Orrin F. Crankshaw

Captain Orrin Crankshaw at their parents home in Lyndhurst,NJ, 1943

CAPTAIN ORRIN F. CRANKSHAW was killed in action in Germany, February 23, 1945. Born at Lyndhurst, N. J., December 24, 1910, Orrin prepared at Rutherford High School, and at Dartmouth was a member of the Phi Kappa Sigma fraternity, and a pre-medical student. He got his M.D. at Cornell University in 1935, interned at the New Haven Hospital, taught medicine at Yale, and joined the army in 1942 with the Yale Medical Unit. This unit staffed the 39th General Hospital at New Zealand and later at Guadalcanal, where Orrin was stricken with malaria. After several months of hospitalization in this country, Orrin went to England in February, 1944, took part in the D-day invasion of France, and subsequently won the Bronze Star for courage in the treatment of wounded under fire. He also held the Purple Heart, though he continued his duties despite wounds sustained in a mine explosion. Orrin is survived by his wife Adeline, his parents, a brother, Lt. Allan Crankshaw, USMCR, and five sisters.

 

The Herald-News
Passaic, New Jersey
12 Mar 1945, Mon  •  Page 11
 
The Record
Hackensack, New Jersey
17 Mar 1945, Sat  •  Page 2
 
The Courier-News,  31 Jul 1944, Mon,  Main Edition,  Page 13
 
The Courier-News,  16 Mar 1945, Fri,  Main Edition,  Page 15
 
 
 
Captain Crankshaw's grave in Foy, Belgium
 
 

Orrin F. Crankshaw

Service # O-471135

Captain, U.S. Army

69th Tank Battalion, 6th Armored Division
MED UNIT 39TH GEN HOSP 101ST MED REGT

Entered Service From: Virginia

Date of Death: February 23, 1945

Buried: Arlington National Cemetery 

Arlington County

Awards: Purple Heart, Bronze Star