A Love Story Gone Sad

By: Benae Williams Hogan, Niece of Leonard Wesley Williams

Leonard Wesley Williams was born the son of a hard working farmer (Thomas Franklin Williams) and his sweet, southern belle wife (Tenney Ivey) in the calm, quiet community of Boxankle (Forsyth, Monroe County, Georgia). He was one of seven children who all had limited grammer school educations, but all had PHD's from the school of life and hard knocks. Leonard and his siblings worked from sun up to sun down helping his father with the crops and learning his trade of carpentry building houses in the community. According to my Daddy (James Otto Williams), his brother Leonard was a hard working man stating he could work circles around him.

At about age 17, this hard working young man wanted more from life and set out to enlist in the US Army in 1940. I don't know, but he may have had to have his parents permission to enlist because he wasn't 18 yet. World War II was about to start and this young man was about to see way more than anyone that young should. He eventually served in a ground unit in Norwich England where Hitler was dropping bombs at every turn. According to family recollections (my Daddy-Otto Williams, my uncle- Warren Williams, my aunt- Dafner Williams Smith Crook, and my Aunt Stella Smith Williams), he and fellow soldiers were looking for food behind a tiny cafe and the owner took them in, feeding them and giving them a safe place to sleep. It was in that restaurant he met the love of his life, the owner's daughter*, Caroline Frances Lowe. It was sometime around 1942.

During the next four years, he and his love would exchange letters as often as possible. They were married March 1943. He had to leave his wife behind to finish his tour of duty, but he had high hopes of returning to her when his work for the US Army was finished. However, the US Army had other plans. They refused to ship him to his wife when his tour was over, instead sending him back home to his family in Forsyth, Georgia.

Family members recollect he was only home for a few months. During this time, he did little to nothing to help his father on the farm or his brothers with their businesses. My Daddy said he had never seen his brother so sad in all his life. He drank himself half to death all day, most every day. Suddenly, one day he sobered up, and cleaned up. He went to his family members one by one and told them all good bye. He had made his mind up. He loved his wife and was determined to get back to her to make a life and home with her. He told them all they would never see him again as he was going to make his home with his wife in England. He did the only thing he knew to do to get back to her; he reenlisted in the Army. This time he was stationed in Leghorn, Italy. He was on the base fire department working as a fire fighter. He had applied for a furlow back to Norwich which was coming up soon. Then the unthinkable happened. There was an accident in the fire truck with a jeep. He and another soldier was killed. He never made it back to the love of his life. Such a sweet inter-continental love story…..gone sad.

Note:10/27/2012- A family member of Aunt Caroline's (Martin Thurlow- recently located) has no recollection of Caroline's Father owning a cafe. So it could be they met at a cafe and Caroline simply worked there. No one alive now will ever know the real truth. Needless to say these two young people met during a time and place that was filled with much uncertainty.

Author's note: This story should not be construed as fact for determining lineage. The lines above are the thoughts, recollections, and personal opinions of the author based on family members thoughts and recollections that have been passed down of the events and lives of Leonard Wesley Williams and the young love of his life, Caroline Lowe Williams. I never had the privaledge of meeting either of these individuals, so I have no first hand knowledge of the their lives; all I have are the numerous letters exchanged between the two of them and a sweet affection for both of them.

Leonard W Williams