Henry," though Don doesn't know why.

Bud was a quiet young man who did chores without complaining -- helping his little brother carry in wood for the fire, taking out the ashes from the stove or helping to break ground for the garden.

"He was quite a shortstop," Don recalled. "He played for Elvins High School and the coach told him he would likely go someplace in baseball. A St. Louis scout talked to him about playing professionally."

But he never got the chance. Bud enlisted on May 12, 1942 and left for training a week later.

The night before Bud went to war, Don recalls a quiet family dinner in their home on Mill Street. The next morning, they took Bud to the Greyhound bus station in Esther and, with a big grin on his face and his buddy Gene Pierce by his side, Bud told the family not to worry.

He was assigned to the Merchant Marine ship, John SS Winthrop where he was part of a 13-member armed guard. Bud was the first gunner.

"It took ten men to fire the guns," his sister Christine Culton wrote as she researched her brother's service career. "They fired five times in 30 seconds and shook like an earthquake. The bullets went at least 35 miles or more and a sheet of flame about 20 feet came out of the nozzle. This was one of the toughest jobs in the Navy."

In a letter to his family, he wrote how he planned to return.

"I'll be home for Christmas on the dot, have a big dinner," he wrote.

It was the last letter the family received.

Bud's ship was in a convoy of others crossing the Atlantic Ocean from Glasgow, Scotland to New York. They'd delivered cargo and ammunition to Scotland. The Winthrop was part of a convoy of 50 vessels that included Canadian destroyers. The ship was near Nova Scotia in Canada when a storm struck on Sept. 21, 1942.

"That area was known to be full of German submarines," said Don. "The convoy was separated in the storm. Most of the ships got back together again, but not the Winthrop."

It -- and its crew -- were never seen again.

****The news hits home****

Don was a third grader at Elvins School when two Naval reserve officers came to take him home. They told Otto and Gertrude Woodcock their son was missing in action.

It was Oct. 5, 1952 -- just five months after Bud had enlisted and three days before his 21st birthday. Six months later, the Navy declared him "lost at sea."

"My daddy really took it hard," said Don. "He drove the big motor they called 'Big Bertha' that pulled ore to the shafts in the mines. He was working at Shaft 16 in Elvins and he told us one day he had heard Buddy say as clear as anything, 'Dad, I need help.' And it was three days later we found out Bud was missing."

He was awarded the Purple Heart posthumously.

Don said Bud's death hit his father hardest. He left home shortly after the tragic news. Young Don missed his father and visited him when he could. And then, he, too, made the promise Bud had once made.

"He told me, 'Son, I'll be home for Christmas,'" Don explained. "But he never came home. I stayed up all night that night waiting for him. Eventually he divorced my mother. I finished school, but I had to get a job to bring in some money. I set pins at the bowling alley and shined shoes and made about $1.75 a week."

****Putting the pieces together****

Through the years, Bud's death haunted his family. They worked hard to find out all they could. Culton, who lives in Farmington, went through the Red Cross and other organizations to get details. The information had been classified by the Navy until 1981. In 1982, she told a Daily Journal reporter how she had found out her brother, who had changed the spelling of his last name to "Woodcox," is remembered on a World War II memorial of fallen servicemen in Cambridge, England.

Culton said Bud had remarked to his family on the day he enlisted, "You can say that was my brother who went to England and never came back."

Over the years, Don told his own family of the yearning he always felt for the only brother he ever had.

"I always wondered what he might have been," said Don, now 73. He paused and softly added, "I've wondered 'how did he die?""

In 1995, Don's grandson Jeremy Trask, himself a serviceman, was sent to England. He took pictures of the cemetery and the memorial that bears his great-uncle's name. And in April of this year, Don's son Matthew, now in the Air Force, was assigned to England. He vowed to do more.

"Three times he went to the Cambridge Cemetery," said Alma Woodcock, Don's wife. "And the third time, he talked to the man who was getting ready to take down the flag that flew there. He told him about Bud."

Alma said what happened next is a miracle.

"The man offered Bud the flag," she said. "Now, they usually only give those flags to dignitaries. Matthew told me about it and we decided to give it to Don as a surprise."

With her son home for Thanksgiving, Alma gathered the rest of the family on Nov. 21 at their church, Christ Evangelistic Ministries in Farmington. Don had been asked to speak and he talked about the things that made him thankful. He had no idea what was coming next.

At that point, four veterans from the Farmington VFW -- Joel Meador, Jay Shoulders, James Neavill and Mike Barrett -- walked into the church carrying the 15-foot flag from England. In a service that celebrated Bud's short life and the sacrifice of so many families, Matthew, in full dress uniform, presented the flag to his father. It is, Don says, among his most prized possessions.

"It's another piece of the puzzle," he explained. "It means to me Bud is being remembered. And the fact it was given to me by my only son in memory of the brother I lost -- that has brought Bud back to me in a very important way in my life."

The flag in its walnut case is never out of Don's sight and nearby, are the medals his brother received.

"This is closure for us," said Alma. "I knew it would mean a lot to Don."

With another war in progress in Iraq, Don says his own experience makes him sympathetic to the cost to other families.

"I don't think any wife, parent, brother or sister knows what goes on in war," he said. "I can only pray the ones in the service today never have to find out what it's like. The experience with Bud has been with me all my life. And my son-in-law was a member of the Army's Special Forces who was killed in Panama and I see what my daughter and her two children went through.

"I have Bud in my mind, knowing I didn't get to know him. I'm proud of what he did. I understand what he had to do."

And it brings Don further comfort to know his only son Matthew is now assigned as a color guard at Cambridge Cemetery -- keeping watch over the place where Bud is remembered.

"This Christmas will always be one I can look back to," Don said. "Bud still lives through the information we have learned. He would want me to go on and live with a good memory, not a sad one."

Bud, whose real name was Marion Ellis Woodcock, is also listed on the World War II memorial outside the St. Francois County Courthouse in Farmington.

The above article was published in the DailyJournal/Park Hills, MO/Sunday, Dec. 12, 2004/written by D.Hickman/DJ Staff Writer.

The following article was published in the DailyJournal of St. Francois County, Missouri, on Wednesday, April 26, 1995:

LOST LIFE WHEN MERCHANT MARINE SHIP WENT DOWN

    The following story is about Marion "Bud" Woodcock as told by Christine Culton, his sister.

     Marion "Bud" Woodcock born in Flat River (Park Hills) enlisted in the USNR May 12, 1942, at the age of 20.  He received his training at Great Lakes and attended the Armed Guard Gunnery School at Little Creek, Va, (now Norfolk).  He was assigned to the SS John Winthrop, not a Naval ship, but a Merchant Marine Ship, manned by a crew of 39 Marines.  The Navy provided Naval Officers and 12 enlisted men.  "Bud" was the 1st Gunner on first shift and a sight see-er and range finder on the second shift.  These Merchant Ships were carrying cargo and being escorted by Canadian Naval Destroyers.  Being war, all data was secret so the crew and family knew nothing abut its destination or departure, all mail was censored.

      After many requests, reports from the Navy were finally declassified, no longer secret.  After being on file for 40 years these transcripts which were very lengthy, were received by the family.   They showed the actual dates, recordings, conversations among the officers at the very time it was happening.  Bud was in a convoy of 50 Merchant Ships.  Bud must have been happy, when they made it to Glasgow, Scotland safe.  Sept. 19/20 - 1942:   This convoy along with Canadian Naval Destroyers sailed back to N.Y., USA.

     The first night out, Merchant Ships began reporting sightings of German and Italian U-Boats.  Merchant ships began showing bursts of lights.  It is believed no casualties.  Orders were given to change their route and the course was altered.

     Sept. 21/22:  Wind increased, full gale was blowing with high seas.  The convoy was badly scattered.  Commanders decided to hold up for other ships.  Smoke screens were put up.  Ships were trying to regroup.  There were now 39, then Commanders gave the order to proceed, that the other ships would join in.  According to reports, not a night passed without sightings and attacks of enemy U-boats.  The convoy seemed surrounded.  One U-boat only 6 miles ahead, remained on surface for 10 min., then dived.  Charge patterns were fired.  U-boat out of control, badly damaged others were on the Starboard and Stern of many ships.   Very difficult to assess the value of all the attacks.  Many U-boats transmission and periscope sightings.  Our own ships were having lots of difficulties, engine problem, fuel shortages, faced with several lifeboat rescues.  They did a terrific job of holding U-boats down.  U.S. did lose 3 ships, but the ships were courageous, in this "Battle in the North Atlantic between the enemy and our ships" Bud remarked going across, he'd be home for Christmas as he had 99 chances out of 100, yet he also said, "One doesn't know what War is until you've been in one."  But that he preferred Navy, as the Army goes over and stays, but he gets to come home after every trip!

     Sept 23/24:  2 U-boats sighted 11 miles ahead.  At sunset Sept. 24, two more stragglers joined, now 48 ships.  3 ships did not join Bud's ship and they were never seen again.  Bud received his rating after Missing in Action on 12/9/42.  Telegram came on 12/15/42 MIA.  SS John Winthrop whole crew sank by enemy action between dates of 9/21-24, by a German U-boat, V619.  He was awarded the Purple Heart.  His name inscribed on the Wall of the Missing in the American Cemetery, Cambridge, England.  He was survived then, by his parents, one brother, Donald Woodcock; sisters, Arlene Bone, Christine Culton, Maxine Ribaudo, Armilau Henson and Imogene Miller.

     Sept. 24/25:  These are some excerpts received from signals of a doomed Lifeboat, but there were many others also.  From Lifeboat, "In God's name, send help quickly, we were swamped yesterday and could not send messages. S.O.S.  S.O.S."  To Lifeboat, "Received your signal, make Z and long dashes if you hear us."  From Lifeboat, "Please hurry and get us in God's name, the men are getting very tired of cranking the generators."  To Lifeboat, "I'm going to drop a depth charge in 5 min.  Let me know if you hear it."  From Lifeboat, "We did not hear, need medical aid and water.  Have orange flag up.  Sea is choppy, being blown out to sea.  Using oars to keep from being swamped."  To Lifeboat, "Just sighted you N.E. of us and coming closer."  From Lifeboat, "Is that you?  Spotted ship 2 to 5 mi. away.  Are between you and sun."  "Did you see my Rocket or hear my charge.  Am I still steering for you."  "The ship that we see has but one stack!"

     No further transmissions were heard from the lifeboat.