William Frederick Ervin, Jr.

William Frederick Ervin, Jr. Image Source: Tecoan. 1940. UA50-01. University Archives, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC.

William Frederick Ervin was born in Richlands, N.C. on July 31, 1920, the eldest son of William Frederick Ervin, Sr., (1895-1963) and his wife Vera Ayden Ervin (1901-1974). After his junior year at ECTC, Ervin worked for Gibbs and Hill, Inc., an engineering company contracted to build an electrical power facility for the Marine bases in Jacksonville, N.C.

On December 7, 1942, one year after Pearl Harbor, Ervin enlisted in the Army at Fort Bragg, N.C. He served as a technical sergeant, fourth grade, and was assigned to the 394th Infantry Regiment, 99^th Infantry Division.

The following year, he married Netha Mizzelle Lanier (1922-2020) of Chinquapin, N.C., July 23, 1943. The couple had a son, Wayne Kelly Ervin (1944-2022), born October 26, 1944. By that time, Ervin had already been sent to the European theatre for service there. Sadly, on the second day of the Battle of the Bulge (December 16, 1944-January 25, 1945), December 17, 1944, as German forces launched a surprise attack on Allied troops in Belgium, Ervin was killed in action.

In October of 1947, Ervin’s remains were returned from the Henri-Chapelle Cemetery in Belgium and buried in the Ervin Cemetery, Ervintown Onslow County, North Carolina. The year before, he was remembered in the 1946 Tecoan‘s “In Memory” section. And in 1953, Ervin was recognized in the dedicatory ceremonies for ECTC’s Memorial Gymnasium.

Sources:

• “Army Ship Returns Bodies Of 213 Tar Heel Soldiers: Transport Joseph V. Connolly Will Enter New York Harbor Today with First Bodies of World War II Heroes to Be Returned from Europe; Secretary Royall Among Memorial Speakers.” News and Observer. October 26, 1947. Pp. 1, 11.
• “Ervin-Lanier.” News and Observer. August 29, 1943. P. 22.
• “Grimaldi Leads Tar Heels to 79-66 Victory Over East Carolina: Bucs Handed First Defeat, Pirates Put Up Fight Against Southern Conference Team.” News and Observer. January 7, 1953. P. 17.
• “In Memory.” Tecoan. 1946. https://digital.lib.ecu.edu/15351
• “Juniors: Frederick Ervin.” Tecoan. 1941. P. 75. https://digital.lib.ecu.edu/15346
• “Richlands Soldier To Be Buried Today: Body of W. F. Ervin, Jr., Who Died in Action in Belgium, Sent Home. News and Observer. November 9, 1947. P. 5.
• “Sophomores: Frederick Ervin.” Tecoan. 1940. P. 96. https://digital.lib.ecu.edu/15345

Related Materials

William Frederick Ervin, Jr.. Image Source: Tecoan. 1941. UA50-01. University Archives, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC.

William Frederick Ervin, Jr.’s Draft Registration Card. Image Source: U.S., World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947. Ancestry.com in association with National Archives and Records Administration.

William Frederick Ervin, Jr.’s application for a headstone or marker.

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