William Talmage Head ^{1 2 3}

  General Notes:

Talmage's WWII army enlistment record showed that he had 4 years of college. His civilian occupation was teacher and instructor. He was single, without dependents. He lived in Brown County, Texas. He came in from the National Guard as a sergeant.

Excerpt from Mills County Memories:
On Sundays, Sunday school and church were in order, but Sunday afternoons were time to pay. Gerald and Lendon had made their entry into the family and joined whatever part they could play. Hollis and Howard Blackwell and many other boys came to play. The boys used china berry limbs for vaulting poles, a jumping pit with no sand, boxing gloves, baseballs and bats, footballs and basketballs.

Those Sunday afternoons influenced Talmage and Wilson to play high school football in Goldthwaite then college football at Daniel Baker, afterwards making coaches. Talmage coached from 1935 until drafted by the National Guard. He gave his life in combat in 1944 leaving a widow, Najala Kawaja from Nova Scotia, Canada and a small son, William Talmage, Jr., who now lives in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Najala later married Jim Ryan who lived in Canada.

Lt Head, Former Talpa Coach
Coleman, Jan. 19--Back in the middle 1930's youthful W. Talmage Head came out of Daniel Baker College at Brownwood with an enviable reputation as an athlete.

One of his first positions after graduation was that of teacher and coach at Talpa High School, under his old friend, Supt. Glynn Mitchell.

Coach Head had better than average success with his basketball team. He not only won most of his games but made many friends for himself at Talpa and over this area.

The popular coach was offered a better proposition at Strawn and moved on to it. The boys he had coached soon assumed their various duties in life.

Then Adolph Hitler began his screaming talks in Germany. War clouds began to get blacker and blacker until early in September, 1939, Germany invaded Poland and the great World War was on.

The war's casualty list includes the name of 1st. Lt. W. Talmage Head, 30, and four of his former basketball players as well as two other Talpa boys.

Lt. Head was killed in action in France on Dec. 8, 1944. He was a member of the 142nd. Infantry of the 36th Division and had taken part in the Salerno and Anzio invasions, and later was at Rome and in France. His wife and a two-year-old child survive.

Gave His Life
Lt. William Talmage Head killed in action on December 8, 1944, somewhere in France, was the son of Mr. and Mrs. W. Wesley Head. Lt. Head was reared in Mills County and graduated from Goldthwaite High School in 1930 and from Daniel Baker College in 1935. For four years in the Talpa High School and was in his second term at Strawn when he resigned and volunteered for service.

Lt. Head was a member of the Methodist church, having joined the church when a small boy.

In January 1942 Miss Najala Kawaja and Lt. William Talmage Head were married in North Caroline. Mrs. Head was a nurse before her marriage.

To this union a son was born January 20, 1943. Mrs. Head and son, William Talmage, resides with her parents, Mr. and Mrs. S. Kawaja, at North Sydney, Nova Scotia. Lt. Head has a brother, Pvt. Lendon Head, who is with the Field Artillary somewhere in France.
___________________________

Goldthwaite Eagle, 22 December 1944:
First Lieut Wm T. Head Killed in Action in France

The following telegram from the War Department was received yesterday by the wife of Lieutenant Head. He was the son of Mr. and Mrs. W. W. Head, formerly of Center City but now of Goldthwaite. Lieut. Head enlisted in the service at the time the National Guard mobilized for war in the 36th Division at Camp Bowie, Brownwood.

He went overseas in March, 1943, and was commanding Company A, 142nd Infantry, at the time he was killed.

His wife and son, Billie, are in North Sidney, Nova Scotia.

Washington, D.C. December 21, 1944
Mrs. Najala A. Head,
Goldthwaite, Texas.
The Secretary of War desires me to express his deep regret that your husband, First Lieut. William T. Head, was killed in action on eight December in France. Letter follows.
Dunlop,
Acting The Adjutant General
_____________________________

State of Texas
Adjutant General's Department
19 February, 1945
General Orders
T.N.G.No.6

In Memoriam

1. The Adjutant General announces with sorrow the death of 1st Lieutenant William Talmage Head, Infantry, of the United States, a former non-commissioned officer of Service Company, 142nd Infantry, 36th Division, Texas National Guard, who was killed in action in the European Area on 8th December 1944.
2. Lieutenant Head was born in Goldthwaite, Texas, on 27 August 1912. He received his education in Texas, graduating from Grammar and High Schools and finishing four years of College. He also satisfactorily completed the 15th Officers Maintainance Course at the Infantry School, Fort Benning, Georgia, for the period 26 June to 22 September 1942. His civilian occupation was that of teacher, which profession he followed for five years.
3. Lieutenant Head enlisted at Brownwood, Texas, in company A, 142 Infantry Regiment, 36th Division, Texas National Guard on 17 March 1932, serving with this Regiment until his induction into Active Federal Service, 25 November 1940 as a Sergeant. On May 1941 he accepted temporary appointment as Second Lieutenant, Infantry, Army of the United States, promoted 1st Lieutenant, Army of the United States, 16 January 1943. As a soldier he has an efficiency rating of "Superior".
4. The Military Forces of the Nation and State morn the loss of a splendid soldier and citizen. The Adjutant General wishes to extend to the members of his family and Comrades-in-arms condolence in this hour of bereavement.
By Orders of the Governor; Arthur B. Knickerbocker
Brigadier General
The Adjutant general
Official Seal
________________________________

William was originally buried in a military cemetery in Eastern France. His death was reported in the Suffolk County, Massachusetts, records. He may have deployed from there, or his family may have resided there for a time. Boston is the major city in that county.

Goldthwaite Eagle, 10 December 1948:
Reburial here next Tuesday for Lieut. William T. Head

Reburial services for Lt. William Talmage Head, who was killed in action in France on December 8, 1944, will be conducted at the First Methodist Church in Goldthwaite on next Tresday, December 14, at 2:30 p.m. The Rev. M. D. Lowry, pastor, and the Rev. Joseph L. Emery, pastor of the First Baptist Church, will be in charge of the services. Interment will follow in the Goldthwaite Memorial Cemetery, with the American Legion and VFW Posts in charge at the graveside.

His body arrived in the United States from Europe on November 17 aboard the U.S. Army Transport Carroll Victory.

William Talmage Head, son of Mr. and Mrs. W. W. Head of Goldthwaite, entered the Army on November 25, 1940, and was sent, to Europe in April, 1943. He fought in Africa and Italy with the 36th Division, and held rank of First Lieutenant when he was killed in action in France on December 8, 1944. He was 32 years old at the time of death, and was awarded the Purple Heart posthumously.

Lieutenant Head was reared in Mills County and graduated from the Goldthwaite High School in 1930 and from Daniel Baker College in 1936. He was coach of the Talpa High School for four years, and was in his second term as coach at Strawn High School when the National Guard was called to the colors. In January, 1943, he and Miss Najala Kawaya, a nurse, were married in North Carolina.

Survivors include the widow and son, Billy; parents, Mr. and Mrs. Wesley W. Head of Goldthwaite; and four brothers, Chester and Gerald C. Head of Goldthwaite, Wilson Head of Denver City, and Lendon Head of Hamilton County. ^{3 5 6 7}

  Additional Information:

• Military Service: as First Lieutenant, US Army, 142nd Infantry, 36th Division, Antitank Company, Between 15 Nov 1940 and 8 Dec 1944, World War II. ^{8 9 10} His service number was 0-415775.

William married Najala Angela Kawaja in Jan 1942 in North Carolina. (Najala Angela Kawaja was born on 24 Oct 1919 in North Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada ¹¹ and died before May 2014.)