Robert Beryl Youngs, "Bob" was born December 15, 1914 in Earlville, NY to Wilmer C. Youngs (1877-1922) and Mary Augusta "Mayme" Reuben (1879-1960). (His Draft Registration Card recorded 1913 for his birth year.) Both his parents were from New York and they were married on March 12, 1899 in Sherburne, NY. Robert was the 8th of their 9 children which included Mary Louise (1899-1977), Beatrice Annie (1901-1927), Ledith (1903-1932), Wilmer R. (1904-1997), Belle Marie (1907-1996), Elizabeth (1909-1980), Loren (abt.1912-) and Ronald F. (1916-2004). His dad's obituary noted he worked for NY Central Railroad and the Earlville Paperbox Company. By the taking of the 1925 NY Census his dad had passed, his older sisters had moved out and the oldest son, Wilmer, then 20, was supporting the family doing carpentry work. He attended Union Street School and Utica Free Academy. He was a member of Central Church, Utica, NY; the Utica bowling league and was a member of the Chauffeurs' Teamsters and Helpers International Brotherhood.

Robert married Bertha Bielec of Utica, NY on June 10, 1935 in Scranton, Pa. I could find no evidence they ever had a child together. By 1940 the couple was living on Highland Ave. in Yorkville, NY with Bertha's mom. Robert and Bertha were both working at a local restaurant waiting tables. When Robert registered for the draft on October 16, 1940 in Sherrill, NY he reported working for Armour and Co. on Main St., Utica, NY. He was 5'-11" tall and weighed 165 pounds with brown eyes and black hair.

Robert was drafted into the service on April 23, 1943 through Utica, NY with service number 32857557. He did his training at Camp Harahan, New Orleans; Camp Robinson, Arkansas and Camp Shanks, New York before going overseas to England in May, 1944. He was stationed at Caerphilly Glamorganshire, Wales for a time and in June 1945, while in Kassel, Germany was able to get together with his brother Lieut. Ronald F. Youngs (Ronnie) for a few days.

Letter from Robert Youngs that appeared in the March 1, 1945 Earlville Standard:

France, Feb. 4, 1945

Hello Folks:

Since leaving the states I've seen quite a bit of country. Went through Scotland, England and Wales. All I can say is that is is very pretty all through there.

I did not know what to expect when we landed in France. I guess everybody was all eyes at the sight of shell holes and places that were bombed.

We parked in an orchard the first night about 6 1/2 miles in back of the front lines. Slept in the open without pitching tents as we didn't know when we might be moved. In the middle of the night all hell seemed to break loose twice. The sky was almost bright with tracers going up and when we could hear the big guns going full blast was one of the times when we wished we could hide under the bed. There was plenty of snipers there, so there wasn't much moving around.

The next day trucks came to take us to the railroad station. During the night the train was derailed. I was sleeping and my pack and rifle fell off the shelf and hit me on the head. I thought we were being bombed and grabbed my helmet. We were lucky the train was moving slow at the time or we would have gone over an embankment. The engine didn't lack much of going over. By the next night we arrived and are still here. This place was really hit hard.

We took quarters in what was formerly a tourist hotel that had been used to quarter Germans. It was really filthy and plenty of lice. Plenty of fresh air from shell holes though. You would not believe it was the same place today. We have it all fixed up and painted. We have a nice kitchen and mess hall, recreation building with movies, laundry PXS, showers, barber and tailor shop. The German prisoners did a lot of the cleaning up and building.

I worked at several different jobs. The job of the outfit is repairing and servicing locomotives and cars and from all reports we have done a pretty good job.

I have had trouble with my left wrist for a long time and it got to the point where I had to have x-rays taken. They showed I had a broken wrist. I knew when I did it but never thought the wrist was broken. It has been that way for about two years. I had the cast put on the first of November and after 11 weeks had more x-rays taken. They showed that it is only beginning to knit so I still have the cast on and from the doctor's report it will be a long time before it is healed.

I have hopes of running into Ronnie sometime.

The war news is very good these days and I'm not much at making predictions but I believe it won't be long now.

Bob

Robert drowned when an excursion boat he was own capsized on the Fulda River in Kassel, Germany on August 16, 1945. He was initially buried in Temporary Cemetery 4650 and later buried in the Netherlands American Cemetery, Margraten, Netherlands, Plot G, Row 18, Grave 26.

Forever Promise Project. This service member is buried at the Netherlands American Cemetery, where every grave has been “adopted” by the Dutch since 1945. To learn more about the grave adoption program and be placed in contact with the Dutch adopter of your loved one’s grave, please visit the Forever Promise Project https://www.foreverpromise.org/

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

American Battle Monuments Commission, 1914-1950

"Sherrill – Board Contingent Leaves for Duty", Daily Sentinel, Rome, NY, April 30, 1943, pg. 6

Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/56305546/robert_beryl-youngs: accessed June 13, 2026), memorial page for Tec5 Robert Beryl Youngs (15 Dec 1914–16 Aug 1945), Find a Grave Memorial ID 56305546, citing Netherlands American Cemetery and Memorial, Margraten, Eijsden-Margraten Municipality, Limburg, Netherlands; Maintained by Doc Wilson (contributor 47464039).

Wife's FAG - Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/213286857/bertha_m-youngs: accessed June 14, 2026), memorial page for Bertha M Bielec Youngs (31 Dec 1911–6 Jan 1984), Find a Grave Memorial ID 213286857, citing Holy Trinity Cemetery and Mausoleum, Yorkville, Oneida County, New York, USA; Maintained by B Rozpad (contributor 50074804).

"Marriage Licenses", The Scranton Republican, Scranton, PA, June 11, 1935, pg. 8.

Marriage Records. Pennsylvania Marriages. Various County Register of Wills Offices, Pennsylvania.

National Archives US, WWII Army Enlistment Records, 1938-1946

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

New York State Archives; Albany, New York; State Population Census Schedules, 1915; Election District: 03; Assembly District: 01; City: Hamilton; County: Madison; Page: 03

New York State Archives; Albany, New York; State Population Census Schedules, 1925; Election District: 03; Assembly District: 01; City: Hamilton; County: Madison; Page: 6

"News of Men in Service", The Earlville Standard, Earlville, NY, March 1, 1945, Letter from Robert Youngs, pg. 8.

"Robert Youngs Is Drowned in River in Reich", Press and Sun Bulletin, October 12, 1945, pg. 3.

"Robert B. Youngs, Formerly of Earlville, Dies in Kassel, Germany", The Earlville Standard, Earlville, Madison County, N.Y., August 30, 1945, pg. 1.

"Sgt. Young War Victim", Syracuse Herald-Journal, October 12, 1945, pg. 5

Social Security Applications and Claims, 1936-2007.

Year: 1940; Census Place: Yorkville, Oneida, New York; Roll: m-t0627-02702; Page: 4A; Enumeration District: 33-108

Year: 1940; Census Place: Yorkville, Oneida, New York; Roll: m-t0627-02702; Page: 4A; Enumeration District: 33-108

Supporting Documents