Robert Bryan Johnson -- Princeton Cemetery, Princeton TX
N 33° 10.716 W 096° 30.068
14S E 732992 N 3673868
The WoW tombstone of Robert Bryan Johnson, which proclaims his naval service during WWI, at Princeton Cemetery
Waymark Code: WMQTFE
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 03/27/2016
Views: 1
Robert Bryan Johnson was not on active duty for long, but he was willing to serve his country in wartime, and that is worthy of the honor and recognition his tombstone provides.
The tombstone reads as follows:
"A Petty Officer in the US Navy Aviation Corps & A Carpenter's Mate
[WoW emblem] [crossed flags] [Woodmen's Circle emblem]
ROBERT BRYAN JOHNSON
Born Feb. 21, 1897
Died Sep. 23, 1918
At Quebec, Canada
Not my will, but thine be done"
On Ancestry, we found that Robert Bryan Johnson was a Petty Officer Machinist's mate, Aviation Corps, US Navy, probably the chief of his division (which is different from being a Chief Petty Officer). He enlisted at Dallas Texas on 31 May 1918. He died of bronchial pneumonia at his receiving ship at Philadelphia PA on 23 Sep 1918. This conflicts with his tombstone, which states that he died in Quebec Canada and was a Carpenter's Mate. His next of kin is listed as his father Robert H. Johnson.
In the 1910 census we find him living with his parents and siblings in Princeton TX. His father and oldest brother are working as house carpenters, which makes sense that he would be trained as a carpenter by the time he enlisted in the Navy. In May of 1918, WWI was bogged down into a stalemate, and air power was becoming more important on the battlefield. Perhaps he was envisioning a career building airplanes.
Was the inscription legible?: Yes
Location of Marker/Monument: Cemetery
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