James Robert Hutchens, Jr.
Private James R. Hutchens, Jr., served with Baker Company, First Battalion, 8th Marines.
He was killed in action at Guadalcanal on 24 November 1942.
Branch
Marine Corps Regular
Service Number 343504
Current Status
Remains Not Recovered
Pursuit Category
The DPAA has not publicized this information.
Capsule History
Pre-War Life
Birth
December 21, 1920
in Rockford, TN
Parents
James Robert Hutchens, Sr.
Frances E. (Suttle) Hutchens (d. 1937)
Education
Porter High School
Occupation & Employer
Stockroom clerk
S. H. George & Sons
Service Life
Entered Service
January 22, 1942
at Nashville, TN
Home Of Record
Knoxville, TN
Next Of Kin
Father Mr. James Hutchens Sr.
Military Specialty
—
Individual Decorations
Purple Heart
Loss And Burial
Circumstances Of Loss
On 23 November 1942, Able and Charlie Companies of First Battalion, 8th Marines, passed through Army defensive positions in an attempt to break a deadly stalemate in the hills west of Guadalcanal’s Matanikau River. While they expected to show the Americal Division a thing or two about fighting – “time to send in the Marines,” remarked one officer – they were almost immediately raked by incessant machine gun fire, mortars, and hand grenades lobbed from camouflaged defensive positions on a ridge to their front.
Stymied, the American forces changed to a holding posture, digging defensive positions and sending out combat patrols – “the result of which is not in our favor due to enemy snipers,” admitted the 1/8 operations log. Baker Company, which had been in reserve for the assault of 23 November, sent out several platoons to probe Japanese positions. Lieutenant Dean Ladd, the 2 Platoon leader, described the fighting:
To the right of Ladd’s platoon, Gunner Otto Lund’s 3 Platoon managed to make some headway up the slope they later came to call “Reynolds’ Ridge.” Corporal Herschel “Ski” Wilsky, one of the company’s best scouts, vividly recalled the scene in a 1989 sketch. Private James Hutchens is depicted lying along the top of the ridge, with the somber notation “Dead – can’t recover him.” Wilsky also depicted PFC Jack B. Somers “shot between the eyes” near the top of the ridge.
The tenacious defenders held the Marines at bay all day. One machine gun was particularly troublesome. “Attempted to use demolitions and hand grenades to no avail,” reported 1/8’s headquarters. “Seems to be well dug in. He is holding up Co. ‘B’ line. Tried to infiltrate from right, from front, and from left to get at Jap MG. AT grenades were also tried…. Tomorrow engineer demolitions squad is going to try TNT again.” By evening, all patrols were back in their night positions. Baker Company recorded four Marines wounded in action and another four killed. The bodies of the fallen, including Private Hutchens, were temporarily left on the field.
Burial Information or Disposition
Private Hutchens was reportedly interred at coordinates (70.25-200.45) on the standard Map 104 of Guadalcanal’s north coast, a few yards from fellow Company fallen PFC Somers (70.2-200.2) and Private Robert F. Kessinger (70.3-200.5). Interestingly, the regiment’s operations journal records a request for grave markers near Somers’ location. Unfortunately, despite the Marines’ efforts, this collection of graves was never located after the battle.
In April 1944, a Graves Registration team located the isolated graves of several 1/8 Marines killed in the November 1942 action: Privates Richey, Clarence Evans, Gilbert Gray, and PFC William Florence from Able Company, and Private McCoy Reynolds from Baker Company. All were identified and returned to their families after the war.
Memorials
Next Of Kin Address
James Hutchens Senior lived on Route 7 outside the city of Knoxville.
Location Of Loss
Approximate location of Hutchens’ field burial, now part of Honiara.
