DURNIN, Norwood G., St. Helena Parish, Louisiana
File prepared by D.N. Pardue and submitted by Inez Bridges Tate.
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From "St. Helena Vets Remember World War II: Personal Interviews
With World War II Vets", published by St. Helena Historical
Association, 1995.  Compiled and edited by Inez Bridges Tate and
reprinted with permission.

NORWOOD G. DURNIN
February 28, 1920 - July 14, 1944

     Norwood G. Durnin was the son of Robert C. Durnin and Louise

Killian Durnin of Rt. 1, Hwy. 16 approximately six miles west of

Amite, Louisiana.  He was born February 28, 1920 and lived with

his grandfather and grandmother, Mr. and Mrs. D.S. Killian, of

Hwy. 16 east of Montpelier, Louisiana.  He was a graduate of

Montpelier High School and then attended Southeastern Louisiana

College.  He lived a short time with his sister in Baton Rouge,

LA and worked for a company called Mengel in Baton Rouge before

being drafted into the Army January 7, 1942.  He was sent over-

seas to England October 1942.  His rank was PFC (Private First

Class).  He was a member of the U.S. 29th Division 115 Infantry

Regiment (Heavy Machine Guns).

     He was part of a training force where he trained new 

recruits, who were sent to England.  I believe he was called a

Cadre.  He was some of the first (I believe the second wave) to

land on Normandy Cmpaign as an Infantryman (Heavy Machine Guns).

He was killed in action July 14, 1944 in St. Lo, France in the

Battle of St. Lo.  He was buried in LaCombe Cemetery in France.

None of the family ever visited his grave in France, but the

family sent money to a French woman in France to put flowers on

his grave many times.  Norwood's father corresponded with this

French woman.  His body was removed from the cemetery in France

(I believe in early 1948) and Norwood is now buried in Roselawn

Cemetery on North Street in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.  He was

awarded:  Combat Infantryman Badge, the European Theater Ribbon

with Bronze Star, the Distinguished Unit Badge, the Presidential

Citation, Good Conduct Medal, Victory Medal, and the Purple

Heart.

     In addition, he was in Citizens Military Training Camp at

Camp Beauregard in Alexandria, La. two summers before he was

drafted.  In order of age he had one sister, Trilby Killian Durnin

(Mrs. L. Calvert Morgan), and two brothers, Robert E. Durnin and

Winston G. Durnin.  Norwood was the youngest.  All are deceased.

     The above information was provided by Mr. L. Calvert Morgan,

brother-in-law to Norwood Durnin.

- - - - -

Newspaper clipping:

18 Aug. 1944

NORWOOD G. DURBIN (sic)
KILLED IN ACTION

The family of Pfc. Norwood G. 
Durbin (sic), 24, has just received no-
tice from the War Department
that he was killed in action in
France on July 11, presumably
in the eight day siege on St. Lo.
He was with the 115 Infantry Reg-
iment, which was led by Lt. Col.
Alfred V. Edmie.  Ten days before
his death, he was awarded the Ex-
pert Infantryman's Medal.

He attended Montpelier High
School and Southeastern Louis-
iana College, and was employed
in Baton Rouge prior to his in-
duction into the Army on Jan-
uary 7, 1942.  He had been in Eng-
land since September, 1942, and
had landed in France with the
29th Division on D-Day.

He is survived by his grand-
mother, Mrs. D.S. Killian, Amite;
his father, Robert C. Durnin, Bat-
on Rouge; two brothers, Robert
E. (Ned), of the United States
Army Air Corp stationed at Gulf-
port Field, Miss.; Winston, Baton
Rouge; a sister, Mrs. L. Calvert
Morgan, also of Baton Rouge with
whom he lived before going into 
the Army.

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