John R. Caum
John R. Caum, Technical Sergeant, U.S. Army Air Forces.
Technical Sergeant • U.S. Army Air Forces • Serial 13124977
96th Bomber Group
Entered service from New Jersey • Died May 8, 1944
Buried at Erial Cemetery, Jarvis Road, Erial, New Jersey
Awards: Air Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, Purple Heart
Introduction
Technical Sergeant John R. Caum was the son of Robert G. and Esther Caum. In 1930 his family lived on Lower Landing Road in Winslow Township, his father then working as a laborer in road construction. The family later moved to 110 Jarvis Road in the Erial section of Gloucester Township NJ. Known to friends and family as “Bert,” he had three sisters, Erva, Grace, and Edna, and two brothers, Milton Wesley and Leslie J. Caum. A third brother, Arthur, was lost as a young boy in a fire. Prior to enlisting in the Army in October of 1942, John R. Caum had briefly moved to Merchantville NJ.
John Caum qualified for flight duty. After training as a flight engineer and gunner on a heavy bomber, he went overseas in March of 1944. Sergeant Caum was reported missing in action on May 8, 1944. His death was later confirmed, and reported in the September 19, 1944 edition of the Camden Courier-Post. He was 19 years old.
John R. Caum was brought home in the spring of 1949. He was buried at Erial Cemetery in Gloucester Township NJ on June 11th of that year. He is memorialized on the war memorial in Gloucester Township NJ.
Erial Man Missing In Raid On Germany
Camden Courier-Post —
Shore Flier Is Captive; Camden, Maple Shade Fighters Wounded
An Erial soldier is reported missing in a raid over Germany, an Atlantic City flying officer has been listed as a prisoner of war and two men from this area have been wounded, according to War Department announcements.
Missing: Tech. Sgt. John R. Caum, 20, Erial.
Sergeant Caum has been listed as missing since May 8 according to a message received by his mother. Sergeant Caum was engineer and gunner on a bomber and had been overseas about two months. He joined the service in October, 1942. A brother, Pvt. Wesley, 18, is at Camp Blanding, Fla.
T/Sgt. J. R. Caum Rites Will Be Held Saturday
Camden Courier-Post —
Services for T/Sgt. John R. Caum, 110 Jarvis Road, Erial, will be held Saturday at 1:30 p.m. in Christian Missionary Alliance Church, Blanch Avenue, Pine Hill, where friends may call Friday night. Burial will be in Erial cemetery, with military honors by Blenheim Simster Lamartine post 281 and Pine Hill post 286, both American Legion, and a firing squad from Ft. Dix.
Sergeant Caum enlisted in the Air Corps in October, 1942, and after graduating from service mechanical schools, was assigned in March, 1944, to the Second Air Force. He was killed in action May 8, 1944, at the age of 19 in Germany, and was holder of the Purple Heart, Air Medal with Oak Leaf cluster and the Citation.
Surviving are his parents, Esther and Robert, Erial; two brothers, Milton W., Erial; Pvt. Leslie J., Ft. Bragg, N.C.; and three sisters, Mrs. Erva Glover, Hawaii; Mrs. Grace Borovkoff, Pine Hill; and Mrs. Edna Peters, Erial.