Name:
John Cridland Latham
Rank:
Sergeant
Serial Number:
Unit:
107th Infantry Regiment, 27th Division
Date of Death:
1975-11-05
State:
New Jersey
Cemetery:
Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, VA
Plot:
Section 35
Row:
Grave:
1127
Decoration:
Medal of Honor, Purple Heart, French Croix de Guerre w bronze palm
Comments:
Born 3 March 1888 in Windermere, England and emigrated to the US. He joined the Army from Rutherford, NJ. On 29 Sept 1918 near Le Catelet in northeastern France, he and two other soldiers, Sergeant Alan L. Eggers and Corporal Thomas E. O'Shea, left cover to rescue the crew of a disabled American tank. O'Shea was killed in the process, but Latham and Eggers successfully defended the wounded tank crewmen from German fire all day and carried them to the safety of the Allied lines after nightfall. For this action, all three soldiers were awarded the Medal of Honor. Latham passed away at the age of 87 and is buried in the Arlington National Cemetery.