Olmsted, W. Clague

Description

William “Clague” Olmsted was born in New York February 17, 1926 son of William Ramon Olmsted and Dorothy Matilda Jenkins Olmsted . He had two sisters Sally and Mary. In Rye his family lived at 223 Oakland Beach Avenue. Clague was a Rye High School Graduate, Class of 1943.

After graduating from Rye High
School, Clague was employed
by the Life Savers Corporation before
his enlistment in February 1944. He enlisted in 1944 and served in the U.S. Navy during World War II.

Clague went overseas that August and served aboard the U.S.S. Astoria. The
USS Astoria (CL- 90) was a Cleveland-class light cruiser of the United States Navy.

By early February 1945, USS Astoria, Wilkes-Barre, and Pasadena were transferred to TG 58.3, which included the carriers Bunker Hill and Essex, the battleships South Dakota and New Jersey, the large cruiser Alaska, and fourteen destroyers.

The fleet, including Astoria, sortied early that month to conduct a series of air attacks on the Japanese home islands, which began on 18 February. Later that day, the fleet sailed south to support the Battle of Iwo Jima, and Astoria was detached to conduct shore bombardment on 21 February 1945.

RYE NAVY MAN DESCRIBES BOMBARDMENT OF IWO JIMA

“One night, it was our task to fire
throughout the entire night, to keep
the Japs awake and worn down for
our Marines. After several hours of
this, it was amazing to see that many
of our tired men were able to sleep
with guns going off right beside
them. Just at dark on the second
day, we were relieved by another
ship. It was a hard job, but all
hands on the ship were pleased at
the results.”

Clague received his honorable discharge on May 17, 1946 and returned to Rye. By 1950 he was working fulltime as an accountant for an advertising company.

He married Margery Florence Lanzavecchia in 1952 in New York City, New York and they would have four children during their marriage.

Clague and his family moved to Essex, CT in 1962. There he was a member of the Trinity Mount Olive Lodge No. 43 in Deep River, and was a former member and past president of the Essex Rotary Club.

William “Clague” Olmsted, Navy veteran, died Wednesday December 20,1995 at Middlesex Medical Center-Shoreline. He was 69.

At the time of his death he was survived by his wife, Margery Olmsted; a son, David Olmsted of Old Saybrook; daughters Nina Sulinski of Deep River, Lauri Makuck of Chester and Jane MacFarlane of Killingworth; sisters Sally Weeks of Rye, N.Y., and Mary Toohy of Greenwich; and five grandchildren.

A memorial service was held at the Robinson, Wright & Weymer Funeral Home with the Rev. Joshua Crowell officiating.