Urbanna’s Howard Street named for fallen soldier

by Larry Chowning –

With this Memorial Day — Monday, May 30 — right around the corner, one does not have to look far to find evidence of past generations honoring their own who gave their lives in the ongoing fight for freedom.

Howard Street in Urbanna is an example of that. The street is named for Howard Bristow, who was killed in action during World War II in 1944, in Vraiville, France.

He is buried in France among the many U.S. GIs who fought and died for their country during World War II. His Aug. 24, 1944 obituary in the Southside Sentinel reads that he was killed in action on July 31, 1944. He was 20 years old and “his letters home were always cheerful and encouraging to his parents and sister, Miss Weldon Bristow,” the obit stated.

During high school, Howard worked for the Southside Sentinel in afternoons and “his work was satisfactory in every respect as well as his pleasant manner and cheerful disposition and he was always interested in doing the very best he could and do it right and proper regardless of the hours day or night, and we have a warm place in our hearts for him from association, as well as a business standpoint,” wrote co-owner and editor of the Sentinel Carl Tomlinson.

Howard was born April 23, 1924 and grew up on what was to become Howard Street. His mother and father were Mr. and Mrs. Howard M. Bristow who owned a home there.

On Nov. 19, 1944 his Sergeant “Walter Fuchs and His boys” wrote Howard’s sister Weldon describing the circumstances around his death. “Starting from the date of July 28, we were told that we would attack a small force of the enemy as our objective,” wrote Fuchs.

“I arranged my squad to the situation and we started the attack at dawn,” he wrote…

(Patty Hall of Urbanna graciously provided information from her own family research that led to this story. Eleanor Knorr, Howard’s aunt, is Patty’s grandmother. Mrs. Knorr had 11 nephews overseas during World War II. She knitted sweaters for each one.)