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DESCENDANTS OF THOMAS KNIGHT |
Descendants of Thomas Knight, Essex, Union, Middlesex Counties, New Jersey
15. WILLIAM LOUIS [KNIGHT] PRINCE (JOSEPH THOMAS3 KNIGHT, HENRY PATRICK2, THOMAS1) was born July 13, 1919 in Hillside, Union Co. NJ16, and died December 03, 1998 in Old Bridge Twsp, Middlesex Co. NJ; buried in Old Tennent Cemetery, Tennent, NJ. He married THELMA FAYE CAIN November 08, 1953 in Sylvan Hills Baptist Ch, Atlanta, Fulton Co. Ga.
When Bill was christened on 19 August 1919 in St. Catherine's R.C. Church his sponsors were his uncle, John Reilly and Mary Peters. The priest was J.C. McClary. William is known to everyone as "Bill". He was born in Hillside, NJ at #30 Avy St on 13 July 1919. His name at birth was William Louis Knight (birth certicate #716, Trenton, NJ). Natural parents were Sarah Agnes Reilly and Joseph Thomas Knight. He was raised by his father's sister, Helen Marie Knight and her husband, William Louis Prince (1882-1943), and Bill took their surname Prince when he was about five years old.
The Princes lived at #30 Avy St and were very close to the Knights. Bill was sickly as a child, and was told that the Princes were better off financially and wanted to take care of him. Helen had a daughter, Helen, much older than Bill, who married Norman Govette but she and William Prince had no children of their own.Bill attended Hurden- Looker School and Hillside Avenue elementary schools in Hillside. When they moved to Union Beach, he attended Keyport High School, going through the 10th grade.
For a short period he worked for the Civil Conservation Corp, the CCC's working on farms and digging ditches. The work was varied, doing whatever was needed, and this program was set up by the Federal Government.
He began work at Welin-Davit, Perth Amboy, NJ, in 1942 as an assembler and riveter making davits for lifeboats. He joined the army in spring of 1943, went overseas and came back to the U.S. in the fall of 1944, spent a year in the hospital recovering from wounds received in action around Anzio. After discharge from the army in the fall of 1945, he resumed work at Welin-Davit and stayed there until 1961 when he started work for Old Bridge Township Roads and Sanitation Department as a laborer and truck driver. He retired in 1984.
WORLD WAR II MEMOIRS AS TOLD TO WIFE, THELMA FAYE PRINCE, JUNE 1994
"I was inducted into the army on March 25, 1943 at Newark, NJ. I had my basic training at Camp Croft, Spartenburg, S.C. I had advanced training at Camp Swift in Austin, Tx.
Date of departure to Oran, Algeria, North Africa, was September 13 by a liberty ship named "John Brown." We arrived there October 6, 1943, stayed there briefly then went to Bizerte, Tunisia on the "Forty and Eight" train. From Bizerte we went by transport ship to Naples where we bivouacked at a racetrack which was the replacement depot of manpower.
I was rifleman #745 in Company L, 179th Infantry, 45th Division of the Fifth Army. My outfit landed on Anzio Beachead between January 23rd and February 1, 1944. I was not in the first landing on January 21-22nd. We went from Naples to Anzio by ship and marched off the ship up through the town and joined the lines already formed, digging right into foxholes, because shelling and bombing were going on constantly.
I lived in a foxhole and slept in it most of the time. I washed with water put into my helmet, ate c-rations (canned beef) and k-rations. There was an abandoned house there, but it was too dangerous for us to go into it because the enemy bombed buildings. It was extremely rainy winter and mud was up to your knees everywhere, making it difficult to manuever around.
On February 18, 1944, I was walking down the road when a shell exploded near me. I proceeded to the evacuation hospital by myself and was treated for a perforated eardrum. I ate supper at the evacuation hospital and right afterwards the Germans shelled the kitchen. It was repaired later. This hospital was near the harbor and the airstrip. I was off duty a couple of days and then sent back to the front lines.
I was made a Private First Class and ordered to set up a scouting outpost, along with one other man, in front of my outfit's lines. I was made the first scout whose duty it was to make sure where the Germans were and to let those behind us know. We tied tin cans up around the outpost which would make noise if anyone approached.
On May 30, 1944, three of our companies were advancing and trying to keep in contact with each other. As first scout, I could see where the Germans were. Unfortunately, one of them spotted me, threw a grenade and I got hit in the left leg(femur) and right arm(humerus), leaving shrapnel in the wounds.
The medics took me back to the Battalion Aid Station for first aid. I was then sent to the evauation Hospital in Naples for two days, then transferred to the new hospital in Naples where the doctors operated, put a pin in my leg and put my arm and leg in traction.
I left for the US by hospital ship from Naples on September 11, 1944, arriving September 29, 1944. I went to Stark General Hospital in South Carolina for a little while, then to Newton D. Baker Veterans Hospital, Martinsburg, West Virginia. Discharge was given at 1318 SCU Hospital Center, Camp Pickett, Virginia, September 17, 1945"
In July 1975, Bill and Faye visited the American Cemetery at Nettuno, Italy. Many of those buried there fought at Anzio and envrons. Carolyn and I visited it in 1990.
Bill holds the following medals and awards
for his military service:
Purple Heart with bronze oak leaf
cluster
Honorable Service Lapel
Button-World War II
World War II Victory Medal
Bronze Star Medal for bravery in
action
Combat Infantryman's Badge
[expert rifleman]
European African Medal with two
bronze stars
Good Conduct Medal
On March 22, 1995 at the National Guard Armory, Colonel Moorman of the U.S. Army awarded to Bill the Distinguished Service Medal of the State of New Jersey. This medal was awarded to him for distinguished meritorous service in ground combat, wounds received as a result of direct combat actions against an armed enemy while serving in the United States Army in the European African Middle Eastern Theater during World War II.
The above awarding of the medal was well attended with his children, grandchildren, brother , sisters-in-law, nieces Pat and her husband Robert Wyatt, Lynne and her husband Stan Stires, Kathy and her husband Ed Cooper. We all came back home to Faye and Bill's for a nice lunch and were together for the most part of the day.
More About WILLIAM LOUIS
[KNIGHT] PRINCE:
Christened: August 17, 1919, St. Catherine's
R.C. Church, Hillside, Union Co.
Baptism: April 05, 1998, Sayre Woods Baptist
Church; Religion- Baptist
Buried Old Tennant Cemetery, Tennant,
NJ. Occupation: 1945-1961, Riveter, Welin Davit Lifeboat makers, Perth
Amboy
Occupation: 1961-1984, Old Bridge Twp Road
& Sanitation Depts
Hobbies: Fishing, Baseball, Football Games
Talent: Getting along with people
Education: 1924-1936, Went through 10th
grade, Keyport High School
Education: Hillside Elementary Schools
Military: 1943-1945, World War II, Anzio,
wounded in action
Residences: 1920-1940, Hillside, Union Beach,
NJ
Residences: 1940-1998, Keyport, Laurence
Harbor, Old Bridge Twsp,NJ
Military: 1943-1945, US Army ,PFC. Co L,179th
Regt,45th division17
Medical Information: Hypertension, diabetes,
coronary artery disease, triple bypass 1/92, Parkinson's, arthritis hip and
knees, Cancer of Prostate, carpal tunnel disease of hands, Dupetren's
contracture both hands
More About THELMA FAYE
CAIN:
Baptism: March 26, 1995, Sayre Woods Bible
Church
Religion: Member, Sayre Woods Bible Baptist
Church
Occupation: 1953-1967, R.N. Perth Amboy General
Hospital, OB-GYN
Occupation: 1967-1988, Registered nurse,
Muhlenburg Hospital
Hobbies: Writing, Genealogy, Needlework,
Gardening
Talent: Embroidery, Needlepoint
Education: 1949-1953, North Ga. College,
C.W.L. Nursing School
Education: 1937-1949, Atlanta schools and
Hapeville High School
Special Event: November 08, 1953, My marriage
to Bill in Atlanta
Residences: 1932-1953, Lawrenceville, moved
to Atlanta in 1937
Residences: 1953-1998, Laurence Harbor; moved
to Madison Park, Old Bridge in 1965
Medical Information: Hypertension, rotator
cuff injuries both arms.
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Faye and Bill Prince 1986 |
Helen Friesen and Bill Prince1985 |
Marriage Notes for WILLIAM PRINCE and THELMA
FAYE CAIN:
William Louis Prince and Thelma Faye Cain were
married on November 8, 1953 in Sylvan Hills Baptist Church, Melrose Avenue,
Atlanta, Georgia, ceremony performed by Rev. Alvin Brackett, Jr. The best man
was Clinton Hamilton, Faye's cousin, and the maid of honor was Betty Jean
Waters, Faye's friend and roommate at Crawford W. Long Nursing School. Ushers
were Arthur Zegel,a close friend, and Edward Hamilton, cousin of Faye. About
thirty-five close friends and relatives attended the wedding held at three
o'clock Sunday afternoon.
Bill and Faye left the next morning for New Jersey where they made their first home in Laurence Harbor, NJ on Garfield Ave. In 1965 they moved to Clemson Road, Parlin, NJ where Faye still lives today.
Children of WILLIAM PRINCE and THELMA
CAIN are:
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27. |
i. |
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WILLIAM JEFFREY5 PRINCE, b. September 23, 1955, Perth Amboy General Hospital, Middlesex Co. NJ. |
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ii. |
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CAROLYN ELIZABETH PRINCE, b. February 26, 1964, Perth Amboy General Hospital, Middlesex Co.N.J.; m. JOHN CHARLES LAMBERT, October 19, 1996, Pine Beach Chapel, Pine Beach, Ocean Co. N.J.. |
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Notes for CAROLYN ELIZABETH
PRINCE: Carolyn took a course in word processing in 1983 at Cittone Institute and
works as a word processor. At Park Physical Therapy she types up all the
reports on the patients for their doctors. |
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More About CAROLYN ELIZABETH
PRINCE: |
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More About JOHN CHARLES
LAMBERT: |
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Marriage Notes for CAROLYN PRINCE
and JOHN LAMBERT:
The reception was held at the Beachwood Community Center, Beachwood, NJ. The bride danced and danced and enjoyed the reception very much. The Ocean County Emerald Society provided excellent bagpipe music which was especially enjoyed by all. The food was good and the decor and flowers were exquisite. The bride wore a white satin gown exquisitely embroidered with pearls and beading and a chapel train with embroidered cut-outs with pearls, absolutely beautiful! And the bride was most beautiful of all! |
KNIGHT REUNION 1997
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Please contact me by going to the home page and clicking on the guestbook link to leave me a message, thanks. |
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Cash
Family || Wright |
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Updated 30 April 2000 by Thelma F. Prince |
