Painting honors WWII Brownville soldier who gave his life for his country

By Stuart Hedstrom
Staff Writer

BROWNVILLE — Students, teachers and visitors to the Brownville Elementary School will now have a continual reminder of the life of a resident killed during a German U-boat attack off the coast of France during World War II. A painting by Allen Monroe and given to the school by benefactor local historian and author Bill Sawtell was unveiled on June 2 during the school’s end-of-the-year awards assembly.

Observer photo/Stuart Hedstrom

REMEMBERING SOMEONE WHO GAVE ALL — A painting of U.S. Army Pfc. Edward F. Stone will now be on display at Brownville Elementary thanks to portrait benefactor Bill Sawtell and artist Allen Monroe. Stone, who was a resident of Brownville, was killed during a German U-boat torpedo attack on the S.S. Leopoldville off the coast of France on Christmas Eve, 1944. Stone, 23 at the time of his death, was survived by a wife and four children.

“Today we have a very special honor, I am going to present a painting to you done by an artist from Milo, Allen Monroe,” Sawtell told the assembly audience. “That is Pfc. Edward Stone who gave his life for this country,” Sawtell said after Monroe removed the sheet to unveil the portrait. “Imagine that, he grew up right down the road from this school and worked at the mill right down the road from this school.”

On Christmas Eve, 1944 Stone, who was 23, and over 2,200 other U.S. Army infantrymen were crossing the English channel to France on the S.S. Leopoldville to join the Battle of the Bulge. Five miles off the coast the ship was struck by a U-boat torpedo. The S.S. Leopoldville sank, with nearly 800 on board losing their lives, including Stone whose body was among 500 never recovered.

“That painting’s going to hanged here in the school so you will have that in the school to remind you,” Sawtell said. The Stone portrait will join two other pieces of art provided by Sawtell and painted by Monroe. One is of Sawtell’s grandfather Will Roberts, the last Welsh quarryman in Brownville, and the other features resident and U.S. Army nurse Alice Zwicker, who was a prisoner of war in the Philippines during second World War.

Sawtell introduced a son and daughter of Stone, who was married with four children at the time of his death, to the audience. “They too made a great sacrifice for our country,” he said.

Principal Carol Smith thanked Sawtell and Monroe and all veterans and their family members present for their service. “We will treasure that painting,” she said.