Harry Cecil Dyer and Margaret Russell

-A Story of Harry Cecil Dyer

Harry Cecil Dyer, “Cecil”, was born on Tuesday May 16th, 1916 in West Blocton Alabama. His father, Carl, was an Engineer at a local coal mine and his mother, Myrtle, was a home maker who took care of Cecil and his three brothers and two sisters.

Cecil grew up in Blocton and attended the local schools and he graduated from Blocton High School in 1934. There is no information on Cecil during this time and particularly what it was like growing up in a rural Alabama town during the depression. I would imagine that although it would have been hard in the sense that all the family members would have to worked very hard to ensure that each member had the sustenance needed to survive, I believe that it would have been a time that brought families and communities closer together.

On October 11th, 1940, Cecil registered for the draft with the Bibb County Draft Board. He lists his employer as M. Martin, and it states that Cecil was six foot tall and weight a slender 154 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes. I am sure that he was quite the Southern gentleman. The 1940 Census shows Cecil living at home and working as a salesman at a retail grocery establishment. It most likely during this time that a relationship that Cecil had started to flourish. At some point, maybe during some community event, Cecil and a girl named Margaret met and started a relationship. Margaret was from Marvel, which is about twelve miles down the way from West Blocton. Despite the distance, it is clear that Cecil and Margaret found in each other that youthful type of love that brings butterflies to your stomach and can make you feel like you’re walking on air.

I wounder what the situation was that Cecil first heard of the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7th, 1941. Was he working in the grocery store, trying to save money for his and Margaret’s future or was he sitting at home with Margaret listening to the radio? I am not sure, but I do know that the country was thunderstruck with the shock that we had been attacked and the United States was now at war. Americans overwhelmingly responded with the level of dedication and commitment that comes from being patriotic to the bone. I cannot imagine that the residents of the small town of West Blocton Alabama reacted in any other way. Cecil obviously felt that way as he was inducted into the United States Army on January 12th, 1942, five weeks after Pearl Harbor.

Cecil took his basic training and was assigned to the Armor Corps, which means that he was going to be a tanker. Cecil received his specialty training and learned all about the US Army’s tanks. In must have been after Cecil completed his specialty training or M.O.S. training and was promoted to the rank of Corporal. He was able to obtain leave and returned home to West Blocton and married the love of his life, Margaret. There is not much information on this event, but I am sure that this time was full of love and hopes for the future.

In December of 1942, we know that Cecil was assigned to Company C, 741st Tank Battalion and that he was training at Camp Young in Indio California. A month later, Cecil’s unit had moved to Camp Polk Louisiana for additional training.

In October of 1943, Cecil and his unit were moved overseas to England, where he trained in preparation for the invasion of France. Cecil was trained on the M4 Sherman “DD” Tank. This famous variation was the “Duplex Drive,” or DD, tank, a Sherman equipped with extendable and collapsible skirts that made it buoyant enough to be launched from a landing craft and make its way to shore under propeller power. It must have become apparent that Cecil was going to be in the initial wave for the Invasion of France. Cecil was promoted to Sergeant and most likely had a command position on one of his unit’s tanks.

Towards the end of May 1944, Cecil and his unit moved to staging areas along the coast of England. They located their tanks aboard the ships that would transport them across the English Channel and to the invasion beaches. Cecil’s Company C was assigned to land and support the 3rd Battalion, 16th Infantry of the 1st Infantry Division on a section of Omaha Beach.

What happened to Cecil on the morning of June 6th, 1944 is best described in an article posted in 2012 on the website: https://everytownusa.com/world-war-ii/d-day-741st-tank-battalion-at-omaha-beach, which states:

“At approximately H-60 (One hour prior to the invasion) on D-Day, the LCT (Landing Craft Tank) bearing the DD tanks of companies B and C were in position off Beach Omaha at a distance of approximately 6000 yards from the beach. Co. B was commanded by Capt. James G. Thornton, Jr. (and) Co. C (Cecil’s Company) by Capt. Charles R. Young. Capt. Thornton succeeded in contacting Capt. Young by radio and the two commanders discussed the advisability of launching the DD tanks, the sea being extremely rough, much rougher than the tanks had ever operated in during their preparatory training. Both commanders agreed that the advantage to be gained by the launching of the tanks justified the risk of launching the tanks in the heavy sea. Accordingly, orders were issued for the launching of the tanks at approximately H-50 (50 minutes prior to the invasion troops landing).

Some of the LCT’s were not in their assigned position and it was necessary to launch without visual contact between company commanders and platoon leaders with units.

Co. C (Cecil’s Company) were launched and proceeded to shore. In most cases the sea was so rough that the DD’s were damaged after proceeding a very short distance toward the shore. This damage consisted largely of broken struts, torn canvasses and improperly functioning engines which had been clogged with sea water which had flooded the engine compartment. All the tanks of Co. C were sunk at distances varying in 1000 and 5000 yards from shore. Some of the crews escaped from their tanks and gained the surface of the water where they were picked up by small craft and taken to larger landing craft.”

Cecil was not one of the survivors.

On Tuesday June 6th, 1944, in the cold waters off Omaha Beach, Harry Cecil Dyer lost his life. Initially Margaret and Cecil’s family would have received a telegram listing Cecil as “Missing in Action”. But I September of 1944, Margaret received a telegram from the War Department that said, “THE SECRETERY OF WAR DESIRES ME TO EXPRESS HIS DEEP REGRET THAT YOUR HUSBAND SERGEANT HARRY C. DYER WAS KILLED IN ACTION ON SIX JUNE N FRANCE…”

The heartbreak that must have been felt by Margaret and Cecil’s family is unimaginable. I am sure that the community rallied together around Margaret and the Dyer family and a memorial was planned for October 8th, 1944. A person, who had obviously been touched in their life by Cecil, wrote an anonymous letter to the local paper, The Blocton Enterprise, about the memorial and Cecil as a person. It was published on Thursday, November 9th, 1944:

“Memorial Services were held at Mt. Carmel Baptist Church, Sunday, October 8th for Sgt. Harry Cecil Dyer who was killed in action in France on June 6th. The Services were one of the best memorials we have had and was attended by a very large crowd. The Church was beautifully decorated with cut flowers. The citation was presented to his wife, Mrs. Margaret R. Dyer.

Cecil was one of Blocton’s finest boys. He numbered his friends by the score and was loved by all that knew him. He was a good, quiet and home loving boy, but was willing to go and do his part. He did all he could and gave his life for the sake of his country and loved ones. Cecil will be greatly missed by his family and his many friends. He will be remembered as one that always had a smile for everyone he met.

He is survived by his wife, father and mother, Mr. and Mrs. Carl Dryer, two sisters, Virginia and Evelyn, two brothers, Vernon and Gordon, who are serving overseas.

Signed-A Friend.”

Cecil’s broken-hearted mother, Myrtle, wrote a poem to Cecil’s on the one year anniversary of his death. It was published in the paper, “The Centreville Press”, on Thursday June 7th 1945, and states:

“Darling Cecil how we miss you, no one will ever know. We know you were willing, but it broke our hearts to see you go. We know you loved your friends and your family too! But you so bravely left them to fight for the Red, White and Blue.

Home has been so lonely since you went away. I am sure that you have a better home, and we will meet you again someday.

We will never forget that awful day June 6th, nineteen hundred forty-four when you so bravely left the boat but failed to reach the shore.

You gave you life in the Channel as did many of our hero sons, to open the way for our victory that we have won, and son, to give you up don’t seem like we can, but God promised us not to put more on us than we can stand.

Your place will always be vacant and can never be filled, and it grieves us so that you had to go but we know that it was God’s will. And we want his will to be done, weather it be great or small and when the master spoke, you gently heeded his call.

-Mother”

Cecil’s body was recovered from the cold waters of the English Channel and placed in a temporary grave in a Military Cemetery. In March of 1949, Cecil was transported to his home of West Blocton Alabama, and a graveside service planned.

On Friday April 1st, 1949, Harry Cecil Dyer was placed into his final resting place in the Mount Carmel Cemetery. Reverend J.T. Swan officiated the service and members of the American Legion of Marvel served as pall bearers and rendered military honors. A twenty-one-gun salute was rendered as Taps was played in the distance. The flag that draped over Cecil’s coffin was caringly folded with military precision and given to Margaret.

I am thankful that there were people like Cecil who gave their life for our country. I am also thankful that Margaret, Cecil’s mother, Myrtle, and all of those who knew and loved Cecil, suffered his loss for our freedom.

Rest easy soldier for you are honored for your service and sacrifice for our country and you will not be forgotten.

Story by Troy Burnett April 16th, 2021

This brief biography was written for the Stories Behind the Stars Project which is a national group of volunteers with the goal to preserve a written memorial on Fold3.com for all 400,000+ soldiers that were fallen during WWII. The hope is that eventually a smartphone app will be developed that will allow people to scan a soldier's gravestone and be able to access his/her story.

PLEASE LOOK AT THE ATTACHED PHOTOS IN THE GALLERY SECTION OF THIS MEMORIAL

References:

https://www.honorstates.org/index.php?id=368282

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/117722497/harry-c-dyer

https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/21576666/person/19656653466/facts?_phsrc=ywT4995&_phstart=successSource

https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/2442/images/m-t0627-00004-00501?pId=64039921

https://www.newspapers.com/search/#query=Harry+Cecil+Dyer&p_county=bibb+county%2C+alabama

http://www.americandday.org/D-Day/741st_Tank_Battalion-Order_of_battle.html

http://globeatwar.com/blog-entry/us-741st-and-743rd-tank-battalions-omaha-beach

https://everytownusa.com/world-war-ii/d-day-741st-tank-battalion-at-omaha-beach

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