Photo and Comment: Dan Roxbury
While in the Netherlands recently I visited the Velvet Cave. During WWII the cave, where I found this soldier's name, had been used as a shelter for the public and also by American Troops. Many soldiers have inscribed their names in this sandstone cave. I knew about this prior to visiting the cave and had been looking to spot where the soldiers wrote their names. The first thing I spotted was "S F Henry Butler PA". At first glance, I thought this was possibly my grandfather Henry Dottle from Butler PA. I was blown away because Butler PA is where I grew up, and I saw it written 2 more times. This was by far the highlight of my trip! I know my Grandfather was actively serving in Europe in 1945 when most of the names were written inside the cave. I will always wonder if he had been there or if he knew the other men from Butler who were.
8 comments:
Do you know the other 2 names that you saw that had "Butler PA" with them?
Thanks
You meant "Henry." Contact http://www.butlerhistory.com/ to see if they can look up the name in old newspapers. I did that once and was successful.
There was a Samuel F. Henry, born 24 Oct 1924, died in Mercer, PA on 28 Sep 2006. He is buried in Butler County Memorial Park & Mausoleum.
There was a Samuel F. Henry, born 1924 enilisted in the Army 15 Dec 1942 at State College, PA.
There are no Samuel F. or S. F. Henry listed in PA in the 1930 or 1940 Census Records.
The grave marker for Samuel F. Henry (1924-2006) says that he served with the 8ty Armored Div., WWII. The marker also has his sister, Nancy I. Grotzinger, 15 Nov 1923 - 7 Jun 1967.
Samuel F. Henry and Nancy I. Henry were children of William & Margaret Henry. They are found in the 1940 census records living on Saxonburg Rd. in West Deer Twp., Allegheny Co., PA. William was a coal miner at the time.
Thanks you all for the comments. I believe this is the obituary for the soldier (Samuel F. Henry): http://m.legacy.com/obituaries/butlereagle/obituary.aspx?n=Samuel-F-Henry&pid=19456732&referrer=0&preview=True
Hello. I have the photos, but I can't make out the names. I'm going to request that they be uploaded to the blog so you can see them.
Awesome find Dan thank you for sharing!
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