 Private Harry C. Lepp, son
of Mr. And Mrs. William Lepp, Sr., 209 South
Clinton street was killed by a train in the
British Isles, according to word received by his
mother Tuesday morning.No details were given in a telegram
authorized by the Secretary of War. The message
stated that a letter would follow.
Lepp, one of
Collinsville’s best known young men, was 34
years old. He arrived overseas as a member of the
headquarters and headquarter company of the
Quartermaster Corps four months after his
induction into the Army.
Lepp was inducted
the middle of March at Scott Field where he was
stationed for two weeks before leaving for the
Quartermaster School at Ft. Warren, Cheyenne,
Wyo. He spent eight weeks attending the school.
On June, 18 he
arrived at the embarkment port at Seattle, Wash.,
but was transferred to the New York embarkment
port on July 4 and from there left for overseas
duty. The family was informed by the War
Department that he arrived overseas on July 11.
Later the family
was notified that Lepp was confined to the
Ashhurst Military Hospital at Littlemore,
England, after an accident happened either going
overseas or after he arrived. On Monday the
family received word direct from Harry that he
had been released from the hospital and expected
to be returned with 21 other Americans to the
United States. His last letter, arriving a day
before the telegram telling of his death, was
dated October 16.
Lepp was born in
Collinsville July 16, 1908. He attended the
public schools and was a member of the 1926
graduating class of Collinsville Township High
School. He also graduated from the City College
of Law and Finances, St. Louis.
Harry was a member
of the Masonic Lodge and a member of the Advisory
Council of the Order of DeMolay. He was to have
received the Legion of Honor award of the DeMolay
organization. He was financial secretary of St.
John’s Evangelical Church prior to entering
service.
His interest in
youth carried him into several fields, including
the duties of scoutmaster of the St. John’s
Boy Scout troop. He was a member of the Board of
Directors of the local Red Cross Chapter.
Lepp was employed
at the Ralston Purina Company in St. Louis for
the past 15 years where he was assistant to the
head bookkeeper. He had just received his 15-year
award before going into the service.
Surviving besides
his father, who is engineer at the city
waterworks, and his mother, are three brothers.
Walter Lepp of Decatur, a former Collinsville
postmaster, Elmer Lepp of Dearborn, Mich., and
William Lepp Jr., manager of the local
Silverbloom store, and two sisters, Mrs. Jesse A.
Wilson of Granite City and Mrs. Eugene Albert of
St. Louis.
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