England, John Charles, ENS

On the morning of December 7, 1941, just four days from his 21st birthday John C. England volunteered to work in the ship's radio room for a friend so that he might have more time with his family when they arrived. That morning the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor and USS Oklahoma was one of their first targets. USS Oklahoma (BB-37) was moored at Battleship Row 7, outboard alongside USS Maryland. USS Oklahoma took 3 torpedo hits almost immediately after the first Japanese bombs fell. As she began to capsize, two more torpedoes struck home, and her men were strafed as they abandoned ship. Within 20 minutes after the attack began, she had swung over until halted by her masts touching bottom, her starboard side above water, and a part of her keel clear.

ENS England survived the attack and was able to venture into the ship three consecutive times, each time leading a shipmate to safety, but died during a fourth attempt.

His remains were identified in 1949. However, he and four others were buried together as unidentified at the National Cemetery in Hawaii. In 2016, his remains were reidentified and he was reburied in Colorado Springs next to his parents.

Ensign (ENS) John Charles England, United States Naval Reserve. Service Number: 101158
 
Early Life
 
John Charles England was born on 11 December 1920 in Harris, Sullivan County, Missouri. His father, Harry B. England, born 31 October 1896 in Harris, Sullivan County, Missouri, died 26 November 1977 in  Estes Park, Larimer County, Colorado, was a Manager/Owner of a sprinkler company. His mother, Thelma A. Rhoades was born on 14 December 1899 in Missouri and died in June 1977 in Boulder, Boulder County, Colorado. John’s parents were married in about 1920. John was the eldest of two children in the family; he had a younger sister. His family moved to Alhambra, California when he was a boy. He attended Alhambra High School and was president of his senior class in 1938. After graduating high school he studied drama at Pasadena City College.
 
He married Helen (Lennie) Elaine Jennerich, (date unknown). They had a daughter Victoria "Tora" Louise England (1941-2002). After John’s death, Helen remarried William Champe Jennings in 1943 in Virginia.
 
Military
 
John Charles England joined the United States Naval Reserve in Los Angeles on Sept 6, 1940. He completed his active duty training aboard the USS New York and later attended the Naval Reserve Midshipman's School. England was commissioned an Ensign on June 6, 1941. On Sept 3, 1941 he reported to the USS Oklahoma (BB-37) at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
 
On the morning of 7 December 1941, a fleet of Japanese carriers launched an air strike against the U.S. Pacific Fleet at anchor in Pearl Harbor, on the island of Oahu, Hawaii. The attack decimated the ships and personnel of the fleet and thrust the United States into World War II. At the onset of the 7 December 1941 attack, the battleship USS Oklahoma (BB-37), being moored at berth Fox 5 on “Battleship Row.” Just before 8 am, the Oklahoma was among the first of the ships struck in the attack. A torpedo struck on her port side and she capsized quickly. After the Arizona, she was the largest loss of life, at 429 sailors and marines. The Oklahoma was salvaged in 1942, but it was determined she could not be repaired. In May of 1947, she was sold for scrap and while under tow to California, she sank in a storm. Her exact location remains unknown to this day.
 
On the morning of December 7, 1941, Ensign England volunteered to work in the ship's radio room for a friend. USS Oklahoma was moored at Battleship Row 7, outboard alongside USS Maryland. During the Japanese attack that morning, the USS Oklahoma took 3 torpedo hits almost immediately after the first bombs fell. As she began to capsize, 2 more torpedoes struck home, and her men were strafed as they abandoned ship. Within 20 minutes after the attack began, she had swung over until halted by her masts touching bottom, her starboard side above water, and a part of her keel clear.
 
According to a representative from the Navy who spoke at his funeral, Ensign England survived the initial attack and escaped topside as the ship was capsizing. He returned three times to the radio room, each time guiding a man to safety. He left to go back below decks for the fourth time and was never seen again. Ensign England's gallant effort saved three men, but cost him his life. He was awarded the Purple Heart.
 
England was one of twenty officers and 395 enlisted men who were killed on board USS Oklahoma that morning. His remains were initially interred in a mass grave for the dead from the USS Oklahoma at National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, Hawaii even though he was identified through dental records. There he remained for 75 years until his body was re-identified using DNA technology and he was brought to Colorado to be buried next to his parents. This effort was led by Ray Emory, a Pearl Harbor Survivor, who has helped with the re-identification of 24 sailors who died aboard the Oklahoma and have been re-interred with their families back home.
 
England was re-interred here in Colorado Springs on August 13, 2016 in a ceremony with full military honors attended by family members, Pearl Harbor survivors, other veterans such as several sailors who served aboard the USS England, Patriot Guard Riders, Colorado Springs Mayor John Suthers, community members, local law enforcement and representatives from the Navy, Army & Air Force.
 
Ensign England left behind a wife, Lennie, and one daughter whom he never met.
 
The USS England DE-635 was named in his honor in 1943-1945. This ship sunk six enemy submarines during World War II. Later, the USS England DLG-22/CG-22, was also named in his honor in 1963-1994. A barracks at NSTC Great Lakes is also named for him. Alhambra High School continues to award the John C England Award yearly to its most outstanding senior.
 
Death and Burial
 
John Charles England was Declared Dead while Missing in Action or Lost at Sea on 7 December 1941 aboard the USS Oklahoma during the Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. He was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart Medal. He was memorialized at the Honolulu Memorial, Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, located inside Punchbowl Crater in Honolulu, Hawaii. He is also memorialized at the USS Oklahoma Memorial in Pearl Harbor. After his remains were identified, he was buried at the Evergreen Cemetery in Colorado Springs, El Paso County, Colorado, Plot: 218.
 
On May 6, 2016, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) identified the remains of Ensign John C. England, missing from World War II.
 
Ensign England, who entered the U.S. Navy from California, served on the USS Oklahoma (BB-37) and was aboard the ship during the Pearl Harbor attack on December 7, 1941. He was killed in the attack, and while his remains were recovered from the ship, they could not be identified following the incident. He was initially buried as an unknown at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific. In 2015, advances in forensic techniques prompted the reexamination and eventual identification of ENS England’s remains.
 
Ensign England is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
 
Sources
 
https://pearlharbor.org/history-uss-oklahoma/
 
https://www.history.navy.mil/our-collections/photography/wars-and-events/world-war-ii/pearl-harbor-raid/battleship-row-during-the-pearl-harbor-attack/uss-oklahoma-and-uss-maryland-during-the-pearl-harbor-attack.html
https://www.fold3.com/page/529993473/john-c-england
 
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/39476681/john-charles-england
 
https://www.honorstates.org/index.php?id=20819
 
https://dpaa-mil.sites.crmforce.mil/dpaaProfile?id=a0Jt000001Ecc4tEAB