On December 22, 1950, the Raleigh Register (Beckley, West Virginia) reported on its frontpage: “Helen Man Killed Instantly as Car Wreck’s Near Ury.” The State Police reported that Alfred J. Flanagan, 25, apparently lost control of his car, struck a boulder, and “careened along the bank of the road for about 100 feet before stopping.” The newspaper got the first name wrong, but the tragedy right. He was a beloved son, brother, and uncle, who was known as Buster. For many of us (first cousins and the lot), his name was known, but not much more. We knew he was beloved and missed.
The certificate of death read the cause was “speeding – had rear tire blowout – hit post and concrete culvert.” Anyone who has driven on Route 16, particularly when you are young, knows that once you clear the Ury Freewill Baptist Church, it is a long straight leg of road to Helen, inviting speed. In my 1969 Javelin, the drive from Sophia to Helen was pure joy back in the day, with mountain curves and the final leg between Ury and Helen.
On Sunday, December 24, 1950, Clifford J. “Buster” Flanagan was laid to rest. His body was taken to the house in Helen, services were held at the Helen Community Church, and he was interred at Sunset Memorial Park. There were 6 “active” pallbearers, 50 “honorary” pallbearers, and 19 flower bearers.
Clifford J. Flanagan was born on May 7, 1925 to James Artie “Bud” and Ethel Mae Flanagan. He was their first child. They had married in 1924, following the 1923 death of Bud’s first wife Emmeline. Bud and Emmeline came out of Damascus, Washington County, Virginia with two daughters (Hazel and Virginia) to initially settle in Hemphill, McDowell County, West Virginia. Frank (1919), Sam (1921) and their half-brother Clifford (1925) were born in Hemphill.
The 1930 Census puts the Flanagan family in Slab Fork, Raleigh County. Daddy Bud was a “coal cutter.” They lived near road 12. Daddy Bud was 35. Ethel was 23. Hazel (16), Virginia (13), Frank (11), Sam (9), Clifford (4), James (newborn), and a boarder named Rody Shuke (20), according to the Census. I am thinking the boarder was in truth Roddie Carl Shupe. He and Hazel would marry in 1930. She died in 1949.
The 1940 Census was a bit quirky, putting the Flanagan family in Barkers Ridge, Wyoming County, with Bud now a “machine man” in the mines at 45, Ethel 33, Sam 19, Clifford 14, James Edward 10, Betty Joan 8 (my mom), Charles 6, and Peggy 3. The quirk was the Census report recorded the family living in Raleigh County in 1935. I am guessing Great Depression gathering practices were different.
In 1936, the Raleigh Register reported that 1,100 school children had entered its 3rd annual marble tournament. Among the participants from Helen was 11-year-old Buster Flanagan. As an aside, Jessie Crozier of Prosperity won the third annual marbles tournament. His prize was a weeklong stay at Ocean City, New Jersey to compete in the national tournament.
Buster appeared in the newspaper 7 years later (1943) among the party guests for the 17th birthday party for Wanda Murphy of Helen. The newspaper reported that “games and dancing were enjoyed by the guests.”
On May 7, 1943, 18-year-old Clifford registered for the World War 2 draft. He was said to be 5 foot, 10 ½ in height, 170 pounds with gray eyes and brown hair. He was a student at Mullens High School. A year later, he was 8,530 miles from Helen and 2,654 miles from Tokyo.
A few years back, I completed the forms requesting Clifford’s military service records. I never heard back from the Navy. But I got a break when I stumbled onto the World War II Navy Muster Rolls, which were reports of personnel and passengers of various ships. There he was in a passenger report dated April 16, 1944. He was on the USS Jason (ARH-1), a floating repair shop for ships in the Pacific. The evidence suggests he was on the Jason when it left San Pedro, California on July 20, 1944. The ship reached Pearl Harbor on July 26th, and departed to Purvis Bay, Solomon Islands, arriving on August 17th. And that is where I landed, Clifford was serving on a ship focused on repairing damaged ships, including those damaged by the increasing kamikaze attacks, as the war lumbered to an end. But I was wrong.
First, the April 16th report, identified Clifford as a passenger, not an assigned member of the ship. In the footnotes, there was a single line entry reading: V6,USNR, Trans., 8-16-44, LSD-4 FFT to Manus for LCVP Crews. This was a head scratcher.
Here is what I came up with: V6 USNR = this was a US Navy Rating identifying Clifford as a volunteer, which had to be discharged six months after the war was over. So, he joined and was not drafted. The Trans. was for transfer on 8-16-44 to LSD (landing ship, docks) 4, which identified the USS Epping Forest, a ship that carried, landed, and repaired amphibious landing craft. FFT indicated “for further transfer” to Manus Island to serve as a crew member on a LCVP (landing craft, vehicle, personnel boat).
My thoughts wander to the New River near Hinton, WV. The mist lingers in the early morning. Dad, Daddy Bud, and I are setting out in a small boat, heading upriver toward Brooks Island. I remember the stillness of the morning being pierced by the sound of the outboard motor. I don’t recall the model, or whether it was a 9.5 or 7.5 horsepower. It was loud, as we plowed through the water. I think of this as I reflect on the war time service of Clifford Flanagan.
All indications are that he served as a crew member on an amphibious landing boat, capable of delivering troops, vehicles, and cargo. It was mostly constructed of wood, had a crew of 3 or 4, protected by two .30-caliber machine guns, and was powered by a 225-horsepower diesel engine. It is reported that the round trip from boat to shore and back would take 3 to 4 minutes in good weather.
Uncle Clifford arrived in the Pacific in August 1944. His home base was Manus Island. He would serve as part of the invasions of the Philippines and Okinawa. The latter being a horrific 82-day battle (1 April to 22 June 1945), including a frustrated Japan launching an unprecedented number of kamikaze attacks. On July 1, 1945, his ship (USS Epping Forest) would set sail for Portland, Oregon. On April 8, 1946, Boatswain’s Mate Second Class Clifford J. Flanagan received his honorable discharge.
After the war, Uncle Clifford worked in the mines. He was involved in growing American Legion membership in Helen, along with Burl Blevins, another Navy vet. He was active in the Boy Scouts. The Beckley Post-Herald reported an event that included a Scoutmaster W. F. Flanagan and his Stotesbury Troop 144 doing the opening and Clifford Flanagan directing the closing with Troop 92 of Helen. His older brother (Sam) got a nice write-up in the Raleigh Register (7-21-46) announcing his promotion to Corporal. Clifford got one line mentioning his service. Seems long before Uncle Sammy was delivering eggs in Southern West Virginia, he was driving a jeep delivering officers in Oberpfaffenholen, Germany. More on that in a future post.
It is difficult to understand the life of someone you never met, particularly across the span of years and decades. You rely on family remembrances and artifacts (letters, pictures, etc.). I grew up believing that every Flanagan household had a cedar chest. A place where memories went to live. I am hoping that is the case for your family and Flanagan generations to come.
An artifact that came my way is a ceramic model of Charlie McCarthy. He was the puppet sidekick of Edgar Bergen, who was quite popular during the 1940’s and 1950’s. He was on the radio, when radio was the primary source of entertainment. The doll I have, according to family, was a Christmas present from Uncle Clifford’s fiancé. I have no name. I have no knowledge of whether the present was given before his death on December 22, 1950 or in an earlier year. Still, it is an artifact that suggests he knew love and was loved. And that makes me smile.