Thomas Woodrow Wilson
1945. Wilson is the only Hopedale man killed in World War II for whom I've been unable to find a Milford Daily News article reporting the death. His name is on the Hopedale war memorial at the Hopedale Village Cemetery and also on the monument at Draper Memorial Park in Milford. He grew up at 17 Grove Street in Milford. The street listing books at the Bancroft Library show Woodrow and his wife, Margaret, living at 44 Hopedale Street from 1943 to 1945. Margaret lived there until 1947. She was at 7 Maple Street in 1948, and after that moved out of town. I remember the family because his son, John, was a classmate of mine up through about third grade. My mother remembered the family because they had been neighbors on Grove Street. At the time of the rededication of Draper Memorial Park in 1992, a donation in Wilson's memory was made by his daughter, Margaret (Wilson) Testa. I don't understand what's meant by Dead Pacific on the card above. At first I thought it was the date when he was killed, but the year for that is in 1943 and the date when his service began was in 1944. It also gives the date of 4/15/45 as "Service terminated." That's the date of his death given in another publication at the Milford Museum. You'll note that the card says "Over," and "Remarks on reverse side," but the side shown is all that was sent to me.
husband died in 1944, and her son, Thomas, in 1945. Her other two sons buried there also died before she did.
Milford Historical Commission and the Milford Museum, and to Milford historian, Paul Curran. Dan Malloy, May 2011. |
