One day in 2016, while shuffling through the contents of his grandfather’s attic in the foothills of France’s Vosges mountains, Florian Crouvezier discovered an unexpected treasure: a dented WWII aluminum canteen.
Florian’s grandfather, a railway worker, had found it in the late 70s along the tracks between the towns of Cornimont and Remiremont, but he knew nothing more about its history. The canteen’s only clues were several hand-engraved words and images, among which were the diagonal striped insignia of the U.S. Army 3rd Infantry Division, an Army serial number, and the name “Roy Gallagher.”
“With this initial information,” Florian said,* “I began researching on the net, telling myself that you can find everything there these days. Maybe even the descendants of this mysterious Roy Gallagher. I didn’t know then that I was embarking on a two year-long passion project.”
Florian first contacted the Epinal American Cemetery, where a guide named Anne Cascalès confirmed the insignia on the canteen was for the 3rd Infantry Division. She also put him in contact with Monty McDaniel, a U.S.-based enthusiast who could help Florian in his quest for answers.
After months spent following the false trails of other Roy Gallaghers, Florian finally found something promising on Find a Grave: a grave photo for a Roy Gallagher from New Philadelphia, Ohio, who had served in World War II, born May 30, 1922, and deceased September 24, 1988.
Florian continues, “From there, Monty managed to find an article in a local newspaper dated May 20, 1943, concerning the brothers Roy and Everett Gallagher. I then decided via Facebook to contact all the Gallaghers of New Philadelphia, but only two responded to me without conclusive results.”
With no further information about this Roy or possible relatives, Florian seemed to have hit a dead end. Undeterred, he contacted The Society of the 3rd Division, the US Memory Grand Est, and the “Rock of the Marne” association.
A member of this last group confirmed on their roster that Roy was in the 7th Infantry Regiment. He’d enlisted in October of 1942 and attended classes at Camp Barkeley in Texas, after which he joined the 3rd Infantry Division. His regiment went on to participate in the amphibious landing operations in Anzio and Provence. And in late 1944, at the cusp of the liberation of nearby Vagney, they crossed the Moselotte River along the Cornimont-Remiremont railway line at a place called “Nol-Zainvillers.” Florian believes this is where Roy lost the canteen, and where his grandfather found it in 1978, more than 30 years later.
In January 2018, Florian had a “eureka” moment—he looked up the Find a Grave member that posted the photo of Roy’s grave. Might he know more about the man buried there?
“It was Bud Winn,” Florian explained, “retired teacher, living in [New Philadelphia…], who without knowing me decided to help me search for Roy’s family. And it was he who found the missing piece of the puzzle, in the archives of the municipal library: the obituary of Roy Gallagher.”
The obituary included the names of Roy’s wife and children—the final clue Florian needed. He was able to contact Roy’s wife, Joan, who confirmed her husband was indeed a soldier in the U.S. 3rd Infantry Division during World War II.
After two years, the search had ended.
Roy didn’t live to see the return of his long-lost canteen. But Bud Winn was able to present it to Joan Gallagher, who accepted it on her husband’s behalf. It joined Joan’s other mementos of Roy’s service: a stack of letters they’d written to each other throughout the war, and a Purple Heart.
In his own letter to Joan, Florian assured her he’d never forget the soldiers who helped liberate the valley his grandparents called home during those war-torn years, and where he’d be raised decades later.
Joan passed away in 2020 and was laid to rest at Roy’s side. But not before she wrote back to Florian with a heartwarming photo of herself and Roy from the year they were married. Florian immediately hung it on his wall.
“I think I can say that at that moment, I was happy,” he said. “My research had paid off.”
Thank you, Florian, for your efforts to return this canteen and for sharing the journey! And thanks to Bud Winn for your willingness to help solve the puzzle. We’re so happy to see this story of lost things found and that Find a Grave could play a part in the reunion. We know so many in our wonderful community are doing the work that connects the dots in stories like this every day.
Though we lack Roy’s personal insights on his experiences during the war, his canteen engravings have their own tales to tell. Some have yet to be fully “decoded”—if you know more about them or their meanings, please let us know!
LIST OF ENGRAVINGS
(Florian’s notes are included in italics)
- “U.S. T.A.C.U. Co 1942” (brand and year of manufacture)
- “ROY GALLAGHER” (name of the soldier)
- OHIO (his state of residence)
- “35397437” (serial number: 3=drafted / 53=Ohio)
- “BETTY MORRISON” (was this his companion or a sort of army muse?)
- “1942/43/44” (had to engrave the years as they went along)
- HEART PIERCED BY AN ARROW with letters “L.G.” inscribed inside (initials of his fiancée or woman? G could be Gallagher?)
- SKULL AND CROSSBONES
- “LUCK” (Luck)
- UNIDENTIFIED ENGRAVING: A standing man from behind, legs apart, feet on two square bases, right hand in salute, left hand on hip. (Is it a kind of mascot? It could look like a frog too, mascot of this amphibious division?)
- THE GOLDEN GATE BY ’48: (the expression “The Golden Gate in ’48,” to which the person opposite would respond “The soup line (or bread line) in ’49.” Expressing sentiment about how long it would take for the war to end and what might happen to them afterward.
- L.C.I. No. 668 – France (landing at Cavalaire August 15, 1944)
- L.C.I. No. 45 – Italy (landing at Anzio January 22, 1944.)
(L.C.I. = the Landing Craft Infantry designated, during the second world war, the amphibious boats that landed a large number of soldiers on the beaches. The number designates the boat.)
- MOHAPOLO (or MOMAPOLO or MONAPOLO?) – Africa (no corresponding name found, has the name changed or is it a spelling error of a name he heard? Is this a port, a city, a boat? In Morocco or Tunisia? No idea.)
- INSIGNIA OF THE 3RD INFANTRY DIVISION “ROCK OF THE MARNE” (Division insignia)
(*Florian’s quotes have been roughly translated from the original French. Please forgive any errors!)