A graveside service for Stanton C. Richards, 88, of West Tisbury, who died Jan. 20 will be held on Saturday, April 18 at 2 p.m. in the Abel’s Hill Cemetery in Chilmark officiated by the Rev. Don Lyons. Interment will be in the family plot near his parents and his grandparents, Hatty Hammett Tilton and Alonzo Stanton Tilton, who were Middle Road Tiltons.

Stanton was the husband of Nancy Church Richards; they were married for 61 years. He is also survived by a son Stanton (Grant) Richards and daughter in law Suzanne, a daughter Ann Tilton Richards and two grandchildren, Heather and Amy Richards.

He served as an assessor of the town of West Tisbury for much of the past 30 years. He was very personable and is said to have been able to talk to anyone about any subject for any length of time — and usually did.

He retired in 1990 after 10 years of working as a bookkeeper in several Vineyard businesses including Hinkley’s Lumberyard. Prior to that he managed the Edgartown Yacht Club and restaurant complex which included a ballroom, bar, snack bar, fish market, race committee and junior sailing school, and the tennis club facility for 30 years. Prior to that he was a commercial airline pilot who flew DC-3s from the Vineyard and Nantucket to Logan. After he averted a near crash due to landing gear failure, the airline company Executive Airlines went out of business and Stanton landed the job at the yacht club. He retained ownership of a small plane for several years. He eventually purchased several yachts and gave up flying.

Few people remember that he headed the Selective Service department for Dukes County for nearly 20 years until the draft was ended in 1976. He joined the Selective Service for the same reason that he later became an assessor, to ensure fairness to all and due process under the law. When his father George Richards died in 1942, he was immediately drafted into World War II, and upon returning pledged that no Vineyarder would be unfairly treated.

Stanton Richards was sent to Alabama to be trained to participate in the Normandy invasion of France, but developed pneumonia during training and was given the miracle drug penicillin, which he was unfortunately allergic to, and while the troops shipped out for England he remained in the hospital.

Upon recovery he was placed on the next ship for Europe, and landed in Naples, Italy and was assigned as the last man in the last company of the last battalion of the last regiment of the 88th division, the first all-draft division. Being an all-draftee unit they were held in reserve until absolutely needed, and were thrown into the battle of Monte Cassino in May of 1944, where the Germans had deployed their best troops. The Allied army consisted of British Commonwealth troops from New Zealand, Polish troops, Americans and some French and Moroccan mercenaries. Stanton, in an interview, said that the Moroccans were notorious murderers, willing to kill allies as well as enemies, and preferred knives to rifles.

Though green, the 88th division was one of the lead elements in the May attack, which successfully broke the German line, but the enemy had already made plans to fall back to another line. The Americans diverted men to the Anzio beach landing, so the Germans attacked the allies rather than defend their new line. The 88th was hit by a Panzer division but successfully beat them off and soon participated in the race to Rome.

The Third Batallion of the 351st Regiment (the last battalion of the last regiment) of the 88th Division was the first battalion to enter Rome and the 88th was the first American division to pass through the city. Their quick action probably saved the city from destruction.

Stanton was awarded the Combat Infantryman’s badge and a battle star for the campaign, but that was only the first of three battle stars. He and the third battalion were also awarded, in the name of the President of the United States, the Distinguished Service Citation badge for their roll in the Battle of the Arno River in June of 1944. Few except historians know of the Battle of the Arno River due to its brevity, but it ranks as one of the fiercest and shortest battles of the war.

The Germans quickly withdrew from Rome and raced to the Arno River, where the city of Florence is situated. There they began to build entrenchments and fortifications in the scale seen in World War I, and hoped to stop the Allies for years, and be able to sue for peace.

As an interesting note the 88th Division marched out of Rome in numerical order; in other words Stanton, being in the last company of the last battalion of the last regiment, was the last to march out of the city having been among the first in.

As they approached the Arno river entrenchments, the first regiment stopped, the second came up and established the front, and Stanton’s regiment, the 351st, was called up to break through the enemy line. Before them was a ridge and the town of Lajatico, which had been taken over by the Germans and fortified. First battalion advanced, and called up second battalion, both of whom could not dislodge the enemy. Stanton’s battalion, the 3rd, was then ordered to flank the front and attack. They moved into a valley to the right (west) of the town and advanced through a wheat field before being attacked by counterattacking German troops. Stanton’s company took shelter in a farm house and drove off the counterattack.

For the next four days and nights the battle raged. The divisions constantly exchanged artillery fire, there were tank battles, but the tanks of the 351st hit a mine field and were disabled and so the infantry was left unprotected. The battalions exchanged mortar fire and there were several attacks and counterattacks, but after four days little progress had been made.

Headquarters decided that the fifth day attack would be made by the 351st; the Second Battalion would make a frontal attack on Lajatico, and the Third Battalion would attack the town from the flank, moving to their left (east). Theirs would be a 1000-yard dash across open ground without tank support, and after four days of fighting they were out of ammunition almost to a man. Theirs would be a bayonet charge, with little chance of success.

At the appointed time of three o’clock in the morning, Second Battalion began their attack, and Third Battalion began their dash across the valley of death. As they did so, they passed over the first day’s battlefield where they threw down their empty rifles and picked up German machine guns. They continued the charge, and they made it. They entered the town from the rear and found its defenses deserted. The Germans had pulled their men out of the trenches to face the attack by the Second Battalion. When they realized their error it was too late, Third Battalion delivered a murderous fire which caused 450 Germans to immediately surrender. In the confusion Third Battalion captured the German regimental headquarters, which then caused the Germans to retreat in mass.

Second Battalion was able to take the town and First Battalion was able to advance and exploit the victory. The first and second regiments of the 88th Division also were able to continue the attack and drive back the Germans and soon the other divisions followed suit. In short order the entire German Army Group was in retreat and withdrew past the Arno River and abandoned the city of Florence without destroying it.

The 88th Division had saved Rome and Florence without a shot.

Stanton also participated in the campaign in the Apennine mountains which are just south of the city of Bologna. In September, 1944 the 88th Division was again ordered to attack the Germans, spearheading the attack that again drove them from their entrenchments. The battle included a seven day and night attack in which Second Battalion won the Presidential Unit citation. The Germans, however, re-entrenched and the campaign continued.

In December it snowed and they built plank roofs for their foxholes. Finally in April in 1945, the army broke through the German lines and liberated Bologna. Stanton was awarded his second campaign star.

The 88th division played a major role in crossing the Po River in northern Italy and continued to drive the Germans north. Stanton was awarded his third campaign star.

Upon reaching the Brenner Pass, Germany surrendered but the 88th Division was ordered to continue on, to take as many German troops prisoner as possible.

After the war was over Stanton was assigned to a peacekeeper troop and sent to Austria. There they found the Soviet Union had taken the city of Vienna and was not planning to free the city. The allied peace keepers drove into the city not knowing whether they were about to start World War III, but the Soviets were too short in manpower to contest the peace keeper force.

Donations may be made in his memory to the Vineyard Nursing Association, P.O. Box 2568, Oak Bluffs, MA 02557.

Arrangements are under the care of the Chapman, Cole & Gleason Funeral Home in Oak Bluffs.