Starkey, William Frank, Jr.

Name: Starkey, William Frank, JR, PFC, USA

Local address: 63 Atlantic Avenue, Aberdeen, NJ

William, born April 19, 1920, Brooklyn, NY, was the eldest of two children of William Frank Starkey, SR (1895-1969) and Lillian Kaiser (1900-1988). His father had various management jobs at area tile companies, and the family moved from Old Bridge to Matawan in 1924.

William was an excellent student, with the local paper reporting his honor roll status on numerous occasions. While at Matawan High School, he wrote several articles about school activities that were published in the Matawan Journal, and he won the school spelling bee in May of 1938. He was a member of the MHS graduating class of 1938. After high school he worked with his father at the Mosaic Tile Company in Matawan.

When William registered for the draft in Matawan on July 1, 1941, he was listed as 5’7” tall, 125 pounds, gray eyes, blonde hair with a fair complexion. He was drafted the next year and reported to Ft. Dix on December 4, 1942, and subsequently sent to the 102^nd Infantry Division’s training base at Camp Maxey, nine miles north of Paris, TX and then to Camp Swift in Bastrop Co, TX. He was subsequently assigned to one of the 102^nd’s infantry regiments, the 406^th.

A comprehensive study of the 102^nd Division is set forth in the Washington Infantry Journal Press book With the 102^nd Infantry Division Through Germany edited by Major Allan H. Mick. This study has the complete history of the 102^nd Division, which includes the 406^th Regiment – narratives, photos, statistics. A photo of William’s Company B of the 406^th is present, along with names and addresses of everyone in the division. It’s an amazing work.

The 102^nd was sent to exploit the invasion of Europe following D Day and saw its first combat in November of 1944. On November 17, 1944, the 406^th was tasked with capturing Apweiler, Germany. An attempt had been made the day before and the Germans had strongly reinforced their defenses on the 17^th. It was during this operation that William was killed. Using his serial number, an army hospital record was located. It simply listed his death as “line of duty” without providing specifics. During November 1944, the 102^nd Division experienced 1,267 casualties. It is noted that New Jersey provided 1004 troops to the 102^nd, the fifth highest state.

William’s body was brought to Bedle’s Funeral Home in Matawan in December of 1948 from an overseas cemetery and a funeral was conducted there on December 14, over four years after he had been killed. He is interred in the Cedarwood Cemetery in Hazlet. His sister Helen died in 2013 leaving no children. There is no family left to remember this young man.