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Pleasants, Henry III (0914107): Difference between revisions
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|class_section=5E | |class_section=5E | ||
|class_rank=1st Lt | |class_rank=1st Lt | ||
|birth_year=1910 | |birth_year=1910 | ||
|death_year=2000 | |death_year=2000 | ||
|nativity= | |nativity=United States | ||
|religion= | |religion=Protestant | ||
|overseas=Y | |overseas=Y | ||
|certificate=2727 | |certificate=2727 | ||
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|class_number=9 | |class_number=9 | ||
|class_display=9 | |class_display=9 | ||
|birth_date=12 May 1910 | |||
|arm_or_service=Air Corps | |||
|death_place=London, England | |||
|birth_place=Wayne, Pennsylvania | |||
|known_for=Spy, music critic | |||
|occupation=Spy, music critic | |||
|death_date=4 January 2000 | |||
|rank_final=Second Lieutenant | |||
|photo=Pleasants_Henry_III_0914107_portrait.jpg | |||
}} | }} | ||
<div class="soldier-lead"> | <div class="soldier-lead"> | ||
'''Henry Pleasants | '''[[Pleasants, Henry III (0914107)|Henry Pleasants III]]''' (12 May 1910 – 4 January 2000) was a Wayne-born Ritchie Boy (Class 9), Philadelphia music critic, and postwar CIA / music scholar in London. | ||
</div> | </div> | ||
== Biography == | == Biography == | ||
Henry Pleasants III was born on 12 May 1910 in Wayne, Pennsylvania. At nineteen he became a music critic for the Philadelphia Evening Bulletin and served as the paper’s music editor from 1934 to 1942. Drafted that year, he was commissioned a second lieutenant for his German, Italian, and Russian and trained at Camp Ritchie (Class 9). | |||
He landed at Naples on New Year’s Eve 1943 and served with a German-speaking order-of-battle team at Fifth Army headquarters in the Royal Palace at Caserta, where Special Services staged San Carlo Opera performances he attended nightly. He later wrote about wartime opera in “War and Remembrance.” | |||
After the war he worked in intelligence in Europe and became a widely read music critic and author in London. He died there on 4 January 2000. | |||
== Gallery == | == Gallery == | ||
<div class="soldier-gallery"> | |||
<gallery mode="packed" heights="140px"> | |||
6001903873164817.jpg | |||
6001903866498151.jpg | |||
6001903869831484.jpg | |||
Pleasants_Henry_III_0914107_portrait.jpg|Henry Pleasants, American music critic (RB Archive) | |||
</gallery> | |||
</div> | |||
== Technical record == | == Technical record == | ||
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| row_source || both | | row_source || both | ||
|} | |} | ||
== Timeline == | |||
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed soldier-timeline"> | |||
<div class="soldier-timeline-body"> | |||
* 12 May 1910 — Born in Wayne, Pennsylvania. | |||
* 1930–1942 — Philadelphia Evening Bulletin music critic / editor. | |||
* 1942–1943 — Commissioned; Camp Ritchie Class 9; to Naples / Fifth Army Caserta. | |||
* Postwar — Intelligence work in Europe; music criticism and books in London. | |||
* 4 January 2000 — Died in London. | |||
</div> | |||
</div><div style="clear: both;"></div> | |||
== Sources == | == Sources == | ||
* Camp Ritchie | * [[:File:Pleasants_Henry_III_0914107_portrait.jpg|Henry Pleasants, American music critic (RB Archive)]] | ||
* Henry Pleasants, “War and Remembrance” opera memoir (RB Archive) | |||
* [https://www.theguardian.com/news/2000/jan/13/guardianobituaries1 The Guardian — Henry Pleasants obituary] | |||
* [https://www.nytimes.com/2000/01/13/news/obituary-henry-pleasants-89-music-critic-dies.html New York Times — Henry Pleasants obituary] | |||
* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Pleasants_(music_critic) Wikipedia — Henry Pleasants (music critic)] | |||
* Camp Ritchie Museum, Inc. (The Ritchie History Museum), Classes 1–31 roster data | |||
* Dan Gross research spreadsheets, including original Excel timeline/roster work, combined with other research and records | |||
* NARA World War II Army enlistment records (where a NARA ASN is present) | * NARA World War II Army enlistment records (where a NARA ASN is present) | ||
* 1940 U.S. Census (where a census match is present) | * 1940 U.S. Census (where a census match is present) | ||
* Ritchie Boys of WWII Facebook page, post dated 2022-12-29 (1 post) | |||
* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Pleasants_(music_critic Wikipedia] | |||
Latest revision as of 19:58, 16 September 2026
| Henry Pleasants, III | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 12 May 1910 Wayne, Pennsylvania |
| Died | 4 January 2000 London, England |
| Nativity | United States |
| Religion | Protestant |
| Known for | Spy, Music Critic |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Army |
| Arm / service | Air Corps |
| ASN | 0914107 |
| Rank | Second Lieutenant |
| Rank at Ritchie | First Lieutenant |
| Camp Ritchie | Class 9 (21 June – 18 August 1943) |
| Section | 5E |
Research notes on this page are compiled from the source file and later edits. They may be unverified, incomplete, or incorrect, and should not be treated as established fact. Please correct the article or add sources on the talk page. For class-roster terms, see About the data.
Sources & confidence: Treat Research notes as leads, not settled fact. Prefer NARA, the class roster, newspapers, Find a Grave, or published histories for contested claims. Mark unsourced claims with
{{Needs source}}, or explain disagreements on talk. Baseline import notes: About the data.
Henry Pleasants III (12 May 1910 – 4 January 2000) was a Wayne-born Ritchie Boy (Class 9), Philadelphia music critic, and postwar CIA / music scholar in London.
Biography[edit | edit source]
Henry Pleasants III was born on 12 May 1910 in Wayne, Pennsylvania. At nineteen he became a music critic for the Philadelphia Evening Bulletin and served as the paper’s music editor from 1934 to 1942. Drafted that year, he was commissioned a second lieutenant for his German, Italian, and Russian and trained at Camp Ritchie (Class 9).
He landed at Naples on New Year’s Eve 1943 and served with a German-speaking order-of-battle team at Fifth Army headquarters in the Royal Palace at Caserta, where Special Services staged San Carlo Opera performances he attended nightly. He later wrote about wartime opera in “War and Remembrance.”
After the war he worked in intelligence in Europe and became a widely read music critic and author in London. He died there on 4 January 2000.
Gallery[edit | edit source]
-
-
-
-
Henry Pleasants, American music critic (RB Archive)
Technical record[edit | edit source]
| Field | Imported value |
|---|---|
| Approx Age at Death | 90 |
| Class_ASN | 914107 |
| Class_Name | PLEASANTS, Henry |
| match_method | asn_exact_name_exact |
| row_source | both |
Timeline[edit | edit source]
- 12 May 1910 — Born in Wayne, Pennsylvania.
- 1930–1942 — Philadelphia Evening Bulletin music critic / editor.
- 1942–1943 — Commissioned; Camp Ritchie Class 9; to Naples / Fifth Army Caserta.
- Postwar — Intelligence work in Europe; music criticism and books in London.
- 4 January 2000 — Died in London.
Sources[edit | edit source]
- Henry Pleasants, American music critic (RB Archive)
- Henry Pleasants, “War and Remembrance” opera memoir (RB Archive)
- The Guardian — Henry Pleasants obituary
- New York Times — Henry Pleasants obituary
- Wikipedia — Henry Pleasants (music critic)
- Camp Ritchie Museum, Inc. (The Ritchie History Museum), Classes 1–31 roster data
- Dan Gross research spreadsheets, including original Excel timeline/roster work, combined with other research and records
- NARA World War II Army enlistment records (where a NARA ASN is present)
- 1940 U.S. Census (where a census match is present)
- Ritchie Boys of WWII Facebook page, post dated 2022-12-29 (1 post)
- Wikipedia