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Colt Model 1911 serial number 108583. One of 1,904
pistols shipped to Commanding Officer, Springfield Armory,
Springfield, Massachusetts on March 13, 1915. A Colt .22-.45
Service Model Conversion Unit Serial Number U1333
accompanies this pistol. Pistol was issued to Staff
Sergeant Howard L. Pugh, Company C, 752nd Tank
Battalion.
Conversion Unit
U1333 was shipped March 6, 1942 in a shipment of 11
units to Richmond Hardware Co, Richmond, VA for The Adjutant
General of Virginia, Commonwealth of VA Warehouse, Richmond,
VA.
Colt Model 1911 serial number
108583 - left side.
Original barrel with separate "P" and "H" .
The "P" is a proof mark and the "H" is
the provisional inspection mark of Francis L. Hosmer
from serial numbers 101 - 710000, with the exception of
serial numbers 133187 - 137400.
The mark of Army Inspector of Ordnance Major Gilbert H.
Stewart. Stewart inspected these pistols from September
30, 1914 - January 12, 1918. Serial numbers of Model 1911
pistols inspected 101500 - 230000.
 Before
World War II, Captain Pugh was a company commander in
Company "A" of the Richmond Light Infantry Blues (Co. 31,
3rd Battalion, Virginia State Guard) He resigned that post
at the outset of the war and enlisted in the U.S. Army.
During the war, he was in the tank corps and attained the
rank of staff sergeant.
Staff Seargent Howard L. Pugh in Milano, Italy during World
War II.
Staff Sergeant Pugh, Company C, 752nd Tank Battalion,
Gorizia, Italy - Army Day, 1946.
This photo was taken by someone who photographed quite a
few of the 752nd tanks as they passed by the church one by
one. The photo is almost a carbon copy of others I've seen,
and they are all taken from the exact same vantage point. A
few years ago one of my Italian researchers who lives in
Gorizia identified the church as San Ignazio in Gorizia, in
the area of the city known as Piazza Vittoria. The main
building of the Allied Military Government was located in
this square. The photo was taken during a massive parade
roughly marking the 1-year anniversary of the end of the war
in Italy. It was taken on what they called Army Day on April
6, 1946. The 752nd records in the National Archives indicate
that the entire battalion took place in this parade, along
with the 88th Infantry Division. (Source: Robert
Holt (http://www.752ndtank.com)
Staff Sergeant Pugh, Company C, 752nd Tank Battalion,
Gorizia, Italy.
Staff Sergeant Howard L. Pugh's Honorable Discharge, 25
July, 1946.
Rite Planned for Ex-official of Candy
Firm
A funeral for Howard Latham Pugh, a retired executive
vice president of the former R.H. Hardesty Candy Co., will
be held tomorrow at 2 p.m. at Westover Hills United
Methodist Church, 1705 Westover Hills. Blvd.
Burial will follow in Oakwood Cemetery.
Mr. Pugh died yesterday at age 75. He was a Richmond
resident.
He attended Richmond Public Schools and also the Virginia
Mechanics Institute in Richmond.
Before
World War II, Mr. Pugh was a company commander in the
Virginia Light Infantry Blues. He resigned that post at the
outset of the war and enlisted in the U.S. Army. During the
war, he was in the tank corps and attained the rank of staff
sergeant.
He began work with the R.H. Hardesty Candy Co. in the 1940s
and was promoted to executive vice president in 1964, a post
he held until his retirement.
Mr. Pugh was a past president of the Richmond Sales
Representatives Association and a past member of the
executive board of Sales and Marketing Executives of
Richmond. He also was a member of the National Confectioners
Association.
He served as a district commissioner for the Boy Scouts of
America.
Mr. Pugh was an active member of Westover Hills United
Methodist Church for 41 years.
Survivors include his wife, Mrs. Jean Satterfield Pugh; a
son, Howard Latham Pugh Jr. of Richmond; a daughter, Mrs.
Martha P. George of Richmond; and a grandson. The family
suggests that memorial contributions may be made to the
American Cancer Society. |
