Thomas Broadway Royster
Captain Thomas B. Royster served as the commanding officer of Baker Company, Second Amphibian Tractor Battalion.
He was killed in action at Betio, Tarawa atoll, on 22 November 1943.
Branch
Marine Corps Reserve
Service Number O-6726
Current Status
Remains Not Recovered
Pursuit Category
This case is under Active Pursuit by the DPAA.
Capsule History
Pre-War Life
Birth
February 26, 1919
at Raleigh, NC
Parents
Wilbur & Olivette (Broadway) Royster
Education
The Webb School (Bell Buckle, TN)
UNC Chapel Hill (1940)
Occupation & Employer
Entered service directly from college
Service Life
Entered Service
July 17, 1940
at Raleigh, NC
Home Of Record
530 North Blount
Raleigh, NC
Next Of Kin
Wife, Mrs. Eleanor Badger Royster
Military Specialty
Amphibian Tractor Officer
(Company Commander)
Primary Unit
B/2nd Amphtrac Bn.
Campaigns Served
Tarawa
Individual Decorations
Bronze Star
Purple Heart
Additional Service Details
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Loss And Burial
Circumstances Of Loss
Captain Thomas B. Royster commanded Company B, Second Amphibian Tractor Battalion, during the Tarawa campaign. His unit was primarily charged with landing battalions of the 6th Marines – the 2nd Marine Division reserve – when and where needed. On the night of 21 November 1943, troops of 1/6 and 3/6 were brought ashore along “Green Beach” – the western coast of Betio.
Research conducted by Jim Hildebrand of “Tarawa1943” suggests that Royster, Corporal Lambert Lane, and a third man (thought to be Corporal Howard L. Bryant) made up the crew of an LVT-1 “Alligator” that struck a Japanese boat mine offshore of Green Beach. The blast flipped the vehicle upside down, killing the crew and several other Marines and corpsmen whom they had rescued from a sinking rubber boat. Lane and Bryant were reported as missing in action, while Royster was killed.
For more information on this mystery, read Hildebrand’s essay “The Green Beach LVT Mystery.”
Burial Information or Disposition
Captain Royster’s remains were retrieved from the waters of Green Beach. Tarawa veteran Norman E. Ward (formerly 2Lt. Ward, 2nd Amphtrac Bn.) reported finding four bodies – including Royster and Corporal Lane – and bringing them ashore for burial. Royster’s body was identified by another member of the battalion, Sergeant Joseph B. Kubik.
Royster was buried in an isolated grave – “Cemetery #9” – at the western end of Betio on Green Beach. The location was well-tended; a 1944 photograph shows two markers and a neat border of pine logs. However, his grave was not found by the 604th Quartermaster Graves Registration Company in 1946, and no known attempt was made to recover remains from the site. According to author William L. Niven, natural beach erosion took its toll and the grave was underwater, which prevented recovery efforts.
Next Of Kin Address
Address of wife, Mrs. Eleanor Badger Royster.
Location Of Loss
Captain Royster’s LVT was destroyed by a mine at the southern end of Green Beach.
