William F. Culloton
1890 - 1945
USNRF
WWI
William Francis Culloton, Jr. was born in Chicago on August 14, 1890, to William F. and Catherine Roche Culloton.
Culloton was raised in Chicago, and helped support his family as a time clerk for an elevator company until joining the war effort, serving from July 6, 1918 to January 22, 1919, as a U.S. Navy Reserve Force Electrician’s Mate, 3rd Class.
Founded on Aug. 29, 1916, the U.S. Naval Reserve Force (USNRF) opened up enlistment requirements (beyond enlisted Navy Veterans) and organized Reservists into six classes based on experience, trade, and area of operability. Mobilized USNRF Sailors bolstered the size of the fleet. Flush with manpower, the U.S. Navy, with considerable help from Great Britain, France and Italy, was able to put over 2 million men on the continent of Europe in a year, with minimal losses—a logistical triumph that is still impressive to this day.
Culloton married Helen Canty in Chicago on 31 Jan 1923; they had three daughters before she died in January, 1943.
His military training was put to use in his post-war career selling retail electric appliances.
Electrician’s Mate 3rd Class William F. Culloton died on December 3, 1945, less than a year after his marriage to Barrington native Caroline Boehmer. He is buried alongside her at Evergreen Cemetery in Barrington.
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Remember. Honor. Teach.
Courtesy of Signal Hill Chapter, National Society Daughters of the American Revolution
