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Steven Loomis, IC3
to remember
Fix, Paul, S1c.
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Contact Info
Home Town Dobbs Ferry, New York
Date of Passing Oct 14, 1983
Location of Interment Woodlawn Cemetery - Santa Monica, California
Fix was assigned as an "able-bodied seaman" to the troopship U.S.S. Mount Vernon, which was torpedoed by a German U-boat off the coast of France but did not sink as it was run aground.
Paul Fix, born: Peter Paul Fix, was a character actor and writer of stage, screen and TV. He was born March 9th, 1901 in the lower east Hudson River town of Dobbs Ferry, New York. Born in the German Black Forest, his parents, Wilhelm Fix and Louise C. Walz, emigrated to New York City in the 1870's. Paul's given name was Peter Paul, which he later informally changed to Paul Peter. He had 2 sisters and 3 brothers, the youngest was 6 when he was born, thus influencing his early childhood. They lived on the Manilla Anchor Brewery property of about 200 acres, as his father was the brew master. Paul had a happy childhood, playing a lot by himself and using vivid imagination. But when he was 13 or 14, his mother died at age 54 and two years later, his father died at age 62, thus forcing the brewery to close. He was sent to live with his married sisters, one in Yonkers, New York and the other in Zanesville, Ohio.
Paul Fix wanted to fight for his country in World War I, so he joined the Navy on March 12, 1918, and served in Newport, Rhode Island ~ Charleston, South Carolina and on the troopship U.S.S. Mount Vernon, which was torpedoed off France but was run aground, thus preventing it from sinking. Surprisingly, his first stage role came while in the Navy in Newport, when he was one of 6 young sailors selected to play female roles (cousins and aunts) in the Navy Relief Show HMS Pinafore which was a big hit and ran for several weeks in Providence, Rhode Island and Boston, Massachusetts. He was demobilized on September 5, 1919.
The Fix name, of old Latin/German origin, was derived from St. Vitus meaning animated or vital and is not related to the English word "fix" and its meanings.
Other Comments:
According to his daughter Marilyn:
She has confirmed the story about her dad being in multiple branches of the service during World War I. He was sixteen when he ran away from home and entered first the National Guard, then the Army, and wound up in the Navy. He hated marching. He was 'brought up' for court martial three times, but was honorably discharged.
........
In 1917, two months after America’s declaration of war against Germany, nine million men in the U.S. registered with the Selective Service. The minimum draft age was 21 (it was lowered to 18 the following year); nevertheless, Paul, who was only 16 at the time, lied about his age and thus was able to join the Army. Later, according to his daughter, he switched to the Navy and saw action aboard the U.S.S. Mount Vernon.
“I’m not sure how he got away with it,” chuckles Marilyn Fix Carey, “but shortly after my father ran away from home to join the Army, he discovered he hated all of the marching that was involved ... so he just left. Then I think he was in the reserves for awhile. And, finally, he ended up in the Navy.”
In November, 1918, World War I ended, and American servicemen started coming home. Paul returned to New York. He was demobilized on September 5, 1919. His actual discharge date may have been sometime in 1920.
