Tolland Connecticut

Boothroyd, Albert Ellsworth
Army Private 1st class

Albert Ellsworth Boothroyd, age 17, from Tolland County Tolland, Connecticut .

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Wednesday, January 31, 1951
Death details: By mid-November 1950, U.S. and Allied forces had advanced to within approximately sixty miles of the Yalu River, the border between North Korea and China. On November 25, approximately 300,000 Chinese Communist Forces (CCF) “volunteers” suddenly and fiercely counterattacked after crossing the Yalu. The 2nd Infantry Division, located the farthest north of units at the Chongchon River, could not halt the CCF advance and was ordered to withdraw to defensive positions at Sunchon in the South Pyongan province of North Korea. As the division pulled back from Kunu-ri toward Sunchon, it conducted an intense rearguard action while fighting to break through well-defended roadblocks set up by CCF infiltrators. The withdrawal was not complete until December 1, and the 2nd Infantry Division suffered extremely heavy casualties in the process. Corporal Albert Ellsworth Boothroyd, who joined the U.S. Army from Connecticut, served with the Service Battery, 38th Field Artillery Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division. He was taken prisoner of war on November 30, 1950, as his unit was fighting through a roadblock while en route to Sunchon, North Korea. After his capture, he was marched to a holding camp at the Pukchin Tarigol Valley where he died of malnutrition on or before January 31, 1951. His remains were not recovered at the time, and he has not been identified among those remains returned to U.S. custody since the ceasefire. Today, Corporal Boothroyd is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific. His name is also inscribed on the Korean War Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington, DC, which was updated in 2022 to include the names of the fallen.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

Hansen, Meidel
Army Private 1st class

Meidel Hansen, age 29, from Tolland, Connecticut, Tolland county.

Parents: Pedar Hansen

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Thursday, November 2, 1950
Death details: During the last week of October 1950, Republic of Korea (ROK) Army forces under the control of the U.S. Eighth Army were advancing deep in North Korean territory, approaching the Yalu River on the Chinese-Korean border. Chinese Communist Forces (CCF) struck back in a surprise attack, engaging the ROK 1st and 6th Divisions near Unsan, some sixty miles north of Pyongyang. The U.S. 1st Cavalry Division, with the 8th Cavalry Regiment in the lead, was rushed forward to reinforce the ROK units in the Unsan area. On November 1, the regiment’s 1st Battalion took up positions north of Unsan, while the 2nd Battalion moved to guard the Nammyon River valley west of town, and the 3rd Battalion was placed in reserve at the valley’s southern end. Corporal Meidel Hansen joined the U.S. Army from Connecticut and was a member of Company M, 3rd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division. On November 2, 1950, Company M was near Unsan providing security for the 3rd Battalion Command Post when it was hit by an enemy attack and forced to withdraw. The unit became surrounded, and Corporal Hansen went missing at some point during the fighting, though specific details regarding his loss are unknown. He was never reported as a prisoner of war, and his remains were not identified among those returned to the U.S. following the war. Today, Corporal Hansen is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, Hartford Courant (1954)

Richardson, Leslie Kenneth
Army Corporal

Leslie Kenneth Richardson, age 20, from Tolland, Connecticut, Tolland county.

Parents: Leslie K. Richardson
Spouse: None
Children: None

Service era: Korea
Schools: Windham High

Date of death: Thursday, November 2, 1950
Death details: During the last week of October 1950, Republic of Korea (ROK) Army forces under the control of the U.S. Eighth Army were advancing deep in North Korean territory, approaching the Yalu River on the Chinese-Korean border. Chinese Communist Forces (CCF) struck back in a surprise attack, engaging the ROK 1st and 6th Divisions near Unsan, some sixty miles north of Pyongyang. The U.S. 1st Cavalry Division, with the 8th Cavalry Regiment in the lead, was rushed forward to reinforce the ROK units in the Unsan area. On November 1, the regiment’s 1st Battalion took up positions north of Unsan, while the 2nd Battalion moved to guard the Nammyon River valley west of town, and the 3rd Battalion was placed in reserve at the valley’s southern end. Sergeant Leslie K. Richardson Jr., who joined the U.S. Army from Connecticut, was a member of Company B of the 70th Tank Battalion, 1st Cavalry Division, and his platoon was attached to the 3rd Battalion. On November 1, the CCF engaged in a sneak attack on U.S. forces in defensive positions near Unsan. Despite fierce resistance, the American battalions were forced to withdraw. While the 1st and 2nd Battalion were largely able to retreat to safer positions, strong Chinese presence in the area cut off the 3rd Battalion from its exit routes, forcing its members to form two defensive strongpoints. The men held out against the CCF for two days before being overrun. Most the trapped men were killed, wounded, or captured, with the remainder escaping in small groups. Sergeant Richardson was killed on November 2, during the 3rd Battalion’s defense operation. Survivors of the incident report that he may have been on a tank that was destroyed by antitank fire; however, these claims have not been confirmed. Sergeant Richardson was not recovered at the time of his loss, and he could not be associated with any of the remains that North Korean officials returned to U.S. custody following the declaration of the ceasefire. Today, Sergeant Richardson is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, Hartford Courant (1954)

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