Hopedale Man Killed

    HOPEDALE, March 16 [1945] - Pfc. Harry Wales Kimball, 23, previously listed as missing in action in Germany Feb.
    26, was killed in action on that date, according to a telegram from the War Department received late last night by his
    wife, Mrs. Marjorie O'Neil Kimball. The telegram notifying his wife that he was missing was received Monday.

     Pvt. Kimball, the eighth local man to give his life in the present war, was born in this town, the son of Mrs. Esther
    Kimball Armitage and the late Clifford Kimball. He graduated from the high school and before induction July 18,
    1944, was employed by the Draper Corporation. Following six months training he went overseas. He was a member
    of the Knights of Pythias.

     In addition to his wife and year old son, Paul Harry Kimball, survivors are his mother, three brothers, Lee, of
    Mendon, Pfc. Stephen, in Germany, William, of Hopedale, a sister, Mrs. Shirley Nixon, and a step-sister, Martha
    Armitage, both of Hopedale, and a grandmother, Mrs. Jennie Knights, of South Hopedale. Milford Daily News

    Harry Kimball was one of the men included in a Milford Daily News article written at the time of the dedication of the
    War Veterans' Memorial at the Hopedale Village Cemetery. It reads as follows:

     The family of Harry W. Kimball also plans to be in attendance for the occasion.

     Harry Kimball was the son of the late Esther (Knights) Kimball and Clifton Kimball, and he attended Hopedale
    schools. He was married to the former Marjorie O'Neil, who was a Hopedale resident. The couple were the parents
    of an infant son, Paul, when Kimball was drafted on July 18, 1944.

     Harry was killed in combat seven months later, on Feb. 26, 1945 in the European Theater of Operations

     His wife learned of his death via a telegram that declared him dead. This communication came a day after Mrs.
    Kimball had received a telegram saying Harry was listed as "missing in action."

     The day that the first telegram arrived, Mrs. Kimball had taken the couple's son, Paul, who had attained his first
    birthday, to have a picture taken. It was to have been sent to his dad.

     Kimball is buried in Margarten, Holland. His two brothers, who were both veterans of the European battlefront,
    visited Harry's grave in Holland before they returned home following WWII.

     Kimball's son, Paul, is now a resident of Palmdale, California. Visitors to the South Hopedale Cemetery will find
    that there is a bronze plaque at the Kimball family plot which bears Harry's name, rank and unit. The family has
    placed this plaque on the plot, although Harry is not buried there. Milford Daily News, November 9, 1994.

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    The message below was received by email on December 29, 2016.

    Dear Sir/Madame,

    I'm a volunteer of the website www.fieldsofhonor-database.com, which is a project of the Dutch non-profit
    organization Stichting Verenigde Adoptanten Amerikaanse Oorlogsgraven (Foundation United Adopters American
    War Graves). On this website we try to collect information about fallen American soldiers, who either have been
    buried in or listed on the Walls and Tablets of Missing at the overseas American War Cemeteries Ardennes, Henri-
    Chapelle and Margraten. With this database we want to keep the memories alive of the soldiers, who gave their lives
    for our freedom. Because beyond every cross, there is a soldier buried who has got his own story.

    As you can see when you will visit our website, we try to add as much information about and pictures of a soldier as
    we can. This is why I would like to take the freedom to ask your permission to use the information and the pictures on
    your website to complete our database. In specific the pictures of Pfc. Harry W. Kimball on http://www.hope1842.
    com/kimballharry.html May I also congratulate you on your fantastic website.

    Sincerely,

    Marc van den Berkmortel