Copyright
© Katherine Haney Williams 2015
All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form.
The
Wolf Creek Ordnance Plant was constructed in 1941 to provide ammunition to
England during World War II (1939-1945).
The United States entered the war when Japan attacked the American naval
fleet at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on December 7, 1941.
This
facility was located in Milan, Tennessee, on the Gibson County/Carroll County
line and was operated by Procter & Gamble Defense Corporation. The US Military operated Milan Ordnance Depot
at the same location. The two facilities
combined later and became the Milan Ordnance Plant. The facility was also known as Milan Army
Ammunition Plant and Milan Arsenal.
Fourteen
civilian employees were killed at the Wolf Creek Ordnance Plant in five
separate accidents during World War II. These
accidents occurred on June 30, 1941; July 31, 1941; February 13, 1942; March 2,
1944; and August 9, 1945. Many
sacrifices were made during the war by citizens on the home front, and these
men made the ultimate sacrifice.
June 30, 1941
Richard Ernest
Milner
was born August 12, 1912, in Beaumont County, TX. He died at age 28 years 10 months 18 days in
the first fatal accident at Wolf Creek Ordnance Plant when he was crushed
between a truck and a shovel loading sand on June 30, 1941, during construction
of the plant in Carroll County, TN. The
truck driver misunderstood a signal and backed up the truck which pinned Richard
between the truck and the shovel. He was
a truck foreman in the road division, working under W. E. Kirby. He had been in Milan for three months. He was buried in his hometown of Colmesneil,
Tyler County, TX in Ebenezer Cemetery.
July 31, 1941
Lewis Green
Cantrell
was born in DeKalb County, TN on June 28, 1911, to James Harley Cantrell and Mary
Elizabeth Bing. He was listed as Louis
on his death certificate and newspaper notice and Lewis on his grave marker. He married Eddie May Griffiths on April 4,
1936, in DeKalb County.
He
was injured while working on heavy equipment as a mechanic helper for
Ferguson-Oman Company at Wolf Creek Ordnance Plant on Thursday, July 31, 1941. This was probably during construction of the
facility. He died Monday, August 4,
1941, in Clemmer Clinic in Milan, Gibson County, TN due to concussion of brain
and hypostatic pneumonia at the age of 30 years 1 month 6 days. Burial was in Salem Cemetery in Liberty,
DeKalb County, TN.
February 13, 1942
Solomon Rufus
“Sol” Haney
of Scotts Hill died on February 13, 1942.
He was born February 6, 1888 or 1889, in Henderson County, TN, to Rufus Hardy “Rufe” Haney Jr.
(1858-1930) and Sarah Elizabeth “Bettie”
Taylor (1855-1897). His paternal
grandparents were Rufus Hardy Haney Sr.
(c 1801-c 1880) and Mary Bennett (c
1832-1874). His maternal grandparents
were Jacob Taylor (1820-1872) and Minerva Francis Sheppard (1835-1906). His siblings were J. T. Haney (1877-1886), Mary
Frances Haney Ervin (1879-1950), Mazie
Azalee Haney Martin (1881-1951), William
Wylie Haney (1882-1958), Nancy E.
Haney Newman (1885-1957), Elvin
Ernest Haney (1890-1970), Roy Laster
Haney (1892-1973), Zula Edna Rosie
Haney Mullis (1895-1957), and infant
boy Haney (1897-1897). After his
mother’s death, his father married Jennie
Adeline Stevens Turner (1877-1956).
His half-siblings were Luther
Edward Haney (1906-1949), Myrtle I.
Haney Morphis (1911-1975), Jennie
Ruth Haney (1914-1990), and Raymond
Rufus Haney (1916-2003).
Sol
married Flossie Milam (1890-1976) in
Henderson County on March 18, 1911.
Their children were Arbon Thetus
“Buck” Haney (1913-1984), R. D.
Haney (1916-1916), Josephine Princess
Haney Mitchell (1918-2007), W. D.
Haney (1919-2010), and Walter Mack
Haney (1924-2011).
Sol
Haney died at Wolf Creek Ordnance Plant in Gibson County, Civil District 13, on
February 13, 1942, at 12:05 p.m. Cause
of death was internal injuries to skull and abdomen due to accidental crushing
by a truck at Milan Ordnance Depot.
Burial was held February 15 in Scotts Hill Methodist Church Cemetery in
Taylors Crossing in Henderson County. Pafford Funeral Home in Lexington was in
charge of services. At the time of his
death, he resided in Scotts Hill, Henderson County, TN, Civil District 7.
His
family was told that the truck driver’s foot slipped off the brake as the
driver backed to the dock to pick up a load of ammunition. Sol was crushed between the truck and the
building.
His
death certificate has an incorrect birth year of 1893. The informant for the death certificate was Douglas Thompson Jaeger (Human
Resources at Wolf Creek Ordnance Plant).
In the 1920, 1930, and 1940 US census records, Sol was listed as age 30,
40, and 50 respectively for a birth year of 1889-1890. His grave marker shows birth year of 1889. His younger brother Ernest was born in July
1890. In 1942, Sol would have been 52-53
when he died rather than 49 as listed on his death certificate. At the time of the accident, Sol’s children’s
ages were Buck, 28; Josephine, 23; W. D., 22; and Mack, 17. Flossie did not re-marry, and she lived with
her children for the rest of her life.
March 2, 1944
Four
civilian employees of Procter & Gamble Defense Corporation were killed and
eighteen were injured at the Wolf Creek Ordnance Plant on Thursday, March 2,
1944, due to an explosion that occurred at 2:26 p.m. on line K. The men killed were Walton Eldridge Abernathy, 23, Huntingdon; Johnnie McWhirter Blackmon, 27, Medina; Aaron Thomas Blankenship, 24, Medina; and Theotis Davenport, 34, Milan.
The
injured who were treated and retained in the hospital were Porter B. Graves, Alamo; Herbert
Holt, Greenfield; Cecil Bolton,
Jackson; J. W. Lusk, Milan; Robert G. Stokes, Sharon; Glen A. Everett, McKenzie; Loftin L. Boling, Alamo; William A. Derrington, Humboldt; and Edward Derryberry, Milan. The injured who were treated and released
were Charlie Cupp, Sharon; Millard Reed, Trezevant; Sherman Climer, Humboldt; Tobie Roberson, Bradford; Ernest W. Kirk, Milan; William Horace Bradford, Dyer; Charles S. Corum, Greenfield; R. J. Bates, Newburn; and John Allen Hunt, Humboldt.
Walton Eldridge
Abernathy
was born February 24, 1920, to Arzie
Thomas Abernathy (1889-1965) and Ivy
L. Smith (1893-1985), all born in Carroll County, TN. Walton’s paternal grandparents were James Franklin Abernathy and Callie Bunn.
Walton
married Mabel Williams in Carroll
County in 1941. In the 1930 census for
District 16 of Carroll County, TN, Mabel (age 5) lived with her parents, Lester (age 29) and Georgia Williams (age 30), and sisters,
Delma Lee (age 9) and Evelyn (age 3). In the 1940 census for Carroll County, Mabel
was listed as a daughter of Georgia Lee Williams, sister of Delma Lee and
Evelyn, and the aunt of Ella Jane. Her father was deceased. She was 15 and was born circa 1925.
Walton’s
usual occupation was farmer and crystallizer operator. At the time of his death, he resided in
Huntingdon, Carroll County, Civil District 11.
He died at 2:26 p.m. at Wolf Creek Ordnance Plant in Carroll County on
March 2, 1944. He was 24 years 10 days. He was crushed by falling masonry and steel in
the explosion. R. F. Dilday & Son Funeral Home in Huntingdon was in charge of
services on March 4 with burial in Chapel Hill Cemetery in Gibson County.
He
was survived by his wife; 18-month-old daughter, Patricia Anne Abernathy; his parents; two brothers, Everett T. Abernathy (1915-1963) and Hulon L. Abernathy (1925-1961); and a
sister, Imogene Abernathy Nanney
(1927-2006). Imogene was buried beside
Walton in 2006; and they share a grave marker.
Johnnie
McWhirter Blackmon was born February 28, 1917, in Gibson County, TN,
to Edward Clinton Blackmon
(1882-1960) and Rosa Lee “Rosie”
McWhirter (1883-1963). Both of his
parents were born in Gibson County. He
married Mary Helen Lovell
(1922-2007). Her parents were Henry Cleveland Lovell and Lena Blankenship. In 1940, John and Helen lived on Humboldt and
Medina Road in Gibson County, Civil District 2.
They were 22 and 18. His usual
occupation was farmer. Johnnie and Helen
did not have children.
Johnnie
died at 2:26 p.m. in Area K at Wolf Creek Ordnance Plant in Carroll County on
March 2, 1944. He was 27 years 3 days
old. The cause of death was “body
dismembered in explosion.” Hunt Brother
Funeral Home of Humboldt was in charge of the funeral service at Mount Zion
United Methodist Church in Medina, Gibson County, TN on Saturday afternoon,
March 4, with burial in the church cemetery.
At the time of his death, he resided in Medina, Gibson County.
Helen
was also an employee at the Arsenal. Her
second husband was Grady A. DeLancey
(1902-1991). Helen died October 28,
2007, and is also buried in Mount Zion United Methodist Church Cemetery.
Johnnie
had five brothers and four sisters. They
were Harvey Clint Blackmon
(1907-1988), Mary Ellene Blackmon
Ashmore
(1914-1998), Martha Ann Blackmon Rannels
(1910-2005), William Kinzel Blackmon
(1912-1987), Eunice Blackmon Dykes
(1914-2007), Homer Newman Blackmon
(1920-1975), Rosa Pearl Blackmon Wall
(1923-2010), Edward Earl Blackmon
(1923-1923), and Edward Claxton Blackmon
(1927-1970).
Aaron Thomas
Blankenship
(or Thomas Aaron Blankenship) was born March 18, 1919, in Gibson County, TN to Charles “Charlie” Blankenship and Elizabeth “Bessie” West. He married Freida Mae Barr on May 27, 1939, in Gibson County. They lived in Gibson County, Civil District
4, in 1940. His usual occupation was
farmer.
His
body was dismembered in an explosion at 2:26 p.m. at Wolf Creek Ordnance Plant
in Carroll County on March 2, 1944, while working on “K” line making
fertilizer. He was 24 years 11 months 16
days. Replogle Funeral Home in Medina
was in charge of the 4:30 p.m. funeral service on March 3 at Medina Baptist Church
with Rev. W. A. West officiating,
and burial followed in Chapel Hill Cemetery in Gibson County. Pallbearers were Aubrey Smith, Roy Hargrove, William Parish,
Bob Parish, Sweet Parish, and Hershel
Allen.
Aaron
Blankenship was survived by his wife; parents; daughter, Barbara Gail Abernathy; brother, William Blankenship; sister, Mrs.
Albert Garton; and grandmother, Mrs.
Elder Buttrey.
Theotis “Pud”
Davenport
was born November 17, 1910, in Gibson County, TN to William Martin Davenport (1878-1951) and Nancy Jane Fann (1883-1942).
Theotis’ siblings were Mary Lou
Davenport (1902-1904), Clyde Ellis
Davenport (1906-1980), Gladys
Davenport (1908-1992), Cleo
Davenport Barnes (1912-1988), Henry
J. Davenport (1916-1916), Estelle
Davenport Hamm (1917-1999), Estelle’s twin Blondell Davenport Hurley (1917-2002), and James Buford Davenport (1919-1991).
Theotis
married Gladys Sue Cantrell
(1915-2010) of Gibson County; and they had two sons, Sidney Otis Davenport (1941-1945) and David Ray Davenport (1943-living). Sue became a cosmetologist and businesswoman. She moved to Nashville in 1951 when she
married Roy Lee Puckett (1907-1967). She retired in 1981 and moved near family in Arizona
where she died at the age of 95.
Theotis
died at 2:26 p.m. at Wolf Creek Ordnance Plant in Carroll County on March 2,
1944, when he was crushed by falling masonry and steel in an explosion. The accident happened after his foreman, in a
kindly move, changed him from second shift to first shift for two weeks before
he was to report to the Army so that he could spend more time with his
family. Theotis and Sue share a grave
marker in White Rose Cemetery in Gibson, Gibson County, TN. He was 33 years 3 months 17 days.
August 9, 1945
Many
people lost their lives on August 9, 1945, due to the conflicts of World War
II. On this date, American airmen
dropped an atomic bomb on Nagasaki, Japan.
Thousands died from this bomb and from the bomb that was dropped three
days earlier on Hiroshima, Japan.
In
the town of Milan, TN a shell exploded on ammunition loading line “C” at 1:20
p.m. at the Wolf Creek Ordnance Plant.
Seven men lost their lives and thirteen people were injured. They were civilian employees of Procter &
Gamble Defense Corporation.
The
seven deceased from the August 9, 1945, accident were William Emerson Maness,
Jackson; John Dee “Penn” Gorman, Alamo; Floyd “Joe Billy” Mitchell,
Bradford; Edward Andrew “Edd” Voorhies, Trenton; Frank M. Johnson,
McLemoresville; R. V. Johnson,
Lexington; and Frank Victor Bedwell,
Lexington, TN.
The
injured were: Fred Bray, Jackson; Roy C.
McLemore, Spring Creek; Walter R.
Oliver, Dresden; Richard Lutz,
Humboldt; Marion H. Scarbrough,
Trezevant; Hubert L. Goff,
Lexington; Lillie M. Duncan,
Huntingdon; Julion T. Rachels,
Greenfield; Everett Carroll,
Jackson; Lonnie H. Bullington,
Atwood; Icy B. Goff, Scotts Hill; William C. Austin, Dyer; and Bryan Baker, Yorkville. The injured and deceased were taken to the
hospitals on site. Some were pronounced
dead in Carroll County and some in Gibson County. R. V. Johnson died in Henderson County twelve
hours after the accident.
William Emerson
Maness
was born February 2, 1909, to Henry
Leander “Lee” Maness (1888-1971) and Ollie
Hester Hart (1887-1961), all born in Henderson County, TN. His siblings were Essie Mae Maness Walters (1906-1986), Essie’s twin Lessie Alice Maness Sumler (1906-1981),
John Walter Maness (1911-1975), Ellis Gilbert Maness (1916-1972), and Irene Hester Maness Chumney
(1920-1968). His grandparents were Emerson Ethredge Maness (1849-1928) and
Nancy Elizabeth Bishop (1865-1944)
and Leander H. “Shannon” Hart
(1861-1948) and Alice Jones
(1869-1908). William had an uncle also
named William Emerson Maness.
He
married Virgie Elizabeth Holloway
(1908-1996) on November 15, 1925, in Chester County. They lived most of their married life in
Luray and Mifflin on the Henderson County/Chester County line where they
farmed. They moved to Madison County in
1941-1942 while he worked at the Milan Arsenal to help with construction, and
Virgie worked at the Bemis cotton mill.
Later, he was hired by Procter & Gamble to work on the production
line. He and Virgie bought a farm in the
East Union community of Madison County in February 1945. They were the parents of Rachel Louise Maness Haney (1926-living), Joe Neal Maness (1933-2010), and Gilbert Ray Maness (1937-living).
William
died on August 9, 1945, at 1:20 p.m. in Carroll County from multiple shrapnel
wounds. He was 36 years 6 months 7
days. Smith Funeral Home was in charge
of his funeral service which was held at East Union Church in Madison County at
4:00 p.m. on August 10 with Minister R.
E. Guy presiding, and burial followed in Hollywood Cemetery. Pallbearers were A. H. Hancock, J. W. Powell, Floyd
Watkins, Cason Nichols Jr., James Thrasher, and E. J. Lomax. He was survived by his parents, siblings,
wife, children (ages 18, 12, and 7), and his son-in-law Robert Hardy Haney who was serving in the US Coast Guard.
Virgie
sold the farm they had purchased six months earlier, moved inside the Jackson
city limits, got a job as a seamstress at a garment factory, and raised her two
sons alone. She received $6,000 for the
loss of her husband. Virgie lived most
of her life alone, and she died peacefully in her sleep at the age of 87 years
10 months 30 days on September 4, 1996, after enduring Alzheimer’s. As of 2015, Virgie and William have a legacy
of three children (one deceased), nine grandchildren (one deceased), sixteen
great-grandchildren, and fourteen great-great-grandchildren.
Rachel
described her father as a kind man and a hard worker with blue eyes and dark,
wavy hair. She said that at the time of
his death he was planning to work two more weeks at the Arsenal and then leave
to farm full time since some employees were being too careless at the
plant. He said that reject bombs were
being re-worked on the production line.
John Dee
“Penn” Gorman was born August 14, 1901, in Gibson
County, TN to John Samuel Gorman (1846-1926) and Sarah Ann “Sallie” Betts (1858-1923). Penn married Alma Maie Cook (1903-1991) on July 26, 1924, in Crockett County,
TN; and they had one son (b/d 2/3/1925). His
siblings were William Thomas Gorman (1879-1945),
unknown Gorman (1882-ante 1900), Della
Beatrice Gorman Knox (1884-1981), James
Henry Gorman (1887-1965), Kate Lee Gorman
Avery (1889-1977), Louis (Lonnie)
Homer Gorman (1897-1975), and unknown Gorman (b/d 1900-1910).
Penn died on August 9, 1945, at 1:20
p.m. in Milan, Gibson County from multiple lacerations and severe punctures of
entire abdomen, chest, and head due to fragments from explosive bomb
(military). He was 43 years 11 months 25
days. Funeral services were held at
Quincy Methodist Church Friday at 4 p.m. by Rev. Frank Perry of Crockett Mills.
Burial was in Quincy Cemetery with Ronk Funeral Home in charge. Alma
married Charles Rainey Cates
(1911-1965) in 1961.
Floyd “Joe
Billy” Mitchell
of Bradford, TN was born May 5, 1911, in Tennessee to Alexander Paul “Alex” Mitchell (1871-1948) and Sarah Ann Capps (1876-1928).
Grandparents were Francis Marion Mitchell,
Minerva Evaline Mitchell, John Stewart, and Effie Osteen. In the 1940 US
census, Joe Billy was a 27-year-old farmer.
His wife, Magdeline Stewart
(1913-1953), was a 27-year-old farm laborer. Their only child, Johnnie Kenneth Mitchell (1938-living),
was two years old. Joe Billy’s siblings
were Bertie Lee Mitchell Palmer
(1904-1988), Milburn F. Mitchell
(1907-1966), David Mitchell (1909-1970),
and Rachel Mitchell Sanders.
Joe
Billy died August 9, 1945, at 1:20 p.m. in Gibson County due to a shell
explosion at age 34 years 3 months 4 days.
Magdeline was at work at the Arsenal when the accident happened. Joe Billy’s cousin, Sarah Elizabeth Mitchell Cates (daughter of Milburn F. Mitchell),
said that Magdeline was “driven around” by Arsenal personnel before taking her
home. Joe Billy and Magdeline share a
marker in Shiloh Cemetery in Bradford, Gibson County, TN. She died three days after her 40th
birthday, and she was a machine operator in a garment factory.
Kenneth
was six or seven when his father died, and he was at his aunt’s home when the
accident happened. He learned of his
father’s death when Joe Billy’s carpool co-workers stopped at his aunt’s home
and gave them the news. Kenneth lived
alone after his mother died in 1953. He
graduated from Bradford High School. Kenneth
is married with two sons, Johnny and
David, and four grandchildren. He lives in Downey, California.
Edward Andrew “Edd” Voorhies of Trenton, TN
was born January 5, 1883, in Lewis County, TN to William Edward Voorhies (1847-1929) and Ann Cothran. He was the
grandson of Samuel William Voorhies
(1823-1888) and Sophia Tucker Gullick
(1823-1907) and the great-grandson of David
Voorhies (1793-1874) and Elizabeth
McBride (1798-1844) and James C.
Gullick.
Edd
married Gladys Devasure
(1906-1986). They were the parents of
three daughters and one son: Edythe Sue Voorhies Replogle (1925-1995),
Bernice Voorhies (c 1928-?), Fay B. Voorhies (1931-?), and Fay’s
twin Brown Ray Voorhies
(1931-1983). After Edd and Gladys
divorced, she married Russell Blasingim
(her sister Sherman’s widower).
In
the 1940 US census for Wayne County, Edward was age 57. His marital status was listed as married with
a line through the M and 7 written beside the M which might have meant he was
separated or divorced for seven months.
His occupation was WPA road work.
His four children lived in the household with him.
According
to his death certificate, Edd died August 9, 1945, at 5:00 p.m. in Carroll
County at the age of 62 years 7 months 4 days.
His cause of death was “injury sustained from explosion” and “severe
head injury.” His usual occupation was
production operator. He was
divorced. Burial was held in Banks
Cemetery in Hohenwald, Lewis County, TN.
Frank M. Johnson was born January 21, 1887, in Oklahoma. He married Rae Putman on April 22, 1923, in Dyer County, TN. Rae was born February 17, 1904, in Reelfoot, Lake
County, TN. In the 1930 US
census for Crockett County, TN, Frank (age 50) was a laborer for the State
Highway. Rae (age 26) was a seamstress. Their daughter, Sarah Rae Johnson (age 3), was born circa 1927 in Tennessee. In 1960, Rae was a saleswoman for
Lowenstein’s in Memphis.
Neither
a certificate of death nor an obituary has been located for Frank Johnson. According to his grave marker in
McLemoresville Cemetery, he died August 9, 1945. At the time of his death, he lived in
McLemoresville, TN.
R. V. Johnson of Lexington,
TN was born December 26, 1907, in Henderson County, TN. His parents, Henry Strauder “Cuff” Johnson (1877-1960) and Laura Frances “Sissy” Henderson (1873-1964), were born in
Alabama. R. V.’s siblings were Neva Mae Johnson Baggett Stout
(1898-1971), Della Vay Johnson
(1901-aft 1910), James Henry Johnson
(1903-1991), R. V.’s twin U. V. Johnson
(1907-1909), and Carl Edward Johnson
(1915-1987).
In
the 1930 US census for Henderson County, R. V. was a 22-year-old farmer. He and his new bride, Bessie A. (age 16), lived with his parents. Others in the household and their relationship
to head-of-household Henry Johnson were Carl
E. (son, age 15), Willie F.
(grandson, age 12), Mitchel
(grandson, age 10), and Robbert J.
(grandson, age 7).
R.
V. married Nora Owens on December 5,
1936, in Henderson County. In the 1940
US census for Henderson County, R. V. was a 32-year-old farmer. His household included Nora and their
children, Laura Bell Johnson (age 2)
and James Henry “Bud” Johnson (age 2
months).
According
to his death certificate, R. V. died in Henderson County on August 10 at 1:35
a.m. from injuries sustained in the August 9 accident at Wolf Creek Ordnance
Plant. His age was 37 years 7 months 14
days. The cause of death was “shock” due
to “shell explosion” and “multiple shrapnel wounds about lower
extremities.” His usual occupation was
public work at Wolf Creek Ordnance Plant.
Burial was in Antioch Cemetery in Lexington, Henderson County, TN. He shares a tombstone with his
wife, Nora Mae Owens
(1912-1990). The inscription includes
their names, dates, and “Asleep in Jesus.”
When James
Henry “Bud” Johnson died May 2, 1992, his obituary included two sisters: Laura Roe of
Jackson and Audry Middleton of
Lexington. It is not known to this
writer whether or not Audry was a daughter of R. V. Johnson.
Victor Frank
Bedwell
was born July 25, 1909, in Henderson County, TN. According to a divorce decree, his bonds of
matrimony with Flossie Wood were
“absolutely and forever dissolved” in the Henderson County Circuit Court on
June 17, 1940. He married Cozette Johnson in Henderson County on
June 22, 1940.
The
informant for Victor’s death certificate was Arthur W. Johnson. Victor’s
father was listed as unknown and his mother was listed as Ada Daws or Davis. A family website listed his parents John Harrison Bedwell (1881-1968) and Etta Mae Bedwell (maiden name unknown, 1888-1961)
and brother George L. Bedwell
(1913-1984). In the 1920 census, Victor
was listed as son of John (head of household). Eddie (wife of John) and George (son of John)
were also in the household.
Victor
died August 13, 1945, at 11:36 p.m. in Gibson County, TN from injuries in the
August 9 accident. He was 36 years 0
months 19 days. The cause of death was
pneumonia due to “puncture wound rt chest” and “multiple shrapnel wounds about
body.” At the time of the accident, he
lived in Lexington, Henderson County, TN.
His usual occupation was defense worker at shell loading plant. His wife was Couzetta Bedwell, age 24. Pafford
Funeral Home in Lexington was in charge of funeral services. Burial was in Antioch Cemetery in Lexington
on August 16, 1945.
Chief Medical Officer
Dr.
Robert L. “Bob” Stump Jr. was born
February 13, 1915, to Robert L. Stump
Sr. and Louise Johnston and
raised in Valdosta, GA. He served his
country during World War II as Chief Medical Officer of the Milan Ordnance
Center as a civilian employee of Procter & Gamble in Milan, TN. Eight physicians worked under him. He and his wife Marian lived in a government house on the military reservation, and
he had the same perks or privileges as a captain in the Army. Dr. Stump was thirty years old when the
terrible accident happened in Milan on August 9, 1945.
In
a phone interview on March 13, 2013, Dr. Stump explained that production line C
produced cluster bombs. A cluster bomb
was one large case which held 250 small bombs.
Employees would pack a bomb and latch it closed.
He
was at Clemmer Clinic in Milan when the accident occurred. He was called immediately to go to the
Arsenal. He said there were terrible
injuries. His name is listed as the
physician’s signature on the death certificates for the men who died August
9-13, 1945. However, Dr. Stump said the
signature on the certificates is not his actual signature. Therefore, an assistant must have signed for
him.
The
plant and the hospital on the property were shut down when the armistice was
signed. Everyone was sent home and told
to return two days later. Employees
began being laid off.
He
said the other explosion (1944) involved another chemical that was used to make
TNT.
Dr.
Stump currently lives in Valdosta, GA where he celebrated his 100th
birthday on February 13, 2015. His wife
died circa 1999. They had three
children, five grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren. Dr. Stump said that he has had a good life.
Carroll County
Historian
Rachel Williams
McKinney
is the County Historian for Carroll County.
Mrs. McKinney’s husband, William
Franklin “Billy” McKinney (1917-1994), was a Procter & Gamble mechanic
on production line C. He was not
scheduled to work on August 9, 1945.
Billy and Rachel were planting in their garden when they heard the
explosion. They thought the noise was
probably “ground burn” or “burning ground” from burning off chemical
waste. They were both very upset to
learn that he lost friends and co-workers in the accident. Rachel said the accident happened when a
mechanic working above the production line accidentally dropped a tool onto the
production line.
World War II Ended
On
August 14, 1945 (USA time), Japan announced its surrender; and World War II
officially ended on September 2, 1945.
As the world rejoiced that the war had ended, widows from the Milan
accidents were left to find jobs, learn to drive or find transportation, find
care for their young children, and continue the best they could.
May
we always remember the sacrifices of the brave men and women who worked on the
home front during World War II.
Sources
Tennessee
death certificates:
DC #12673 signed June 30, 1941 – Richard
Ernest Milner – died June 30, 1941
DC
#17872 signed August 4, 1941 – Louis Green Cantrell – died August 4, 1941
DC #5056 signed February 14, 1942 – Solomon
Rufus Haney – died February 13, 1942
DC #4781 signed March 15, 1944 – Walton
Eldridge Abernathy – died March 2, 1944
DC #4778 signed March 7, 1944 – Thomas Aaron
Blankenship – died March 2, 1944
DC #4779 signed March 7, 1944 – Johnnie
McWhirter Blackmon – died March 2, 1944
DC #4780 signed March 4, 1944 – Theotis
Davenport – died March 2, 1944
DC #15778 signed August 11, 1945 – William
Emerson Maness – died August 9, 1945
DC #28927 signed April 30, 1946 – John Dee
Penn Gorman – died August 9, 1945
DC
#16202 signed August 18, 1945 – Floyd “Joe Billy” Mitchell – died August 9,
1945
DC #28948
filed July 12, 1946 – Edward Andrew “Edd” Voorhies – died August
9, 1945
DC has not been located – Frank Johnson –
died August 9, 1945
DC #16553 signed August 23, 1945 – R. V.
Johnson – died August 10, 1945
DC #16208 signed August 14, 1945 – Victor
Frank Bedwell – died August 13, 1945
Divorce
decree: Bedwell
FindAGrave.com memorials and tombstone photos:
Virtual cemetery http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=vcsr&GSvcid=294322
Richard Ernest Milner, memorial #45585254, photo by Stacy Mills Gore
Lewis
Green Cantrell, memorial #94189024, photo by Harriet W. Berry
Rufus Solomon Haney, memorial #67075517,
photo by Keith Haney
Walton E. Abernathy, memorial #47678060,
photo
by Anonymous
Johnnie M. Blackmon, memorial #10785417, photo by Rosemary
Eubanks
Aaron T. Blankenship, memorial #104465379, photo by Sarah Jones
Theotis Davenport, memorial #25323295, photo by Joyce Osborne
John Dee Gorman, memorial #24184964, photo by Cristie Wright
Frank Johnson, memorial #137625246,
photo by Mary Ann Gray, Ties that Bind
R. V. Johnson, memorial #67869858,
photo by Nicki Coffman
William E. Maness, memorial #70970425,
grave marker photo by
Kathy Haney Williams
Floyd Mitchell, memorial #36705286,
photo by Annette Capps Holmes
Edward A. Voorhies, memorial #91019968,
photo by Cheryle Luzack
Marriage
records: Bedwell, Blankenship, Haney, Maness
Obituaries in The Jackson Sun:
March 3, 1944 – Johnnie M. Blackmon, Aaron
Blankenship
August 10, 1945 – William Maness, J. D. Penn
Gorman
Interviews
via phone and/or e-mails in 2013-2015:
Dr. Robert L. Stump, Jr. of Valdosta, GA (Chief
Medical Officer at Wolf Creek Ordnance Plant)
Rachel Williams McKinney (Carroll County, TN
Historian)
Keith Haney (grandson of Solomon Haney)
Rachel Maness Haney and Gilbert Ray “Gil”
Maness (daughter and son of William Maness)
Johnnie Kenneth Mitchell (son of Floyd
Mitchell)
Sarah Elizabeth Mitchell Singleton Cates
(relative of Floyd Mitchell)
Diane Reasons (daughter-in-law of Penn
Gorman’s niece) and Randy Gorman (great-nephew)
Brenda Pollard Scoville (researched
Abernathy, Cantrell, Davenport, Johnson, and Voorhies)
Rosemary Wall Eubanks (niece of Johnnie
Blackmon)
Newspapers:
The
Jackson Sun, June 30, 1941 – submitted by Jimmy Wilkins, TN Room Volunteer,
JMCL
The
Jackson Sun, March 2-6, 1944; and August 9-12, 1945
The
Lexington Progress, August 17, 1945, from Crossing the Dark River,
Henderson County, Tennessee, Obituaries 1827-1950 by Brenda Kirk Fiddler
The Milan Exchange, March 2 and 9,
1944, and August 9, 1945
Yesterday’s
Tennessee:
United
States census records: Bedwell, Blankenship, Davenport, Gorman,
Haney, Maness, Voorhies
Wolf
Creek Ordnance Plants: http://brentcoleman.tripod.com/index-building.html
~ ~
~ ~ ~
The Jackson Sun, August 9, 1945
(afternoon delivery on the day of the accident)
The Jackson Sun, August 10, 1945
This article was researched and written in memory of my grandfather, William Emerson Maness (1909-1945).
~ Katherine Haney Williams ~
The final resting places for the fourteen men who died at Wolf Creek Ordnance Plant during World War II
(Thank you to the photographers who are credited below each photograph.)
(Thank you to the photographers who are credited below each photograph.)
United States Army Ammunition Plant ~ Milan Arsenal
Milan, Gibson County/Carroll County, Tennessee ~ 2013
Copyright
© Katherine Haney Williams 2015
All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction
in whole or in part in any form.
in whole or in part in any form.
Remember the brave men, women, and children who sacrificed
on the home front during World War II. Thank you.
~ Katherine Haney Williams ~
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