Arthur Lunt Clarkson was born on March 24, 1922 in Tottenville, Staten Island, NY to Wesley Edmund Clarkson (1880 - 1943) and Mary Lillian Cutting (1893-1972). His parents were married on January 27, 1917 in Richmond County (Staten Island), NY. His dad was from New Brighton, Staten Island, NY and his mom was from Rossville, Staten Island, NY. The 1930 US Census recorded the family living on Cloverdale Ave., Great Kills, Staten Island, NY. Arthur had an older brother Charles. His dad was a Bookkeeper for a local grain mill and later worked for the W.P.A. In 1940, when Arthur was 18, the family still lived on Staten Island, NY. He graduated from New Dorp High School in 1940.

By June 1942 Arthur had moved "upstate" to the Utica, NY area. He married Miss Beatrice Agnes Wright (1926-1999) in West Winfield, NY in 1942. When he registered for the draft on June 30, 1942 in Rome, NY, he was living in Sauquoit, NY and working for Willowvale Bleachery in Willowvale (Utica area), NY. Willowvale Bleachery was part of Utica Mohawk Cotton Mills and was a major employer in the 30s and 40s. How Arthur got a job in Utica, after living his entire life on Staten Island is unknown. He was 5'-7 1/2" tall, weighed 135 pounds with gray eyes and brown hair. He was drafted into the service on November 24, 1942 through Utica, NY. He recorded having completed 4 years of high school and being single with no dependents (he must have married Beatrice later that year). His service number was 32663700 .

He did his basic training at Camp Upton, L.I., Camp Rucker, Alabama and went to Fort Knox, Ky. for tank training before going overseas in November 1943. He landed in England, then went to France, Luxembourg and Austria. By July 1945, the 748th Tank Battalion was no longer engaged in combat. The war had effectively ended for them on May 5, 1945. After Germany's surrender, the battalion's role shifted to occupation and stabilization duties in the American zone of Austria. Cpl. Clarkson drowned "while swimming in the Traun River near Linx [sic], Austria [note, the real spelling of the town is Linz]" on July 19, 1945 while with the 748th Tank Battalion in Austria. An extensive search for his body was conducted on "both the east and west banks fo the Traun River from the town of Klein Munchen, Austria to the town of Weisskirchen, Austria but no information was uncovered." His body was never recovered and he is memorialized on the Tablets of the Missing in the Epinal American Cemetery, Epinal, France.  Eye witness testimony and a narrative of the investigation undertaken to find his body is in the Supporting Documents below. 

This story is part of the Stories Behind the Stars project. This is a national effort of volunteers to write the stories of all 421,000+ of the US WWII fallen on Together We Served and Fold3.

(Please see - http://www.storiesbehindthestars.org).

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Sources

Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/56371676/arthur_l-clarkson: accessed 6 Oct 2026), memorial page for Pvt Arthur L Clarkson (24 Mar 1922–19 Jul 1945), Find a Grave Memorial ID 56371676, citing Epinal American Cemetery and Memorial, Épinal, Département des Vosges, Lorraine, France; Maintained by Coleman ✿ (contributor 47076912).

Headstone Inscription and Interment Records for U.S. Military Cemeteries on Foreign Soil, 1942–1949. Microfilm Series A1 43, NAID: 7408555. Records of the American Battle Monuments Commission, 1918–ca. 1995. Record Group 117. The National Archives in Washington, D.C.

Index to New York City Marriages, 1866-1937. Indices prepared by the Italian Genealogical Group and the German Genealogy Group, and used with permission of the New York City Department of Records/Municipal Archives.

Individual Deceased Personnel File, Clarkson, Arthur, 32663700, National Archives, St. Louis, MO, obtained Oct. 28, 2026 via a FOIA request. 

National Archives at St. Louis; St. Louis, Missouri; Wwii Draft Registration Cards For New York State, 10/16/1940 - 03/31/1947; Record Group: Records of the Selective Service System, 147

National Archives at St. Louis; St Louis, MO, USA; Record Group Title: Records of the Selective Service System; Record Group Number: 147

"Tottenville Man Drowned in Austria", Staten Island Advance, Staten Island, NY, August 23, 1945, pg. 2

Wife's FAG - Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/149485770/beatrice_agnes-clarkson_ritton: accessed 10 Oct 2026), memorial page for Beatrice Agnes Wright Clarkson Ritton (2 Jan 1926–22 Jan 1999), Find a Grave Memorial ID 149485770, citing Armory Hill Cemetery, Ilion, Herkimer County, New York, USA; Maintained by Melissa Wohler (contributor 47277196).

Willowvale Bleachery, New Hartford Historical Society website at https://www.newhartfordhistory.com/willowvale-bleachery, accessed on October 10, 2026.

Year: 1930; Census Place: Richmond, Richmond, New York; Page: 8A; Enumeration District: 0244; FHL microfilm: 2341349

Year: 1930; Census Place: Richmond, Richmond, New York; Page: 8A; Enumeration District: 0244; FHL microfilm: 2341349

Year: 1940; Census Place: New York, Richmond, New York; Roll: m-t0627-02763; Page: 2B; Enumeration District: 43-217

Supporting Documents

Below are various Morning Reports that document some of his military history.