Arthur H. Sinclair
Rank: Technician 5th Class, U.S. Army
Serial: 32271725
Unit: 83rd Chemical Battalion, Motorized
Entered service from: New Jersey
Died:
Awards: Purple Heart
Memorialized at: Tablets of the Missing, Sicily-Rome American Cemetery, Nettuno, Italy
Biography
Technician 5th Class Arthur H. Sinclair of Haddonfield, New Jersey.
Technician 5th Class Arthur H. Sinclair was born in New Jersey. Twelve at the time of the April 12, 1930 census, he was the son of Arthur and Katherine Eisele Sinclair. In 1930 the family, which included younger brother Warren, lived at 80 Grove Street in Haddonfield, New Jersey. His father died in May of 1934 at the age of 40, in Haddonfield, after an illness of one year.
Arthur Sinclair was a star athlete at Haddonfield Memorial High School, and was signed with the New York Giants baseball team. By 1936 he was playing baseball in the independent and industrial leagues in Camden County, playing simultaneously for the Lucas Athletic Association team in the Lower County League and for the New York Shipbuilding Corporation team. He was one of the leading hitters and pitchers in the Camden County Baseball League, and led the circuit in hitting in the 1942 season.
Arthur Sinclair was inducted into the United States Army on July 23, 1942. One of the men he was inducted with, Salvatore Sapio, was also from Haddonfield, and the two had grown up together. Both men were assigned, with several other local men, to the 83rd Chemical Battalion, Motorized. This unit operated chemical mortars, firing phosphorous and smoke rounds. Arthur Sinclair was killed when the landing craft he was in, LST-422, was sunk by attacking German forces off the coast of Italy on January 26, 1944. Salvatore Sapio, and several of the other local men assigned to the 83rd Chemical Battalion were also lost in the rough seas, including Lester Dyer, James Parks, and William Pheneger, all from Camden. Also lost were Stanley Pokorsky of Delaware Township (Cherry Hill), and Edwin Johnson from Magnolia.
The death of Arthur Sinclair was reported in the March 23, 1944 and September 19, 1944 editions of the Camden Courier-Post. He was 26 when he was lost. Arthur Sinclair was survived by his widowed mother, Katherine Sinclair, who worked for a local coffee firm, and his brother Warren, then training as an aerial gunner at March Field, California.
Arthur Sinclair
Camden Courier-Post —
After an illness of one year Arthur Sinclair, 40, of 80 Grove street, Haddonfield, died yesterday of paralysis. Mr. Sinclair, a native of Ireland, was in the grocery business in East Camden for a number of years. He is survived by his wife, Katherine Eisele Sinclair, two sons, several brothers and his parents, who live in Ireland.
The funeral will be held at 2 p. m. tomorrow at 8 Kings Highway west. Services will be in charge of Rev. Paul Hayne, pastor of First Baptist Church, Haddonfield, and burial will be in the Baptist Cemetery.
Sinclair Sparkles As Ship Nine Wins
Camden Courier-Post —
New York Ship climbed into a tie for leadership in the South Jersey League last Saturday when it took the measure of Woodstown by 3 to 0 in a hard-fought contest at Woodstown.
Art Sinclair twirled in brilliant fashion for Ship. He was nicked for only one hit and did not walk a batter. His mates poked at Ray Catts for eight safeties with Wheatley and Pickens each getting a pair.
Above are shown members of Lucas A. A., who clinched first place in the Lower County League. In the first row, left to right, are: F. Falato, first baseman; Al Burger, catcher; Eddie Priest, center fielder; Art Sinclair, pitcher; Eddie Terry, center fielder; Walter Russell, manager. In the back row are Harold Olt, third baseman; Willard Sharp, right fielder; Hal Holloway, shortstop; “Bud” Schaub, left fielder; Joe Minter, second baseman, and Al Cooper, pitcher.
Art Sinclair Batting King of Camden County League
Camden Courier-Post —
Art Sinclair, Haddonfield’s slugging outfielder who is now in Uncle Sam’s Army, captured the season’s batting championship in the Camden County Baseball League with a .491 average for 17 games.
Sinclair pelted the apple for 26 hits in 53 times at bat. He scored 17 runs, six doubles, a triple and two home runs.
Henry Wilson, of Gloucester, who was first half hitting king, finished second to Sinclair for the season, rapping the pellet at .453 clip in 18 contests.