Samuel Brice Elliott
PFC Samuel B. “Brice” Elliott served with Able Company, First Battalion, 8th Marines.
He was killed in action at Betio, Tarawa atoll, on 20 November 1943.
*This is an official date of death. Elliott's battalion did not land until 21 November 1943.
Branch
Marine Corps Reserve
Service Number 521492
Current Status
Remains Not Recovered
Pursuit Category
This case is under Active Pursuit by the DPAA.
Capsule History
Pre-War Life
Birth
November 10, 1923
at Tulsa, OK
Parents
Samuel Talbert Elliott
Geneva (Blackford) Elliott
Education
Details unknown
Occupation & Employer
General Electric Company
Service Life
Entered Service
December 13, 1942
at Detroit, MI
Home Of Record
16658 Lenore Avenue
Detroit, MI
Next Of Kin
Mother, Mrs. Geneva Elliott
Military Specialty
—
Primary Unit
A/1/8th Marines
Campaigns Served
Tarawa
Individual Decorations
Purple Heart
Additional Service Details
—
Loss And Burial
Circumstances Of Loss
PFC Samuel “Brice” Elliott served with Company A, First Battalion, 8th Marines in the battle for Tarawa.
At midday on 20 November 1943, BLT 1-8 climbed over the sides of their transport ships and boarded LCVPs in Tarawa lagoon. They anticipated imminent landing orders, but due to the desperate situation on the beach were held offshore in their little boats, bobbing in the waves for the rest of the day and a very long night. Early on 21 November, they were ordered to land on Betio’s Beach Red 2.
At 0615, the first waves of 1-8 rushed down the ramps and into the breaking surf on a coral reef some 500 yards from shore. Although friendly troops held the water’s edge, they “immediately came under heavy machine gun fire from both flanks.” The battalion was decimated on the long walk to shore. An action report penned by the 8th Marines noted that “many of the casualties resulted from drowning, due to the heavy packs and equipment men attempted to take across the submerged fringing reef.”
PFC Elliott was one of those who fell in action, either during the landing itself or shortly after coming ashore. His death was confirmed by company officers, but no specifics were recorded. Although his battalion did not land until D+1, Elliott’s official date of death is given as 20 November 1943.
Burial Information or Disposition
PFC Elliott’s body was found and identified on 22 November 1943. According to contemporary records – including a Marine Corps Casualty Card and unit muster rolls – he was buried in “Division Cemetery #2, Row B, Grave #58.” A burial roster compiled by Chaplain W. Wyeth Willard notes the interment of “Elliott S B” in the cemetery that would also be known as Cemetery 25. In 1944, the original markers were taken down and replaced with memorial graves; Elliott’s stood in Plot 2, Row 2, Grave 6.
The 604th Quartermaster Graves Registration Company exhumed Cemetery 25 in 1946 and recovered several dozen remains. Many of these men were later identified – but PFC Elliott, unfortunately, was not among them. He was declared non-recoverable in 1949.
Today, Elliott’s remains may be among those awaiting identification – or he may have been buried elsewhere, in an unknown location.
Next Of Kin Address
Address of mother, Mrs. Geneva Elliott.
Location Of Loss
PFC Elliott’s battalion landed in the vicinity of Beach Red 2, Betio.
