Arthur Thomas Webb
PFC Arthur T. “Little Arthur” Webb served with Fox Company, Second Battalion, 5th Marines.
He was killed in action at Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands, on 26 September 1942.
Branch
Marine Corps Regular
Service Number 293934
Current Status
Remains Not Recovered
Pursuit Category
The DPAA has not publicized this information.
Capsule History
Pre-War Life
Birth
April 14, 1922
at Atlanta, GA
Parents
Torrance William Webb
Icie B. Webb
Education
Grammar school
Occupation & Employer
Paperboy
The Atlanta Constitution
Service Life
Entered Service
September 4, 1940
at Macon, GA
Home Of Record
209 Powell Street SE
Atlanta, GA
Next Of Kin
Father, Mr. Torrance Webb
Military Specialty
—
Primary Unit
F/2/5th Marines
Campaigns Served
Solomon Islands / Guadalcanal
Individual Decorations
Purple Heart
Additional Service Details
—
Loss And Burial
Circumstances Of Loss
PFC Arthur Webb participated in the campaigns for the Solomon Islands as a member of F/2/5th Marines. By mid-September 1942, he was a veteran of landings on Tulagi, combat patrols on Guadalcanal, and the battle for Edson’s Ridge.
On September 25, Webb’s battalion was ordered to saddle up and head into the boondocks to support a friendly combat patrol. They were placed under the temporary command of LtCol. Lewis “Chesty” Puller, and patrolled west towards the Matanikau River. The next morning, Easy Company led the way north towards the river’s mouth, where they would attempt to cross.
The Japanese stayed quiet until the first Americans crossed a sandbar – and then opened fire with mortars and machine guns. Puller deployed 2/5 along the eastern bank and repeatedly tried to force a crossing – always with the same bloody result. The action would become known as the Second Battle of the Matanikau. “Little Arthur” Webb was one of three Fox Company Marines killed in action on 26 September 1942.
Burial Information or Disposition
PFC Webb’s remains were reportedly buried “on the beach in front of Matanikau Village” on an unknown date. Heavy fighting in the area may have destroyed any marker; coastal erosion and construction in the years that followed likely erased any trace of his grave.
Memorials
Next Of Kin Address
Address of father, Mr. Torrance Webb
Location Of Loss
Approximate burial site, along beach near original site of Matanikau (Horahi) Village.
