Oriskany WWII Fallen - Robert Provost

Pvt. Robert J. Provost
133rd Infantry, 34th Division

Robert John Provost was born September 23, 1924 to Frank H. Provost (1884-1933) and Jennie Cecelia Downs (1890-1932). His draft registration card recorded he was born in Hoyloke[sic], Massachusetts but he spent most of his childhood in Peru, NY (just south of Plattsburgh, NY). His parents were married August 9, 1911 in Cadyville, New York. Robert was the youngest of their four children. He had two sisters, Mildred and Jane and one brother, Francis Downs. By the time Robert was 9 he had lost both his parents. His mom died January 19, 1932 at home after an illness of several weeks. His dad was a farmer and died on December 4, 1933 after a lingering illness.

Robert went to live with his uncle Bernard Downs' family who were also living in Peru, NY at the time. The Downs family moved to Utica St. in Oriskany, NY sometime after 1940. His uncle Bernard's 1942 Draft Registration Card recorded his uncle working for Oriskany Maleable Iron and living at 906 Utica St. in Oriskany. Local newspaper accounts note he attended Oriskany schools but as of this writing, I was unable to find any record of this. There is mention in these same newspaper accounts of him leaving school as a junior to work for Foster Paper, Co. in Utica before being drafted. This may have been because his uncle was unemployed.

He registered for the draft on December 18, 1942 in Sherril, NY and was drafted into the U.S. Army on February 19, 1943 in Utica, NY with service number 32749198. He was 5'-6 1/2" tall and weighed 140 pounds. He had blue eyes and brown hair. (His brother Francis also served and was a turret gunner in a B-25 flying 49 combat missions.) Pvt. Provost was sent overseas in April 1943 just as Rommel's troops are being routed in North Africa and there is growing speculation of an invasion of Italy. Whether Pvt. Provost joined the 133rd while it was still in North Africa or just before the Italy invasion was unknown at the time of this writing. What we do know is that Pvt. Provost is a radio technician with the 133rd Infantry when it landed at Salerno in September 1943. From there his unit moved inland and pushed north, facing tough German resistance along the way. By October 20th the Battle for S. Angelo had begun. The following is from the History, 133rd Infantry Regiment, 34th Infantry Division by Patrick Skelly (see citation in Sources below) as taken from the original reports available at the National Archives and Records Administration, Washington, D.C.

"On the night of Oct 20th the Regiment moved out in a column of battalions toward S. Leonardo... Patrols that afternoon had encountered considerable enemy machine gun fire and a fight was expected. The movement that night was very slow across country, about midnight enemy machine-gun fire was encountered forcing deployment of the 100th Bn. "

"By morning (Oct. 21st) the 3rd Bn had established positions on the road to S. Angelo and was prepared to resume the attack, the 1st Bn was stopped short of lower road by heavy enemy resistance, it advanced slowly during the morning towards its objective, the 100th Bn in the meantime assembled in Regimental reserve.

Early that afternoon an enemy tank attack was repulsed, casualties were heavy, however. At 1225 hours Lt. Colonel Carley L. Marshall was placed in command of the Regiment and that afternoon he reorganized the Regiment in preparation for a new attack on the objective."

Pvt. Provost is killed sometime during this action on October 21, 1943 and buried in Plot H Row 2 Grave 61 Sicily-Rome American Cemetery Nettuno, Italy. He is awarded the Purple Heart posthumously.

Pvt. Provost is killed sometime during this action on October 21, 1943 and buried in Plot H Row 2 Grave 61 Sicily-Rome American Cemetery Nettuno, Italy. He is awarded the Purple Heart posthumously.

If you notice anything erroneous in this profile or have additional information to contribute to it, please contact Jim Greenberg at nez13820@gmail.com. This story is part of the Stories Behind the Stars project. This is a national effort of volunteers to write the stories of all 400,000+ of the US WWII fallen.

SBTSProject/New York/Oneida

Sources:

Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/56313403/robert-j-provost: accessed 15 September 2023), memorial page for Pvt Robert J. Provost (23 Sep 1924–21 Oct 1943), Find a Grave Memorial ID 56313403, citing Sicily-Rome American Cemetery and Memorial, Nettuno, Città Metropolitana di Roma Capitale, Lazio, Italy; Maintained by Albert Ledoux (contributor 46511171).

"Frank Provost Funeral Held", Plattsburgh Daily Republican, Dec. 7, 1933, pg. 3

"Gunner Back from India", Scrapbook, Oriskany Museum, Oriskany, NY.

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.

Mrs. Frank Provost's Obituary, Plattsburg Daily Press, Jan. 23, 1932, pg. 7.

National Archives at College Park; College Park, Maryland, USA; Electronic Army Serial Number Merged File, 1938-1946; NAID: 1263923; Record Group Title: Records of the National Archives and Records Administration, 1789-ca. 2007; Record Group: 64; Box Number: 05592; Reel: 222

National Archives and Records Administration; Hospital Admission Card Files, ca. 1970 - ca. 1970; NAI: 570973; Record Group Number: Records of the Office of the Surgeon General (Army), 1775-1994; Record Group Title: 112

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

"Oriskany News", Daily Sentinel, Rome, NY, May 13, 1944, pg. 7

"Oriskany, Honor Roll to Be Unveiled Sunday", July 1, 1943, pg. 14

"Oriskany, PVT. R.J. PROVOST KILLED IN ACTION", Nov. 13, 1943, pg. 7

"Oriskany Boy Killed in Italy", Scrapbook, Oriskany Museum, Oriskany, NY.

Skelly, Patrick, "History, 133rd Infantry Regiment, 34th Infantry Division", from original reports obtained from the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), College Park MD.

"What Did You Do Today", Adirondak Record, Apr-Jun 1944.

Year: 1930; Census Place: Peru, Clinton, New York; Page: 6B; Enumeration District: 0025; FHL microfilm: 2341152

Year: 1940; Census Place: Peru, Clinton, New York; Roll: m-t0627-02517; Page: 2A; Enumeration District: 10-29

Supporting Documents:

1930 U.S. Census Record

1940 U.S. Census Record
Click to enlarge

His Parent's Marriage Record (bottom right entry in image above)
Click to enlarge

His mom's obituary

His uncle Bernard's Draft Registration Card