Edgar Samuel Bailey was born September 11, 1913 in Utica, NY to Edgar J. Bailey (1889-1952) and Bertha S. Cristman (1891-1978). His parents were married in 1912. His dad was from England and his mom from New York. His dad was a cutter in a textile mill. The family lived on Weston, Ave. in Utica. Edgar was the oldest of their six children which included Ruth, Thomas, Henrietta, Donald and Joan. By 1940 his mom, his younger brother Thomas and he were all working. He was employed by the Winship Co. in Utica. Winship made wardrobe trunks and suitcases. The U.S. Census recorded he completed school through the 7th grade.

Edgar served in the NY National Guard from October 1931 (he had just turned 18) until April 1934 and then re-enlisted in the NY Guard in April 1935. He was engaged to Norah T. Crosby, who, after his death, joined the WACs. Norah graduated from Ilion High School and was employed at Remington Rand in Ilion a major supplier of weapons during World War II. Edgar and Norah had planned to be married when he returned home.

He registered for the draft on October 16, 1940 in Utica, NY. He was 5'-8" tall and weighed 140 pounds with blue eyes and brown hair at the time. Edgar was drafted into the service on March 3, 1941 through Albany, NY with service number 32043596. He reported being single at the time. He did his basic training in Florida, Georgia and South Carolina before going overseas in January 1944 with the 22nd Infantry Regiment. They were stationed near Plymouth, England and they immediately began their training for D-Day.

The 22nd Infantry Regiment played a notable role in the D-Day landings on Utah Beach. Landing along with the 101st and 82nd Divisions, the 4th Division moved inland and west. Edgar was killed just southeast of Cherbourg, near Le Theil on June 24, 1944 and was buried the next day in the St.Mere Eglise #2 cemetery. Later, during the government's body recovery program, Cpl. Bailey's body is returned home and laid to rest in the St. Agnes Cemetery, Utica, NY will full military honors. He was awarded the Purple Heart posthumously. Newspapers of the day reported he received a number of other honors such as a Distinguished Service Cross and "three Oak Leaf clusters."

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).

Can you help us write these stories? Together We Served and Fold3/Find A Grave have smartphone apps that will allow people to visit any war memorial or cemetery and read these stories of WWII fallen.

If you noticed anything erroneous in this profile or have additional information to contribute, please contact Jim Greenberg at jim.greenberg@oneonta.edu.

SBTSProject/New York/Oneida

Sources

After Action Report, Headquarters, 22nd Infantry, July 21, 1944 [U.S. Army Unit Records, Box 791, HQ 22nd Infantry Regiment After Action Report June 1944; NAID #12004463]

"Bailey's Body Comes Home", Utica Observer-Dispatch, Utica, NY, July 8, 1948, pg. 4

"Cpl. Bailey Killed in Action", Utica Observer-Dispatch, Utica, NY, July 27, 1944, pg. 1.

D-Day Overlord website at https://www.dday-overlord.com/en/battle-of-normandy/after-action-reports/4th-infantry/22nd-infantry accessed on October 25, 2025.

Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/233155918/bertha_s-bailey_cobb: accessed October 25, 2025), memorial page for Bertha S. Cristman Bailey Cobb (1891–23 Apr 1978), Find a Grave Memorial ID 233155918, citing Saint Agnes Cemetery, Utica, Oneida County, New York, USA; Maintained by PaPasgirl (contributor 48623246).

Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/200682053/edgar_s-bailey: accessed October 25, 2025), memorial page for CPL Edgar S. Bailey (11 Sep 1913–24 Jun 1944), Find a Grave Memorial ID 200682053, citing Saint Agnes Cemetery, Utica, Oneida County, New York, USA; Maintained by PaPasgirl (contributor 48623246).

Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/233155954/edgar_j-bailey: accessed October 25, 2025), memorial page for Edgar J. Bailey (1889–20 May 1952), Find a Grave Memorial ID 233155954, citing Saint Agnes Cemetery, Utica, Oneida County, New York, USA; Maintained by PaPasgirl (contributor 48623246).

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 College Park, 8601 Adelphi Road, College Park, MD, 20740-6001, Record Group 92: Records of the Office of the Quartermaster General Series: General Correspondence Relating to Organizations File Unit: 314.6 T/O (European) Weekly Burial Reports 102: 1944:
NAID: 28269112, Report No. 102: September 17, 1944

National Archives at College Park, 8601 Adelphi Road, College Park, MD, 20740-6001, Record Group 64: Records of the National Archives and Records Administration, Series: Morning Reports, NAID: 481513564, Morning Reports for July 1944: Roll 770 (1 of 4)

New York State Archives; Albany, New York; Collection: New York, New York Guard Service Cards and Enlistment Records, 1906-1918, 1940-1948; Series: B2000; Film Number: 27

Year: 1930; Census Place: Utica, Oneida, New York; Page: 12A; Enumeration District: 0110; FHL microfilm: 2341356

Year: 1940; Census Place: Utica, Oneida, New York; Roll: m-t0627-02861; Page: 13B; Enumeration District: 67-27

Supporting Documents