Edward William Sell was born on 13 September 1915, in Peru, Illinois, to Max and Anna (Fitzsimmons) Sell. Edward’s father Max was a German-born immigrant who traveled to the U.S. as a young boy with his parents and sister and brother. Edward’s mother was born in Illinois. Max and Anna married in Peru on 7 August 1907.
As a young boy Edward lived in a home his parents rented at 1409 Pulaski street in Peru with his three sisters, two older and one younger, and two younger brothers. His father was an electrical engineer at the local Zinc Works for years before taking a fire man position. Eventually he and Anna purchased a home at 915 Plain street in Peru.
Edward’s early life shaped by the loss of his paternal grandparents, with his grandfather Karl Sell passing away before Edward’s birth and his grandmother Bernadine Sell dying when he was four. His maternal grandfather William, who also worked at the zinc works as a machinist, passed away when Edward was 15 years old. Then most likely after 1935 and possibly due to economic hardships caused by the Depression, Edward’s parents became renters once again and moved their family to 1407 Sixth street in Peru.
During 1940 as clouds of war settled over the globe, Edward along with his brother Arthur dutifully registered for the draft on October 16th along with many other young men across the nation. By then, at age 25 Edward was a tall man who stood 6 feet in height and weighed 147 pounds with brown hair and brown eyes. Both he and his brother Arthur worked at Westclox—a local clock factory.
Eventually Edward was called to serve his country; he enlisted in the U.S. Army on 19 January 1942, at Camp Grant in Illinois. TEC5 Edward Sell became a Medic assigned to the 272nd Infantry Regiment in the 69th Infantry Division. And his service began at Camp Shelby in Mississippi where his division trained for months.
Many changes occurred in Edward’s family while he was away training. First his father passed away on 11 May 1942, at age 62 after experiencing a cerebral hemorrhage. Then on 1 March 1943, his 34-year-old sister Lucille Ann passed away. During this time, both of Edward’s brothers also enlisted: Stewart Charles joined the U.S. Army on 9 December 1942, and Arthur joined on 24 April 1944.
In last 1944, TEC5 Edward Sell sailed with his division across the Atlantic to England. They remained in England a couple months before deploying to France in late January 1945 and eventually to an assembly point in Belgium. According to one of the division’s history books, “the stay of the troops in the assembly areas was very short, and on 10 Feb. the first elements of the division started moving into the line.” Their first attack against the enemy was on 27 February 1945. They quickly continued their assault towards the Rhine River crossing it in late March.
As TEC5 Edward Sell’s division fought its way across Europe and into Germany, his losses back home may have weighed on his mind. With his father gone and he and his brothers all serving in the war, his mother and sister Irene were alone managing their home. But with his country facing its own battles, Medic Sell dedicated himself to his task of supporting his fellow soldiers.
As a medic, TEC5 Edward Sell was one of the soldiers running into the heat of battle to attend the wounded. Their safety relied on the enemy respecting their position, yet tragically the bright red cross on a white background they wore on their arms was sometimes ignored. And soldiers often witnessed the Germans gunning down medics while attending the wounded.
This fate would soon befall TEC5 Edward Sell in April as he was gunned down by a sniper while on the battlefield attending to a soldier from Company B. As he was treated in a field hospital after his injury it is possible he was shot while his unit was engaged in a battle near Weissenfels. He died on 15 April 1945 and was buried in the Netherlands American Cemetery and Memorial in Margraten.
TEC5 Edward William Sell was posthumously awarded the following medals for his service: Purple Heart, Bronze Star Medal, Army Good Conduct Medal, American Campaign Medal, WW2 Victory Medal, European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal.
Edward’s story, from the streets of Peru, Illinois, to the battlefields of Europe, is a poignant testament to the sacrifices made by individuals and families during World War II. His life and service embody the spirit of dedication and sacrifice that defined a generation, leaving an indelible mark on history.
This story is part of the Stories Behind the Stars project (see www.storiesbehindthestars.org). This is a national effort of volunteers to write the stories of all 421,000+ of the US WWII fallen saved on Together We Served and Fold3. Can you help write these stories? These stories will be accessible via smartphone app at any war memorial or cemetery.
If you noticed anything erroneous in this profile or have additional information to contribute to it, please email feedback@storiesbehindthestars.org.
- SBTSProject/Illinois/LaSalle
- SBTS Historian: Pam Broviak
You can also access this story at the following sites:
Fold3 Memorial: https://www.fold3.com/memorial/89646507/edward-w-sell/stories
Sources:
- 1920 U.S. Census, Max Sell, Ancestry.
- 1930 U.S. Census, Max Sell, Ancestry.
- 1940 U.S. Census, Max Sell, Ancestry.
- Death Record, Cook County Illinois), County Clerk, Thomas Fitzsimmons, FamilySearch.
- Illinois Marriages, LaSalle County (Illinois), County Clerk, Fitzsimmons to Gannon, FamilySearch
- Illinois Marriages, LaSalle County (Illinois), County Clerk, Sell to Fitzsimmons, FamilySearch.
- State of Illinois Death Certificates, William Fitzsimmons, 28785, 1930, FamilySearch
- State of Illinois Death Certificates, Max Sell, 19346, 1942, FamilySearch.
- State of Illinois Death Certificates, Bernadine Sell, 8842, 1918, FamilySearch.
- State of Illinois Death Certificates, Lucille Sell, 11205, 1943, FamilySearch.
- “State of Illinois Birth & stillbirth certificates, ca. 1858-1940, 1941 (only 1 for 1941), P 311-580, 1914-1915; V 1-263 (to be cont.) [some delayed records], ca. 1890-1916,” Edward Sell, FamilySearch.
- “Birth & stillbirth certificates, ca. 1858-1940, 1941 (only 1 for 1941), Item 1 10641-12545, 1921-1922,” Stewart Carl Sell, FamilySearch.
- “La Salle County, Illinois death records, 1877-1915 (indexes, 1877-1940) Items 1-2, Death records, vol. 8 (unnumbered) — 1913-1915; vol. 9 (unnumbered) — 1915,” Carl Sell, 1913, FamilySearch.
- “La Salle County, Illinois birth records, 1877-1891 (indexes: 1800 (1), ca. 1851-1890), Register of births, I (cont.) – L (to p. 461) — 1906-1910,” Anna Sell, FamilySearch.
- State of Illinois Death Certificate, Thomas G Fitzsimmons, Book 5, page 468, 1923, Familysearch.
- State of Illinois Death Certificate, Margaret Fitzsimmons, 50641, 1943, Familysearch.
- State of Illinois Death Certificate, Kathryn Fitzsimmons, 15932, 1944, Familysearch.
- State of Illinois Death Certificate, Thomas Gannon, 41071, 1929, Familysearch.
- State of Illinois Death Certificate, Della Gannon, 3104, 1942, Familysearch.
- https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/103403346/lucille-ann-sell
- “U.S., World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947,” Edward William Sell, Ancestry.
- “U.S., World War II Army Enlistment Records, 1938-1946,” Edward W Sell, Ancestry.
- “U.S., Headstone and Interment Records for U.S., Military Cemeteries on Foreign Soil, 1942-1949,” Edward W. Sell, Ancestry.
- United States Army, “Pictorial history of the 69th Infantry Division, 15 May 1943 to 15 May 1945,” 1945, Bangor Public Library.
- “Unit History – US, 272nd Infantry Regiment, 1943-1945,” p. 36–37, Fold3.
- https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/56303721/edward-william-sell
