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[courtesy of G Lee Bigg]
Grave marker for Robert F. Watts in Lakeview Cemetery,
Lakeview (Moore county), North Carolina.
Robert initially enlisted at Fort Banks, Boston (Essex
county),
Massachusetts.
Pvt Watts was listed in Special Order 18, dated 16
October 1942, as a member of the cadre team transferred from the 507th
PIR to Service Company, 508th PIR.
Service Company Morning Reports are not available for
October 1942 thru July 1943 but in August 1943 T/5 Watts was documented
when going on furlough.
On 14 March 1944, T/5 Watts was transferred from
Service Company to the Provisional Rigger Co (Pool) 82nd AB Division at
Cottesmore, England.
Robert was elevated to the grade of T/4 on 2 October
1944,
T/4 Watts was transferred to Detachment #1 Service
Company 26 October 1944.
He was apparently captured during the Battle of the
Bulge as he was listed in General Order 1945-200.4, Paragraph 1 as one
of 31 ex-POWs sent home early on the points system. The dates of
his capture and release are unknown as he was not listed in the National
Archive POW files.
 Robert
made two important changes in his life during 1946. First, he
re-enlisted on 19 September and on 22 December he married Lorene Blue
[1923–2007] in Cumberland, North Carolina. Lorene was a Navy WAVE
veteran who served from 3 April 1944 to 7 August 1946. They had
one son, Robert Duncan Watts, who was killed at 19 years of age in 1974
due to an automobile accident. He was serving in the Navy at the
time.
T/4 Watts' military decorations include the Bronze Service Arrowhead
device awarded for participation in Normandy assault. |
