Herbert Peter Cawley was born December 15, 1924 in Watertown, NY to Elmer E. Cawley (1902-U) and Lillian E.Volvia (1904-1982). His parents were married on September 17, 1921 in Jefferson County, NY.  He moved to Oneonta, NY in 1926. The 1930 U.S. Census recorded he had an older sister Marion E. and a younger sister Anna J. The family lived at 21 Fonda Ave. along with their grandfather Calvin Cawley and an uncle Eugene. They also had a couple of boarders at their house. His father Elmer was a laborer for the D&H Railroad. The 1940 US Census recorded the family had moved to 280 Chestnut St. in Oneonta, NY. There is some uncertainty on how many years of school he attended. His obituary in the Binghamton Sun and Evening Press notes he attended Oneonta High School prior to his service but the 1940 US Census recorded he only attended 6 years of school. 

He enlisted in the U.S. Army on March 26, 1943 in Utica, NY. He was all of 5'-8” tall and weighed 145 pounds with no dependents at the time of his enlistment but sometime after he married Eleanor V. Cantwell. They have no children and she remarries after his death. After basic training, he served at various bases in the U.S. before going to England with the 47th Infantry Regiment, 9th Infantry Division in late November 1943.

On D-Day plus 4, June 10th, 1944, the 47th Infantry Regiment landed on Utah Beach in Normandy, France. By June 14th, 1944, combat patrols were in contact with the Germans and by nightfall of the 16th the 47th Regiment blocked the last escape route for the Germans in the Cotentin Peninsula. The famous port of Cherbourg was next but on June 20 the 47th was initially halted near Sideville by stiff German prepared defenses around the outskirts of the port city. 

Pvt. Cawley was killed by an artillery shell on June 21, 1944. An army buddy of his, S/Sgt Cecil O. Davis of nearby Sidney, NY was with Pvt. Cawley when he was killed and reported to his parents that he was killed instantly.

Shortly after his death, Pvt. Cawley's widow, Lillian lost her pocketbook while visiting Herbert's parents. In it were pictures of her lost husband. In a heartwarming chain of events, Thomas Sadlow of Gilbert St., Oneonta found it on the River St. bus his way to work on the D&H railroad and returned it to Pvt. Cawley's mother. He would not accept a reward. “I know how much Mrs. Cawley must value those pictures, he said, “and I'm sorry I couldn't return the pocketbood [sic] sooner.”

“My daughter-in-law doesn't know that her purse has been found yet”, Mrs. Elmer Cawley said. “She had to go back to Schenectady. We advertised in the papers but didn't have much hope of its return. The pictures are irreplaceable.”

Pvt. Cawley's body was returned home in 1949 where a military escort of Oneonta veterans met the train. He was awarded the Purple Heart posthumously and buried in the Oneonta Plains Cemetery, Oneonta, NY, Plot 7 #1409. 

If you notice anything erroneous in this profile or have additional information to contribute to it, please contact Jim Greenberg at nez13820@gmail.com. 

Sources:

The Echo, Oneonta High School’s Student Newspaper, Oneonta Historical Society, Main St. Oneonta, NY, June 2022.

Oneonta’s Gold Star Registry, City of Oneonta, Oneonta Historical Society, Main St., Oneonta, NY. June 2022.

Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/142414443/herbert-peter-cawley: accessed 02 March 2023), memorial page for Pvt Herbert Peter Cawley (15 Dec 1924–21 Jun 1944), Find a Grave Memorial ID 142414443, citing Oneonta Plains Cemetery, Oneonta, Otsego County, New York, USA; Maintained by Jeff Hall (contributor 47296194). 

Marriage Records. New York Marriages. Various New York County Clerk offices. 

U.S. WWII Hospital Admission Card Files, 1942-1954, Record Group 112: Records of the Office of the Surgeon General (Army), 1775 – 1994 accessed via Ancestry.com, July 25, 2022.

"Oneonta Soldier’s Body Coming Home", Press and Sun Bulletin, Binghamton, NY, April 19, 1949, pg. 5

9th Infantry Division in WW2, accessed at https://9thinfantrydivision.net/47th-infantry-regiment/, July 25, 2022.

"H.P. Cawley, Oneonta, Dies Fighting Nazis". Press and Sun Bulletin, Binghamton, NY, July 26, 1944. 

Year:1930; Census Place:Oneonta, Otsego, New York; Page:6A; Enumeration District:0036; FHL microfilm:2341370

Year:1940; Census Place:Oneonta, Otsego, New York; Roll:m-t0627-02717; Page:6B; Enumeration District:39-42

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