St. Joseph's Parish WWII War Memorial
The Polish-American community added much to the flavor and fabric of life in Camden, N.J. St. Joseph's Catholic Church at 10th and Liberty Streets was and remains the anchor of that community, and Mass is celebrated in Polish every Sunday.
The bronze memorial plaque was presented by the Catholic War Veterans, St. Joseph's Post 418, in grateful remembrance of their heroic comrades in World War II. The plaque appears in the vestibule of St. Joseph Church, Camden, New Jersey.
As St. Joseph's was and is a predominantly Polish parish, some of the men listed had either changed their names to more "American" versions or had alternate spellings. There are at least four instances of that on this monument, perhaps more. In one case, that of John Shuler, a misspelling was made when the monument was engraved — he is named Shulek on this monument. Similar errors exist through many of the monuments in the county. One must take into consideration that these were all erected years after the fact, and in the pre-computer era of paper records, accurate data was far harder to come by.
In Memory of Our Fallen Heroes
| name | rank | branch | unit | born | died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anthony Bibinski | PFC | Army | 3rd Infantry Division | 2/28/1917 | 11/20/1944 |
| Benjamin W. Bonk | S1C | Navy | USS Escolar | 10/1944 | |
| Louis Bontkowski | PFC | Army | 26th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division | 8/13/1920 | 9/18/1944 |
| Roman Drapinski (Raymond Drapinski) | SSGT | Army | 53rd Armored Engineer Bn | 7/18/1943 | |
| Boleslaw Dyl (Benjamin Dyl) | TSGT | Army | 47th Infantry Regiment, 9th Infantry Division | 2/5/1945 | |
| Gustave Dzingoski | PVT (TSGT) | Air Force | 1911 | 1/6/1943 | |
| Chester Gdowik | PFC | Army | 6th Armored Regiment, 1st Armored Division | 5/25/1944 | |
| Edward Kasprowicz (Edward Kasperowicz, Edward Kasper) | PVT | Army | Company I, 324th Infantry Regiment, 44th Infantry Division | 10/27/1944 | |
| Stephen V. Koscianski | TEC5 | Army | 31st Signal Construction Bn | 5/23/1907 | 11/27/1943 |
| Walter J. Koscianski | PVT | Army | 63rd Signal Battalion | 10/2/1905 | 2/6/1943 |
| Walter E. Laskowski | TEC5 | Army | 1913th Engineer Bn, Aviation | 1/17/1922 | 4/25/1945 |
| John Lozowski | PVT | Marines | 3/8/1923 | 4/4/1943 | |
| Joseph Alphons Matyasik | PVT | Army | 3/5/1945 | ||
| John A. Mlynarczyk | CPL | Army | 382nd Infantry Regiment, 96th Infantry Division | 6/4/1919 | 10/28/1944 |
| John Henry Moses (John Henry Majkszak) | 2LT | Air Force | 428th Bomber Squadron | 3/1/1918 | 9/18/1944 |
| Alfred Mrowczynski | PVT | Army | 10/2/1923 | 7/13/1944 | |
| Joseph F. Murawski | PVT | Army | 707th Tank Battalion | 12/19/1944 | |
| John Napiorkowksi | PFC | Army | 475th Infantry Regiment | 2/7/1923 | 7/27/1944 |
| Frank J. Owsianka, Jr. | PVT | Army | Quartermaster Corps | 9/27/1920 | 3/1/1944 |
| Adam Piekarski | PFC | Army | 121st Infantry Regiment, 8th Infantry Division | 11/22/1914 | 11/26/1944 |
| Joseph J. Piotrowski | MM1C | Navy | USS Helena CL-50 | 5/3/1921 | 7/6/1943 |
| Leopold Poduszczak | 2LT | Air Force | 333rd Bomber Squadron, 94th Bomber Group, Heavy | 12/21/1916 | 7/26/1943 |
| Henry Popiolek | SSGT | Air Force | 10/28/1920 | 9/14/1942 | |
| Stanley Przytula | PFC | Army | 2nd Infantry Regiment, 5th Infantry Division | 8/23/1924 | 1/20/1945 |
| Angelo B. Romano | PVT | Army | 11th Infantry Regiment, 5th Infantry Division | 12/16/1907 | 11/16/1944 |
| Edward Joseph Romanowicz (Joseph Romanowicz) | SC3C | Navy | 5/2/1923 | 1/9/1945 | |
| Joseph N. Shedloski | F1C | Navy | USS Pompano | 8/6/1922 | Aug–Sept 1943 |
| John Shuler (John Szuler) | SSGT | Army | 349th Infantry Regiment, 88th Infantry Division | 8/15/1912 | 5/14/1944 |
| Francis Placid Scandell (Francis Skedzielewski) | 2LT | Air Force | 484th Bomber Group | 1/3/1921 | May 1944 |
| Chester Smurlo | PVT | Marines | 2/8/1923 | 6/17/1944 | |
| Chester Stelmach | 2LT | Air Force | 5/5/1923 | 8/9/1944 | |
| Raymond A. Szwak | PFC | Army | 513th Parachute Infantry Regt., 17th Airborne Division | 9/25/1926 | 3/24/1945 |
| Bruno S. Ulak | 1LT | Air Force | 698th Ordnance Company, Aviation | 9/2/1914 | 9/7/1944 |
| Frank Lawrence Urbaniak (Francis L. Urbaniak) | S1C | Navy | 1945 | ||
| Joseph Stanley Watson | ENS | Navy | 1/4/1924 | 3/6/1946 | |
| Edward Wierciszewski | PVT | Army | 46th Infantry Battalion, 5th Armored Division | 4/13/1945 | |
| Theodore A. Jurkiewicz / Teddy A. Yurkiewicz (Thaddeus Yurkiewicz) | SSGT | Air Force | 413th Bomber Squadron, 96th Bomber Group, Heavy | 10/9/1943 |
HMTS Rohna
On November 26, 1943, twelve young men from Camden County died together when the troop transport HMTS Rohna was struck by a German guided glider bomb and sank off the coast of North Africa. From Camden: Frank Ballerino, Michael Carr, Michael Yachus, Lewis Riondino, Joseph H. Johnson, and Stephen V. Koscianski (memorialized on this monument); Harry V. Taylor Jr. of Haddonfield, William McKeon of Blackwood, Merl Reagle of Lindenwold, Joseph Jenkins of Pennsauken, Carl Johanson, and Elmer F. Day were lost that day. Eight other South Jersey men were also killed. In total, 1,015 men were lost, but the story was never told to the families or the general public for over 57 years due to wartime censorship.
- The Rohna Disaster — Camden County Internet War Memorial
- MSNBC Coverage — Tom Brokaw
Tag: st-josephs-parish-war-memorial
Camden County N.J. — Monuments & War Memorials
A directory of Camden County, N.J. war memorials, listing monuments by municipality with links to memorial pages for World War I, World War II, Korea, Vietnam, and other conflicts.
Casimir Pulaski Monument
The Casimir Pulaski Monument was dedicated in Camden, N.J. on October 11, 1936 at Pulaski Park (Benson Street and Haddon Avenue), the former City Hall site. In 1984 it was moved to Cooper River Park in Pennsauken, where it stands as part of the Polish Heroes War Memorial.
1150 Camden Poles In Service Honored
A service flag honoring 1,150 St. Joseph's Parish men and women in the armed forces was unfurled at Tenth and Mechanic Streets, where Mayor Brunner pinned gold stars on the mothers and a brother of parishioners killed or missing in World War II. Courier-Post, August 31, 1943.