George Burly DAVIS

 CEMTERY TEMPORARY of  Luynes N°3551

Story of Cemetery Temporary 

 George Burly Davis lived with his mother and two siblings on Glendalyn Street in Spartanburg, South Carolina. His father, John, passed away when Davis was only ten. Davis attended Cummings Street School, a school for African-American students. He was considered a high school graduate even though he only completed eleventh grade.

His older sister, Johnnie Mae, graduated two years before Davis and later moved to Brooklyn. His younger brother, Samuel, finished school two years after Davis and joined the U.S. Navy. Davis married Sennie Reid and worked as a truck driver for a wholesale house. In 1943, he was drafted into the U.S. Army.

Davis completed boot camp at Fort Jackson in Columbia, South Carolina. Davis was then sent to Fort Clark, Texas. He trained as a stevedore and was assigned to the 525^th Port Battalion. The 525^th Port Battalion embarked from Newport News, Virginia, on February 28, 1944. Nine days later, Davis debarked in Oran, Algeria.

The 525^th Port Battalion, an African-American unit, arrived in early March 1944 and was assigned to the 399th Port Battalion for further training. Davis, along with the other soldiers, attended 25 days of classes in the “Principles of Stevedoring.” A stevedore works on docks to load and unload cargo from ships in port. During this training period all units of the battalion constructed a recreation hall, mess halls, and latrines.

On July 9, 1944, the 525^th Port Battalion completed its training. The battalion took over the operations of Mole Millerand, one of the many jetties, or piers, in the port of Oran, Algeria. Its mission was to unload and discharge materiel to combat units.

While in Oran, soldiers formed football and basketball leagues and held scrimmages. They also watched movies and attended concerts. However, Davis and the other soldiers of the 525^th Port Battalion were required to continue training about safety regulations on the docks.

The U.S. Army also instructed the men on how to conserve supplies and fuel for motor vehicles. Davis and the 525^th Port Battalion shipped out of Oran on February 21, 1945, for Germany.

 Even though Germany surrendered in May 1945, the unit continued to distribute supplies daily to Allied soldiers still in Europe. On September 5, the 525^th Port Battalion moved to the Calas Staging Area on the southern coast of France near Marsailles, where it began to process the redeployment of soldiers to the United States.

While awaiting his papers, George Burly Davis died of a gunshot wound to the chest on October 8, 1945. Records do not indicate the circumstances surrounding his death.

In every action report, the commanders of the 525^th Port Battalion described their soldiers as hard working and successful in achieving their goals each day. As a member of the 525^th Port Battalion, George Burly Davis gave even more.

Cimetière Américain de Rhônes à Draguignan

Source : Nhdsilentheroes.org