Two Winchendon men perished on the USS Drexler
WINCHENDON — Who could have imagined that two individuals from the same small town in Central Massachusetts like Winchendon, would find themselves on the same ship during World War II?
And even more ironic was that these two young men also suffered the same tragic fate when they both lost their mothers at a very young age.
It’s not known whether Leo W. Bisson and William H. Rees Jr. ever knew one another while living in Winchendon, but their lives became intertwined and forever remembered when they were killed together aboard the USS Drexler in the waning days of the war on May 28,1945.
This is the continuation of the series Remembering Local World War II Heroes with these two soldiers from the town of Winchendon.
Seaman First Class Leo W. Bisson
Leo Walter Bisson was born to Charles and Albia (Boudreault) Bisson of Decourville, Quebec, Canada, however his birthday was never determined. His parents later moved with their six children to Manchester,New Hampshire.
In 1929, his mother became ill and the family returned to Quebec City. Through their mother’s illness and subsequent death many of the children were placed in Catholic orphanages and cared for by the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur.
About 1942, Leo moved with his sister, Lucille, to Winchendon where she took a job in the White Brothers Mill. Leo entered the service in February 1943, and took part in the invasion of France and campaigns in the Pacific as part of the United States Naval Reserve. He was stationed aboard the U.S.S. Drexler, an Allen M. Sumner-class destroyer (a group of 58 destroyers built by the United States during World War II), and named for Medal of Honor recipient Ensign Henry Clay Drexler.
The Drexler was launched on Sept. 3, 1944, out of the Bath Iron Works Corp., in Bath, Maine, and commissioned on Nov. 14, 1944, led by Cmdr. Ronald Lee Wilson.
On March 27, 1945 the Drexler departed Ulithi, an atoll in the Caroline Islands of the western Pacific Ocean, bound for Okinawa. At the time, there were 647 ships anchored at Ulithi, and with the arrival of amphibious forces staging for the invasion of Okinawa the number anchored peaked at 722.
As the Drexler sailed off Okinawa, Japan, on May 28, alongside the radar picket Lowry, two kamikaze planes flew over and attacked the two ships.
The first plane was downed by the combined fire of the two destroyers and planes from the combat air patrol. However, while the second tried to crash onto Lowry it missed, hitting the Drexler. It cut off all power, starting a large gasoline fire.
Despite the heavy damage, she kept firing, aiding in shooting down two planes that attacked immediately after the crash. After the Drexler was hit by another aircraft, the impact rolled it on to her beam ends, causing her to sink in less than 50 seconds.
The Lowry stood by to rescue survivors despite the continued presence of enemy aircraft in the area, but the casualties were heavy. In all, 158 were killed in the attack including Bisson and 18-year-old Lt. Rees, while 52 were wounded.
In early August1945, word reached Bisson’s father Charles that his son Leo was missing in action by a Navy department telegram.
In addition to his father, Bisson was also survived by his sister Lucille C. Gauthier of Winchendon.
Fireman 1/c William H. Rees, Jr. (1926-1945)
William Henry Rees was born in Winchendon on Nov. 30, 1926, the son of William H. and the late Effie May (Chapman) Rees. He attended the public schools in Winchendon and lived at 7 Mill Circle in Winchendon Springs.
His mother died at the age of 40 on March 20, 1933, when William was only 6 years old. She had two other daughters, Margaret and Doris.
Fireman Rees enlisted in the Navy on Oct. 30, 1943, while he was living at 362 Front St. and entered the service a little more than a month later on Dec. 4, 1943.
He served in the Pacific area and was aboard the USS Drexler when it was hit by kamikaze planes and he was lost at sea on May 28, 1945.
On June 21, 1945, his father, who was living at the time in Somerville, received a telegram that his son was missing in action. He had been promoted from Fireman third class to Fireman first class a year earlier.
In August of that year, when the Winchendon Courier heralded the end of World War II with the headline “Japs Quit!” just beneath it was the story and a photo of Rees explaining that he had been killed in action aboard the Drexler.
William H. Rees Jr. is listed on the family stone at Riverside Cemetery in Winchendon.
Each year, he and Bisson are recalled as his fellow crewmen honor their lost comrades at the annual Drexler Survivors reunion.
(Comments and suggestions for Remembering Local World War II Heroes can be sent to Mike Richard at mikerichard0725@gmail.com or by writing Mike Richard, 92 Boardley Rd. Sandwich, MA 02563)
This article originally appeared on Gardner News: Kamikaze planes attacked USS Drexler killing two Winchendon men
