Wayne County NcArchives Military Records.....Potts, Paul Leslie WWII - Enlistment ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/nc/ncfiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Guy Potts http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00017.html#0004214 Paul Leslie Potts was born September 1, 1920 to Jasper Monroe Potts and wife Vida Viola Walker of Brogden Township in Wayne County. He was one of three sons and two daughters born into this family. In the 1940 Wayne County census he was shown as an unpaid family worker, marital status single and highest grade completed 4th year high school. He is said to have been one of the bus drivers at Brogden School and entertained his passengers with his rough driving. His 1946 death certificate states he was married to Harriet Branch. No other marital information is known or what happened to Harriet. Paul died May 20, 1946 and is buried at Emmaus Baptist Church, Brogden Township, Wayne County. --------- Fold3 Paul Leslie Potts Muster Roll of the Crew of the U.S.S. Chester Service Number: 262 65 41 Present Rating: Sea2c [Seaman 2nd Class] Date of Enlistment: 26 Aug 40 Date first received on board: 12/13/40 --------- Ancestry.com Paul Leslie Potts US World War II Muster Rolls: Ship, Station or Activity: Chester Ship number or Designation: CA-27 Muster date: 30 Sep 1941 Muster date: 19 Dec 1941 Muster date: 31 Dec 1941; Sea2c Muster date: 31 Mar 1942 Muster date: 11 Jun 1942 Muster date: 30 Jun 1942 Muster date: 30 Sep 1942 Muster date: 25 Dec 1942; this page has his name twice: 1 - S1c [Seaman 1st Class] 2 - GM3c [Gunner's Mate 3rd Class] His 1946 tombstone indicates he was Gunner's Mate 1st Class --------- World War II Database - https://ww2db.com/ship_spec.php?ship_id=873 "When the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on 7 Dec 1941, Chester was at sea as part of the Enterprise task group returning to Hawaii from Wake Island. Chester then spent six weeks patrolling Hawaiian waters before sailing in support of landings on Samoa and Taroa in the Marshall Island. As Chester retired from Taroa she suffered her first casualties of the war when an aerial bomb struck Chester's well deck that killed eight and injured 38. After repairs, Chester sailed again and in May 1942 she saw action off Guadalcanal and Tulagi in the Solomon Islands, Misima Island in the Solomon Sea, and offered anti-aircraft protection for the carriers during the Battle of the Coral Sea. The Chester then took aboard 478 survivors from the doomed aircraft carrier USS Lexington (Lexington-class) and delivered them to Tonga. Chester briefly returned to the west coast of the United States before rejoining the fight in the Ellice Islands. On 20 Oct 1942, while cruising in support of the operations in the Solomons, Chester was struck by a torpedo fired from Japanese submarine I-176. The torpedo exploded on Chester's starboard side amidships, killing eleven and wounding twelve. Chester remained afloat and made her own way to Espiritu Santo for preliminary repairs. While there, the luxury liner SS President Coolidge, which had been converted into a troopship, hit two mines while entering the harbor and had to be beached. The order to abandon ship was given aboard the President Coolidge and Chester sent all her small boats to assist in the rescue, eventually taking aboard 440 survivors..." --------- Wilson Daily Times - May 20, 1946 Goldsboro, NC, May 20 - AP Paul Leslie Potts, 26, GM First Class, died at Goldsboro Hospital at 4 a.m. Monday. He was found on the white line in the middle of the highway near Calypso in a dying condition at four thirty Sunday morning by J. R. Price of Goldsboro who was returning home from Calypso where he runs a filling station. Price notified policeman Charlie Barwick at Mount Olive who called Duplin County Deputy Sheriff R. M. Byrd. Deputy Byrd said there was no sign on the road indicating he had been struck by a car. Byrd was told by Potts' parents, Mr. and Mrs. Jasper M. Potts of Dudley, that their son left home about midnight saying he "was going to walk out awhile." It was 12 miles from his home two miles east of the Brogden School to the spot where he was found Byrd said. Death Certificate states acute brain injury; cereberal hemmorage, depressed fracture; accident occurred in Duplin County; pedestrian - auto. --------- Washington [NC] Daily News Newspaper May 21, 1946 Death of Potts Is Investigated An inquest into the death of Paul Leslie Potts, 26 year old gunner's mate, first class, US Navy, who was found lying on the highway near Calypso Sunday in a critical condition, will be held May 29, it was announced today. Meanwhile it was reported that the Navy plans to conduct its own investigation into Potts death and that his funeral would be postponed pending its completion. Potts died early Monday morning in a local hospital after being found on the highway by J. R. Price of Goldsboro who was returning from Calypso where he operates a filling station. The sailor had a four inch gash on his left temple, a compound fracture of the skull, and brush marks on the shoulder. --------- Statesville [NC] Landmark May 23, 1946 Sailor's Death Seems Mystery Goldsboro, May 21 - Duplin county officers are trying to find out what caused the death of a 26 year old sailor. Paul Leslie Potts was found on a highway near Calypso Sunday with a gash across his temple and cheek. He died today in a hospital at Goldsboro. Deputy Sheriff R. M. Byrd says there was no sign on the road to indicate that Potts had been hit by a car. The dead man's parents, Mr. and Mrs. Jasper Potts, say he left home about midnight to go for a walk. Potts body was found about 12 miles from his home. Navy officials have requested a delay in the funeral arrangements until they can investigate circumstances of the sailor's death. The victim survivors include a brother, the Rev. Rufus F. Potts of Wake Forest College. --------- Kenansville Duplin Times May 24, 1946 Wayne County Seaman Found in Dying Condition Highway Calypso Paul Leslie Potts Dies of Injuries; Coroner's Inquest be held Wed. Paul Leslie Potts, 26, gunner's mate, 1c, USN, son of Mr. and Mrs. Jasper M. Potts of Dudley, died in the Goldsboro Hospital at 4 a.m. Monday. He was found in a dying condition lying in the middle of the highway near Calypso at 4:30 Sunday morning by J. R. Price of Goldsboro who runs a filling station in Calypso. Price notified Policeman Charlie Barwick of Mt. Olive who called Deputy Sheriff R. M. Byrd of this county. The found Potts with a gash three or four inches long across his left temple and a bruise on his right cheek. Hospital attaches said Potts also had a compound fracture on the skull and brush burns on the shoulder. Deputy Byrd said there was no sign on the road indicating that the sailor had been struck by an automobile. The young man's parents told officers that their son left home about midnight Saturday saying he was going to walk out a while. He was found 12 miles from home. Coroner Ralph J. Jones of Duplin County carried a jury to view the body. An inquest will be held in Warsaw this coming Wednesday. File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/nc/wayne/military/ww2/enlistment/potts103nmt.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.net/ncfiles/ File size: 7.2 Kb