Joseph Edwin Ault
PFC Joseph E. “Edwin” Ault served with Regimental Weapons Company, 8th Marines.
He was killed in action at Betio, Tarawa atoll, on 20 November 1943.
Branch
Marine Corps Reserve
Service Number 470801
Current Status
Remains Not Recovered
Pursuit Category
This case is under Active Pursuit by the DPAA.
Capsule History
Pre-War Life
Birth
August 23, 1909
at Knoxville, TN
Parents
Samuel A. C. Ault (d. 1936)
Anna Gertrude (Newman) Ault
Education
Details unknown
Occupation & Employer
Charlotte Florist Supply Co.
Service Life
Entered Service
November 5, 1942
at Raleigh, NC
Home Of Record
221 Hawthore Lane
Charlotte, NC
Next Of Kin
Wife, Mrs. Gertrude M. Ault
Military Specialty
Anti-Tank Gunner
Primary Unit
Weapons Company
8th Marines
Campaigns Served
Tarawa
Individual Decorations
Purple Heart
Additional Service Details
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Loss And Burial
Circumstances Of Loss
PFC Joseph Edwin Ault served with Regimental Weapons Company, 8th Marines, from April to November 1943. His first and only combat action was the battle of Tarawa.
On 20 November 1943, 1Lt. Roy H. Elrod led his platoon of anti-tank gunners through 800 yards of interlocking machine-gun and mortar fire before splashing ashore on Betio’s Beach Red 3. The gun crews – with PFC Ault among them – hauled their 37mm pieces through the sand and hoisted them over the sea wall, aiming at the firing ports of Japanese bunkers. “My men worked rapidly in firing at targets,” Elrod later wrote, “even though they were under almost constant fire.”
The 37mm gun had a sloped shield that offered some protection to the gunners, but it was by no means entirely bulletproof. “It would turn small arms fire. It was about a quarter-inch thick and a good grade of steel,” continued Elrod. “The main problem was that it wasn’t high enough to protect the heads of the gunner and loader.”
One of my Marines, Joe Ault, was hit by a round that came over and into his helmet. It knocked a piece of his skull out as big as the palm of your hand, leaving the brain exposed. He was my first casualty. I knew he didn't have a chance, and I wasn't going to risk three or four other guys to carry him back behind the seawall. They had to stand up to carry him. I just covered him up with a poncho. He lasted about thirty minutes and never regained consciousness.
Burial Information or Disposition
PFC Ault was reportedly buried the following day, but the exact location was never recorded he was simply interred “at Tarawa.” His remains were never found or identified by post-war recovery efforts.
A memorial marker was erected in Cemetery 33, Plot 16, Row 3, Grave 12.
Next Of Kin Address
Address of wife, Mrs. Gertrude Meredith Ault.
At the time of Edwin’s death, Gertrude was living in Texas and received mail via her parents in Gaffney, South Carolina.
Location Of Loss
PFC Ault was killed in action near Betio’s Beach Red 3.
