|
STAFF SERGEANT ROBERT F.
MILES was born in 1924 to William and Anna Miles. William was plumbing
contractor, and by 1930 the family had bought a house at at 416 Webster Street in Camden NJ.
Robert was the oldest child, his brother Joseph came in 1927 and William
in September of 1929. Robert Miles grew up on Webster
Street, his next door neighbor at 414 Webster was Stanley
Bezich. William and Anna Miles were both active members of the
Eighth Ward Democratic Club, which had its headquarters at 512 Ferry
Avenue in the late 1930s.
Staff Sergeant Miles was a
member of the 262nd Infantry Regiment, 66th Infantry Division. He was
aboard the transport SS Leopoldville
when she was torpedoed and sunk on the night of December 24, 1944. Also
lost that night was Private First
Class Edward E. Benson, of Camden NJ. Of the 2,235 men aboard the SS
Leopoldville, 516 GIs were missing and presumed drowned, and
another 248 died from injuries, drowning, and hypothermia. Robert Miles
was among the missing. His death was reported in the March 29, 1945 edition of the Camden
Courier-Post. The Miles family was still living at 416 Webster Street as
late as 1956. |
