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Home State
North Carolina | |
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Year of Birth
1919 |
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This Military Service Page was created/owned by
Cpl Richard Campfield (gyrene79)
to remember
Marine Capt Thomas Boardway Royster.
If you knew or served with this Marine and have additional information or photos to support this Page, please leave a message for the Page Administrator(s) HERE.
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Casualty Info
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Home Town
Raleigh |
Last Address
530 N. Blount
Raleigh, NC
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Casualty Date
Nov 22, 1943 |
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Cause
Hostile, Died |
Reason
Other Explosive Device |
Location
Kiribati |
Conflict
Not Specified |
Location of Interment
Courts of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial - Honolulu, Hawaii |
Wall/Plot Coordinates
Not Specified |
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1938-1938, 0311, Platoon Leaders Class (Cadre)
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1938-1941, 0311, Marine Barracks Quantico, VA
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1941-1941, 0301, Marine Barracks Quantico, VA
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1941-1942, 1801, Amphibian Tractor Detachment, Dunedin Marine Base
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1942-1943, 1803, 2nd Assault Amphibian (Amtrac) Bn (2nd AAV Bn)
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Last Known Activity
Colonel Joseph H. Alexander's book, 'Utmost Savagery: the three days of Tarawa'
Betio remained a deadly island for both sides until the bitter end. Capt. Thomas B. Royster, USMC commanding Baker Company, 2d Amphibian Tractor Battalion, had one of the few remaining operational LVTs. Learning that both 1/6 and 3/6 were short of ammunition along the south coast, Royster offered to make the delivery. Cpl. Lambert Lane, a radio operator from Forest, Mississippi, volunteered to drive. Other volunteers manned the machine guns. For some reason, Royster decided not to cross the island and follow the trace of the two landing teams. Presumably, all amtrackers by then knew of the mines along Green Beach from the explosion that destroyed one of 1/6s two LVTs the evening of D+1. Royster look the water route, regardless, and traversed the shallows off Green Beach without incident. As the LVT rounded the southwest point and proceeded along Black Beach, however, it struck one of the horned anti-boat mines. The tremendous explosion killed both Lane and Royster and wounded the others severely. Lieutenant Ward, who had already witnessed the violent deaths of fellow amtrac, officers Major Drewes, Capt. Little, and Warrant Officer Benard Shealy, saw the fireball that killed Royster and Lane. Ward and his men buried Royster in a solitary grave near the junction of Black and Green Beaches. Ironically, the Marine Corps had just notified Royster's family of his promotion to major. He was the brother of Vermont Royster, editor of the Wall Street Journal for two decades.
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Comments/Citation
ROYSTER, Thomas B, Captain, O-006726, USMC, from North Carolina, Honolulu Memorial + ROYSTER, Thomas B, CAPT, O-006726, USMC, from North Carolina, location Gilbert Islands, date of loss November 22, 1943 + ROYSTER, Thomas Broadway, 6726, CoB, 2ndAmphTracBn, 2ndMarDiv, FMF, Gilbert Is, November 22, 1943, killed in action + ROYSTER, Thomas B., Captain, USMCR. Wife, Mrs. Thomas B. Royster, 530 N. Blount, Raleigh, NC
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