John Lewis Kay
| John Lewis Kay | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1919 Germany |
| Died | 2015 |
| Nativity | Germany |
| Religion | Jewish |
| Awards | Bronze Star Medal |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Army |
| Arm / service | Quartermaster Corps |
| ASN | 01584444 |
| Rank | First Lieutenant |
| Rank at Ritchie | Second Lieutenant |
| Camp Ritchie | Class 7 (15 April – 12 June 1943) |
| Section | 15 |
Awards and honors
|
| Bronze Star Medal |
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.
John Lewis Kay (1919–2015) was a Ritchie Boy (from Germany; Jewish) who trained at Camp Ritchie in class 7. The record lists a final rank of First Lieutenant.
Biography edit
On 5 June 1942, Kay was naturalized in San Bernardino, CA (Certificate # 5417534). Worked as hotel clerk (Mark Hopkins Hotel). He served in the US Army during WWII and later worked as a Civil Affairs Officer (CAO). He fought in the campaigns to liberate Italy where he served as CAO with the following Divisions since the initial landing at Salerno: 56 Div (Brit), 7th Armored Div (Brit), 5 Div (Brit), 45th Div (US), all Divs in X Corps except 45th. Officer also served as CAO for the Communes of Mondragone, Carolina-Falciano, and Francolise.
Research notes edit
- IV Corps (to Major)
- OCR (97%) of `3332775190077712.jpg` (Bronze Star) — dated 2 March 1944 — rank mentioned: First Lieutenant.
- OCR mentioned officer rank First Lieutenant (not auto-filled — verify).
Gallery edit
Technical record edit
| Field | Imported value |
|---|---|
| Approx Age at Death | 96 |
| Class_ASN | 584444 |
| Class_Name | KAY, John L. |
| match_method | asn_partial_name_exact |
| row_source | both |
Timeline edit
- Born 13 September 1919 in Munich (as Hans Ludwig Kaumheimer) to Jewish parents.
- 5 June 1942 — Naturalized in San Bernardino, CA (Certificate # 5417534).
- 31 October 1944 — Awarded Bronze Star for saving more than one thousand persons in.
- final grade (88 vs 94 for Ernest H. Bloch). Promoted to 1st Lt.
Sources edit
- 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 2020-07-18 (1 post)
- OCR-reviewed Facebook gallery document: 3332775190077712.jpg
- Dan Gross, Timeline of John Lewis Kay for Camp Ritchie (private research document; 1 source documents reviewed)
- Dan Gross, Timeline of Kay, John Lewis for Camp Ritchie (private research files; selected non-private narrative findings; 1 source files: JOHN LEWIS KAY.doc)