The Man Who Took Part in D-Day...
- Yen Ho
- 35 minutes ago
- 4 min read
To commemorate the 82nd anniversary of D-Day during World War II, I thought it would be fun to find which Wissahickon Valley Region resident was part of the storming of Normandy Beach in France, and what role did he or she played during that time.
Who Was Richard W. King?
Richard "Bert" W. King (1924-2016) was born on September 9th and the son of grocery store owners Frank and Dorothy King. His parents ran a grocery store on Lindenwold Avenue in Ambler since the early 1920s. The business lasted for 54 years.
His father Frank served in World War I as a sergeant in the 313th Field Artillery. Out of 14 children, six of the boys in the family would follow their father's footsteps to join the military: Frank, Jr., Charles, Harold, Richard, Edgar, and Walter.
Fun Fact # 1: Frank was originally a corporal until he was promoted to sergeant on November 19, 1918.
"On November 1st, Sergeant King took charge of two ammunition trucks and began hauling ammunition forward in contemplation of the move of the battalion. He took the trucks down the heavily shelled Romagne-Bantheville road and out on the Bantheville-Aincreville road. There one truck broke down, but he pushed ahead with the other though under direct observation and subject to terrific shellfire. The truck was finally forced to stop at the bridge just outside Aincreville where the ammunition was dropped and proved of vital service when the battery several days later took position north of Aincreville."
- Thomas Irving Crowell, A History of the 313th Field Artillery U.S.A. (1920)
Life Before and During World War II
Richard grew up in Ambler and graduated at Ambler High School in 1942. He also attended Sunday school at the First Presbyterian Church of Ambler.
In 1943, Richard and other 127 19-year-olds were registered by the Local Draft Board No. 5 in Ambler during the sixth selective service registration period. Out of 127, 105 were drafted into the US Army, including Richard. They were to report to the Army Reception Center at New Cumberland, PA.
He was a Morse Code Radio Operator in the US Army. During an interview with Richard, there were questions what part he actually played in D-Day, the day Allied forced stormed Normandy beach and began their efforts to liberate western Europe from Nazi Germany.
One source said he "belonged to a D-Day landing party on Omaha Beach that directed naval bombardment of enemy positions," and then he was "subsequently re-assigned to the 274th Armored Field Artillery Battalion."
From this information, he was in another battalion before being re-assigned to the 274th Armored Field Artillery Battalion. The only source I found that answers this is from his page on the Find a Grave website. Someone placed a flower on his grave that details the division he fought with during D-Day:
PFC. RICHARD W. KING
Battery HQ
224th Field Artillery Battalion
He was honorably discharged as a technician fifth grade on October 20, 1945. He had served for 943 days.
Fun Fact # 3: Frank Jr. was in the Army band for a time and went on to serve throughout Europe in an artillery unit. Charles was a general’s secretary. Harold served in Africa. Edgar fought in the Battle of the Bulge and got a Purple Heart.
"Memories of his wartime service came in fragments but were no less powerful. He told me about dodging German subs on the nausea-inducing voyage to Europe, a trip he called 'the worst 10 days of my life.' About the bitter cold of the Battle of the Bulge late in 1944. ('It was brutal. I made a promise to myself that I’m never gonna freeze again.') About the frozen corpses. He told me how he once took cover in a doorway, and a shell exploded next to him, causing permanent hearing loss."
- The Times-Tribune (2014)
Morse Code Radio Operators on D-Day
The reason for the Allied success on D-Day was not only bravery, but also careful planning and communication. They would need to communicate with thousands of troops, ships, and aircraft across several countries to make it work. The U.S. Army Signal Corps (aka SigC) was tasked with "establishing massive, reliable, multi-channel high-speed voice and 'data' networks." They would need 90,000 transmitters to help the soldiers on the ground to communicate with ships offshore and aircraft overhead.
"Battlefield communication systems let Allied leaders make quick, informed decisions amid the invasion chaos. Real-time information flow helped commanders adjust tactics as the situation changed on the beaches. Communication networks kept units together. When troops landed in the wrong spot, radio contact helped them regroup fast. That prevented the invasion from falling apart during its most dangerous hours."
- DDay.Center
To learn more about The King’s Daughters, click the button BELOW:
Bibliography
"108 Seniors Receive Diplomas; Hear College President Speak." Ambler Gazette. June 18, 1942. Pages 1 & 5. https://digitalarchives.powerlibrary.org/papd/islandora/object/papd%3Awivp-gazett_18339.
"127 'Teen-Age Youths Register Here For Selective Service." Ambler Gazette. January 21, 1943. Pages 1 & 5. https://digitalarchives.powerlibrary.org/papd/islandora/object/papd%3Awivp-gazett_20362.
"At D-Day’s 70th, an overdue talk with a vet uncle." The Times-Tribune. Last modified May 31, 2014. https://www.thetimes-tribune.com/2014/05/31/at-d-days-70th-an-overdue-talk-with-a-vet-uncle/.
"Communication Systems Used During D-Day: Technologies and Tactics." DDay.Center. Accessed June 1, 2026. https://www.dday.center/communication-systems-used-during-d-day/.
Crowell, Thomas Irving. A history of the 313th field artillery U.S.A. (New York: Thomas Y. Cromwell Company, 1920): 217, 250.
Durenberger, Mark. "How the Army Handled D-Day Communications." Radio World. Last modified May 31, 2024. https://www.radioworld.com/columns-and-views/roots-of-radio/how-the-army-handled-d-day-communications.
"Inductees arriving at the New Cumberland Army Reception Center, circa 1942.." ExplorePAHistory. Accessed June 1, 2026. https://explorepahistory.com/displayimage.php%3FimgId=1-2-ED4&storyId=1-9-19.html.
"Local Board No. Five Inducts 105 Men For Armed Services." Ambler Gazette. March 18, 1943. Pages 1 & 4. https://digitalarchives.powerlibrary.org/papd/islandora/object/papd%3Awivp-gazett_19455.
"Richard Warren King." Shaeff-Myers Funeral Home. Accessed May 28, 2026. https://www.shaeff-myers.com/obituaries/richard-king.
"This Sailor Calls D-Day Possibly the Most Memorable Day of His Life." Military.com. Last modified June 9, 2022. https://www.military.com/history/d-day-story-edward-a-dunton.html.
"Walter S. King Obituary." Urban Funeral Home. Accessed May 28, 2026. https://www.urbanfuneralhome.com/obituaries/Walter-S-King?obId=24305138.
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