Leland Norton Durr
Sergeant Leland N. Durr served with Dog Company, First Battalion, 7th Marines.
He was killed in action at Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands, on 27 September 1942.
Branch
Marine Corps Regular
Service Number 242347
Current Status
Remains Not Recovered
Pursuit Category
The DPAA has not publicized this information.
Capsule History
Pre-War Life
Birth
October 3, 1915
at Pittsfield, IL
Parents
Robert Alexander Durr
Fern Leah (Norton) Durr
Education
Details unknown
Occupation & Employer
Professional Marine
Service Life
Entered Service
April 13, 1934
at Chicago, IL
Home Of Record
Route 7
Pittsfield, IL
Next Of Kin
Mother, Mrs. Fern Durr
Military Specialty
Section Leader
Primary Unit
D/1/7th Marines
Campaigns Served
Solomon Islands / Guadalcanal
Individual Decorations
Purple Heart
Additional Service Details
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Loss And Burial
Circumstances Of Loss
On 27 September 1942, a detachment of the First Battalion, 7th Marines under the command of Major Otho L. Rogers made an amphibious landing on the beach just west of Point Cruz, Guadalcanal. This complicated maneuver was a bold attempt to flank Japanese defensive positions along the Matanikau River, establish a foothold in enemy territory, and allow other Marines to force their way across – possibly turning the tide of battle along Guadalcanal’s northern coast.
Rogers’ men landed without incident and advanced inland to a grassy ridge designated “Hill 84.” The plan quickly fell apart: fast-moving Japanese troops counterattacked, and a mortar shell killed Rogers as he tried to establish a perimeter. With few heavy weapons and no radio, the Marines fought their way back to the beach, suffering heavy casualties all the while. Brave Coast Guardsmen arrived in landing craft to extract the battalion. The ignominy of withdrawal was not lost on the Marines, who bitterly nicknamed the battle “Little Dunkirk.”
Sergeant Leland Durr, one of the longest-serving NCOs in the battalion, was one of four Marines from D/1/7 to lose his life on 27 September. He was last seen alive on the retreat route, in heavy jungle near the beach.
Burial Information or Disposition
The Marines, hard-pressed to evacuate their wounded, were forced to leave the bodies of the fallen on the field. “Not recovered due to battle conditions” was entered on the muster roll. At a later date, the notation “Buried in common grave with 16 others on west bank, mouth of Matanikau River” was added to the casualty cards of fourteen men. Sergeant Durr was included in this number.
In the years after the battle for Little Dunkirk, several remains were retrieved from the field; Ralph Harless and Kenneth Quist, both of A/1/7, were subsequently identified. Post-war search efforts focused on the reported mass grave near the Matanikau, but locals reported that the river mouth “covered an area almost twice the size it was originally,” and no clues were found.
Next Of Kin Address
Address of mother, Mrs. Fern Durr
Location Of Loss
Sergeant Durr was last seen in the vicinity of Hill 84, Guadalcanal.
