The first in (World) War (II) …
At left, Eugene B. Bubb
The 65th anniversary of Pearl Harbor brings forth the sad story of 19-year-old Pvt. Eugene B. Bubb.
Sad, because he is believed to be the first fighting man from York County to die in uniform in World War II.
News of the York County serviceman’s death reached York within days of the Dec. 7 attack. No details, just that he had died.
His father, a World War I vet, had died earlier in 1941. Eugene Bubb’s 15-year-old sister, Fern, received the telegram.
“We didn’t have the radio on that Sunday. We were visiting relatives in Gettysburg,” she said years later. “By Thursday, we hadn’t heard anything, and I thought he would be all right.”
But the story doesn’t stop there… .
When the tablets of World War II dead were placed on the façade of the old York County Courthouse, Eugene Bubb’s name was omitted.
It was later added, along with three others who died for their country.
His name, obviously not part of the original molding, at least stands out today.
The first in war … .
