JOHN T. NICHOLS, JR., LT, USN

John Nichols, Jr. '41

Date of birth: February 19, 1918

Date of death: September 9, 1943

Age: 25

Lucky Bag

From the 1941 Lucky Bag:

JOHN THOMAS NICHOLS, JR.

Norfolk, Virginia

"Well it can't last forever," and so Jason tries to bone a little more; but one of these days he's gonna quit for good and settle down the way he wants, and the home town looks all right. There just ain't no getting around it—he's a home loving man, and he's got his interest there. He plays the strong, silent type when the talk gets around to the girls, but just keep your eye peeled—the "hermit" does all right for himself.

Nick's a familiar figure over in the gym every afternoon about five o'clock, a varied and competent sportsman, taking a yen for boxing, soccer, cross country, and dominos, and beating the system is his greatest delight. He's fought off and on with the books, and although the going has been tough once or twice, he's always come out on top. Nick just takes things as they come and does not pay much attention to worrying, but tell him your troubles and you'll find a real friend. It's been fun, Jason.

Boat Club 3, 2, 1; Company Pistol 3; Battalion Track 3; Battalion C. C. 3; Battalion Soccer 3, 2; Cross Country 2.

The Class of 1941 was the first of the wartime-accelerated classes, graduating in February 1941.

JOHN THOMAS NICHOLS, JR.

Norfolk, Virginia

"Well it can't last forever," and so Jason tries to bone a little more; but one of these days he's gonna quit for good and settle down the way he wants, and the home town looks all right. There just ain't no getting around it—he's a home loving man, and he's got his interest there. He plays the strong, silent type when the talk gets around to the girls, but just keep your eye peeled—the "hermit" does all right for himself.

Nick's a familiar figure over in the gym every afternoon about five o'clock, a varied and competent sportsman, taking a yen for boxing, soccer, cross country, and dominos, and beating the system is his greatest delight. He's fought off and on with the books, and although the going has been tough once or twice, he's always come out on top. Nick just takes things as they come and does not pay much attention to worrying, but tell him your troubles and you'll find a real friend. It's been fun, Jason.

Boat Club 3, 2, 1; Company Pistol 3; Battalion Track 3; Battalion C. C. 3; Battalion Soccer 3, 2; Cross Country 2.

The Class of 1941 was the first of the wartime-accelerated classes, graduating in February 1941.

Loss

John was lost when USS Grayling (SS 209) was sunk sometime between September 9-12, 1943.

His parents were listed as next of kin. There is a cenotaph at his family plot in Norfolk, VA.

Navy Directories & Officer Registers

The "Register of Commissioned and Warrant Officers of the United States Navy and Marine Corps" was published annually from 1815 through at least the 1970s; it provided rank, command or station, and occasionally billet until the beginning of World War II when command/station was no longer included. Scanned copies were reviewed and data entered from the mid-1840s through 1922, when more-frequent Navy Directories were available.

The Navy Directory was a publication that provided information on the command, billet, and rank of every active and retired naval officer. Single editions have been found online from January 1915 and March 1918, and then from three to six editions per year from 1923 through 1940; the final edition is from April 1941.

The entries in both series of documents are sometimes cryptic and confusing. They are often inconsistent, even within an edition, with the name of commands; this is especially true for aviation squadrons in the 1920s and early 1930s.

Alumni listed at the same command may or may not have had significant interactions; they could have shared a stateroom or workspace, stood many hours of watch together… or, especially at the larger commands, they might not have known each other at all. The information provides the opportunity to draw connections that are otherwise invisible, though, and gives a fuller view of the professional experiences of these alumni in Memorial Hall.