The 131st Field Artillery Regiment which had served in WWI and was part of the Texas National Guard became part of the 36th Infantry Division of the US Army on November 25, 1940. They activated for service at Camp Bowie in Brownwood, Texas on January 11, 1941.
The 1st Battalion was renamed the 131st Field Artillery Battalion and they trained stateside at Camp Blanding, Florida and Camp Edwards, Massachusetts, before shipping out from New York for North Africa on April 2, 1943. They went on to service at Salerno and Anzio, Italy as well as Southern France in the European Theater of war.
After training with the 36th Division, the 2nd Battalion unit shipped out to the Pacific theater in November of 1941 and was first stationed in Australia. In January of 1942, the 2nd Battalion was sent into combat as reinforcement for Australian, British, and Dutch units fighting the Japanese in Indonesia. More than 500 soldiers from the 2nd Battalion were captured by the Japanese in 1942 on the island of Java. The prisoners also included more than 300 men who swam ashore from the ship USS Houston when it was sunk by the Japanese.
The prisoners were put to work as “slave labor” by the Japanese to build a railroad from Rangoon in Burma to Bangkok in Thailand from 1943 until Victory in Japan on August 15, 1945. They were called the “Lost Battalion” as the US military didn’t know the battalion’s location for some time. They spent 42 months as prisoners of the Japanese during World War II. Some prisoners were sent to Burma, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, or Japan. These prisoners joined 66,000 prisoners of war and 300,00 southeast Asian workers on this railroad which stretched over mountains for 258 miles.
This story was later featured in the 1957 movie The Bridge on the River Kwai. Of the 902 soldiers and sailors taken captive on Java, 163 died in captivity and 133 died during the construction, with 86% of the 2nd Battalion prisoners dying during the ordeal. The conditions were severly harsh with lack of food, water, proper treatment by the guards or proper medical care. At the end of the war, the surviving prisoners of war of the “Lost Battalion” were sought out at their various locations and returned to the United States.
Lafayette County soldier Private Lavern Peter Staver served with the 131st Field Artillery Regiment of the 36th Infantry Division of the US Army.
Lavern Peter Staver was born November 17, 1916 in Elk Grove in Lafayette County, Wisconsin to Frank and Anna (Zettle) Staver.
From the 1920 US Census, the Staver family lived in Benton Township in “La Fayette” (sic) County, Wisconsin. The household included father Frank, mother Annie, and children Laverne P. and Veronica M. Father Frank was a farmer in general farming working on his own account. They rented their farm.
From the 1930 US Census, the family remained in Benton Township and the family now included another son named Bernard. Father Frank remained a farmer.
On the 1940 US Census, Laverne was living in Seymour township in La Fayette County. He was a hired man living with the Delbert Winn family. He had 7 years of education. He lived in the same house in 1935. He worked as a hired man in farming for paid wages.
On October 16, 1940, Lavern Peter Staver registered for the WWII draft. He gave his address as Cuba City in Elk Grove in La Fayette County. He was 23 and his next of kin and employer was his father, Frank Staver, living at Cuba City in Elk Grove. He signed his name without an “e” on Lavern.
From the March 11, 1941 Wisconsin State Journal, “15 Volunteers Help Fill March Lafayette Quota,” had a list that included LaVerne P. Staver of Cuba City.
On March 14, 1941, Lavern P. Staver enlisted for military service with the Army prior to US entry in WWII. He had 1 year of high school and was employed as a farm hand. He was single, without dependents.
Private Lavern P. Staver is listed on several set of US government Prisoner of War Records. In 1942 he was a part of the POWs transported from the Dutch East Indies to Japan. The prison name was “Nippon.” On February 24, 1942 he arrived in the Malaya POW Camp Malay 6-104. On November 2, 1942 he was with Java Party Number 6 and arrived at Changi POW Camp. In 1943 he was located in the Changi POW Camp. He was at POW Camp Malay as of 1944.
From the January 28, 1943 The Platteville Journal and Grant County News article titled “LaVerne Staver Prisoner of Japs; Corp. Goodrich Hurt; Elmer Beckett Ill” the news was “A telegram from Washington D. C. arriving Tuesday, advised Mr. and Mrs. Frank Staver of Elk Grover, that their son, LaVerne, previously reported missing following the battle of Java, is alive. He is being held by the Japs in Java.
Young Staver saw action during the Java fighting, and his family had feared he was dead. A brother, Bernard, is with the U.S. army in England.”
{Note: The use of the derogatory term “Japs” is offensive to Japanese and Japanese Americans. However, it is included here as that was how the notices were written at the time of publication.}
From the April 17, 1943 The Capital Times notice titled “2 State Soldiers Prisoners of Japs,” the notice stated “Two Wisconsin men are listed among 102 members of the U. S. army held as prisoners of war by the Japanese in Java, Manila and Taiwan, according to announcement by the U. S. war department. The two are Pvt. Robert W. McMahon and Pvt. Lavern P. Staver. The war department has notified their mothers, Mrs. Cecelia E. McMahon, Route 2, Holcombe, and Mrs. Anna Staver, Cuba City.”
September 30, 1943 The Platteville Journal and Grant County News notice “Lest We Forget” listed those from the area killed in action, missing in action, died in service and prisoners of war. The prisoners of the Japanese included Philip Van Dyke, Claude Gardner, LaVerne Staver and William Harper (listed as a college student).
From the March 30, 1944 The Platteville Journal and Grant County News notice “L. Staver Writes from Japanese Camp,” the news from the Elk Grove Correspondent was “Mr. and Mrs. Frank Staver now living at Seymour received a card March 17 from their son Laverne who is a prisoner of the Japs. It was dated Feb. 22, 1943 and it read: ‘I am fit and well. My health has been very good. Do not worry. With Love Laverne.’ Mrs. Staver recognized the penciled hand writing as that of her son but had been traced over with ink.”
No other news appeared in the newspapers that this researcher was able to find. However, Private Staver did die as a prisoner of war on May 28, 1945 presumably in the Malay POW Camp.
From the May 6, 1948 The Capital Times article “Bodies of Two Local, 16 Area War Dead to Be Returned,” the notice stated “The bodies of two Madison and 16 Madison area servicemen who lost their lives overseas during World War II are being returned to this country, according to an announcement by the army department…being returned from Honolulu aboard the army transport Cardinel O’Connell are the bodies of eight area war dead.” The list included Private Lavern P. Staver and his father Frank Staver was living in Shullsburg
From the May 31, 1948 Rock Island Argus column titled “War Burials,” the notice stated “Fourteen overseas dead of the Second World War will be interred at Rock Island National cemetery on the arsenal in services Wednesday and Friday.” Private Lavern P. Staver of Shullsburg, Wisconsin was buried at 1:30 p.m. on Friday, June 4, 1948. The notice stated “The Cordova American Legion post will furnish an honor guard for the Friday services.”
The National Cemetery Interment Control Forms for Rock Island National Cemetery give Private Staver’s date of death as May 28, 1945.
A user on FindAGrave put a note on his memorial page that Private Staver “died of cancer while a prisoner in Singapore.” However, no documentation is given to support this claim.
From the National WWII Memorial Registry, Private Lavern P. Staver was listed as being from Lafayette County. His death status was DNB — Died non-battle. He was awarded the American Campaign Medal and the World War II Victory Medal, awarded posthumously.
Thank you, Private Lavern Peter Staver, for your service to and sacrifice for this country. We honor you and remember you.
