| Wands John B Jr Pvt Co H, The 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, The 82nd Airborne Division, Normandy June 14, 1944 USA/NJ |
Verona Paratrooper killed in France
Pvt. John B. Wands Jr., 19, paratrooper, was killed in action in France June 14, the War
Department has notified his wife, the former Miss Loretta Newton, who is living with her
family at 71 Myrtle Street, Bloomfield. He was in the D-Day invasion.
Son of Mr. and Mrs. Wands of 88 Grove Avenue, Verona, the paratrooper was born in
Hallwood, Va., and went to Verona with his family 14 years ago. He attended Verona High
School and was employed at Verner-Cadby, Inc., Verona. He entered the Army in April,
1943, and trained at Fort Benning, Ga. He had been overseas five months.
Pvt. Wands also leaves an 8-months-old daughter Elizabeth, a brother Thomas and a sister,
Miss Elaine Wands, at home.
Newark Evening News
July 25, 1944
Pvt. John B. Wands Jr., 19, paratrooper, was killed in action in France June 14, the War
Department has notified his wife, the former Miss Loretta Newton, who is living with her
family at 71 Myrtle Street, Bloomfield. He was in the D-Day invasion.
Son of Mr. and Mrs. Wands of 88 Grove Avenue, Verona, the paratrooper was born in
Hallwood, Va., and went to Verona with his family 14 years ago. He attended Verona High
School and was employed at Verner-Cadby, Inc., Verona. He entered the Army in April,
1943, and trained at Fort Benning, Ga. He had been overseas five months.
Pvt. Wands also leaves an 8-months-old daughter Elizabeth, a brother Thomas and a sister,
Miss Elaine Wands, at home.
Newark Evening News
July 25, 1944
| The above picture, which the Wands family believes includes Pvt. John B. Wands, Jr. of Verona (5th from right), appeared in Life Magazine showing England's Prime Minister Winston Churchill and General Dwight D. Eisenhower inspecting the troops prior to the Normandy Invasion. It also appears in Stephen Ambrose's Book Band of Brothers. Photo courtesy of Mr. John B. Wands V, nephew of Pvt John B. Wands |
| Gravestone Prospect Hill Cemetery, Caldwell, NJ (P.S. 5, Row H, Grave 27) |
| The goal of this project is to preserve the memory of these heroes and not let their stories be lost to history. Their sacrifices should be honored and their histories should be available to school children and adults to learn about the heroic Verona residents who came before them. It is vital that friends and family of these heroes be found, so that they may share pictures, service records, and other information to add to these stories. If you are a family member or friend of one of these heroes, or you know someone who is or may have additional information, please contact: Robert Caruso Heritage Preservation Associates Verona, New Jersey veronaheroes@heritagepreservation.us |
| This Website is maintained by Heritage Preservation Associates |
| Verona Hero |
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Private John B. Wands, Jr.
| Verona Residence: 64 Grove Avenue 59 Derwent Avenue 88 Grove Avenue |
