Grave marker for Pfc Alton H. Webster in Wells Cemetery, Grafton County,  Canaan, NH.

Pfc Webster was killed in action in Normandy on June 8, 1944  and was awarded the Bronze Star Medal and the Purple Heart. (Read his biography)

  After the war ended, all families were given the option to have their loved ones' remains returned for interment in a local cemetery or to have them interred in a National Cemetery in the area where they fell.  Alton Webster's parents opted to have him brought home.
   On April 7, 1949, the Canaan Reporter ran a front page article reprising the facts of his death and the plans for the funeral to be held the following day. [The timing of the article probably was due to the fact that the newspaper was not published on a daily basis.]

The above photo and newspaper article was submitted by Irving T. Shanley who spent more than  60 years tracking down where Alton Webster was buried.  Irving also wrote:

"... Alton, Zane [Schlemmer], and I were members of the 2nd Battalion's 81mm Mortar Platoon going into Normandy. Zane was our forward observer and later our platoon sergeant. I was a first gunner and Alton was my second gunner. He jumped directly behind me in our stick and he was the first one I saw on the ground after the jump. Alton and I were part of a 17-man group on our way to our objective during the early morning hours of D-Day when we were fired on by the Germans with automatic weapons as we approached a large farmhouse. Alton was hit in the chest and died the next day. He was seriously wounded and could not be moved so we got a 508th medic to patch him up."

Today, the Weld-Webster American Legion Post 56 in Canaan, NH honors his name.

(above photos and details courtesy Irv Shanley)

   In 2011, David Vuillard, a Normandy resident, was using a metal detector and found two broken pieces of metal with stamped lettering.  Piecing them together enabled him to see that they formed a tag which had possibly been intended for use on the transportation casket of Pfc Alton H. Webster.  Also included were his serial number and the cryptic characters of "SME 1  C".

It is thought that "SME 1" refers to Saint Mere Eglise Cemetery #1 which is where Pfc Webster was initially interred in Plot B Row 2 Grave 30.  The "C" may denote either "Christian" or "Catholic"

David has created a photo montage featuring Pfc Webster that includes the tag as well as key pieces of information regarding Alton and his military service.  The framed items hang in a place of honor in the Vuillard home.