Remembering Alabama WWII Fallen
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Wendell Schuyler Hatton was born on March 5, 1922 in either Montgomery or Elmore County, Alabama to Richard Schuyler Hatton and Bessie (Timmerman) Hatton. Schuyler and Bessie were both natives of Elmore County, and married on August 16, 1919 in Montgomery County, Alabama. Schuyler had just returned from active duty in WWI, and the couple settled initially in Montgomery County. By 1930, they were living in Eclectic in Elmore County, where Schuyler farmed for a living. They moved again to rural Montgomery County before 1940, and Schuyler worked as a patrolman at the Alabama State Prison. He and Bessie had two sons, Frank and Wendell.
Wendell Hatton is shown in the 1940 census at age 18, living with his family on the state prison grounds between Montgomery and Wetumpka, Alabama. He was attending school, having already completed two years of high school. According to his obituary, he attended Wetumpka High School and later Lanier High School in Montgomery, where he was a member of the ROTC program. That inspired him to enlist in the U.S. Army Infantry in May 1940.
Both Wendell Hatton and his brother Frank, a U.S. Navy Machinist’s Mate, were at Pearl Harbor when it was attacked by the Japanese on December 7, 1941. Wendell was stationed with the 24th Infantry Division at Schofield Barracks on Oahu. Although his unit experienced some casualties, Wendall was uninjured. His brother Frank was a crew member of the USS Shaw which was in drydock at the Navy Yard at Pearl Harbor and heavily damaged in the bombing. He was reported as injured in the attack but recovered and returned to active duty.
After the attack on Pearl Harbor, the 24th Infantry Division was charged with the defense of Northern Oahu and built an elaborate system of coastal defense through 1942. In May 1943, the division was alerted for movement to Australia and completed the move in September, where it began intensive combat training. They then moved to Goodenough Island on January 31, 1944 to prepare for the amphibious assault on Hollandia, in the Netherlands New Guinea. They landed there on April 22, 1944 and seized the important Hollandia Airdrome despite torrential rain and marshy terrain.
Technical Sergeant Wendell S. Hatton was killed in action on May 1, 1944 in Dutch New Guinea. His remains were returned home in 1948, and graveside services were held at Memorial Cemetery in Montgomery, Alabama. Military rites were performed by the local American Legion Post. Sergeant Hatton was awarded a Purple Heart for the sacrifice of his life in the service of his country. He was survived by his parents and his brother.
Thank you, Sergeant Hatton, for your service and your sacrifice. You will not be forgotten.
This story is part of the Stories Behind the Stars project (see www.storiesbehindthestars.org). This is a national effort of volunteers to write the stories of all 400,000+ of the US WWII fallen here on Fold3. Can you help write these stories? Related to this, there will be a smart phone app that will allow people to visit any war memorial or cemetery, scan the fallen’s name and read his/her story. SBTSProject/Alabama/Montgomery.
If you noticed anything erroneous in this profile or have additional information to contribute to it, please contact me at [email protected]
Sources:
· 1930 United States Federal Census
· 1940 United States Federal Census
· U.S. Headstone Applications for Military Veterans, 1861-1985
· U.S Rosters of World War II Dead, 1939-1945
· Alabama, WWII Military Dead and Wounded, 1944-1946
· Newspapers.com, Montgomery Advertiser, 19 Dec 1941, 28 Mar 1943, 16 May 1944, 31 Oct 1945, 8 Jul 1948
· Newspapers.com, Wetumpka Herald, 18 May 1944
· https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/132296701/wendell-s-hatton
