Herman Barton Poul
S/SGT in 603rd Engineer Camouflage Bn : HQ & Service Co
Military occupational specialty: 55 (clerk, general)
ASN#33313975
Born 1913 in PA, Died 2009
County of enlistment: Philadelphia, PA
Other residence(s): Philadelphia, PA; Merion Station, PA; Bala Cynwyd, PA
United States Army, European Theatre of Operations
Occupation before the war: lawyers and judges
College education before the war: Temple Univ. 4 years; UPenn Law School
Herman Poul was born on September 17, 1913 in Philadelphia, PA, the oldest of three children. His parents had both been born in Russia; his father was a jewelry wholesaler.
Herman graduated from Temple University in 1935 and from UPenn Law School in 1938. (His younger brother followed in his footsteps, graduating from the Law School in 1948 and eventually well-known among lawyers for his pro bono involvement in significant civil liberties litigation.)
Herman registered for the draft on October 16, 1940; at the time he was practicing law in Philadelphia and living with his parents, siblings, and brother-in-law.
He enlisted on May 19, 1942 and eventually found his way into the 603rd Engineer Camouflage Battalion. He went to Europe with the unit; his nickname in the 603rd was "Judge." Earning the rank of S/SGT, he served as a clerk in Battalion HQ.
Herman was discharged from the Army on October 29, 1945 and returned to his law practice in Philadelphia. He married Lenora Actman in 1948; they would become the parents of two daughters: Karen and Debra.
Not much is known about his law practice. For most (if not all) of his career he was a partner in the Philadelphia civil law firm of Meyer, Lasch, Hankin, & Poul. He appears to have done a lot of work with unions—both representing and opposing.
The family lived for a time in Merion Station, PA and later in Bala Cynwyd. In 2009, Herman received an award honoring his 75 years as a Freemason; he was a member of St. John's Lodge in Philadelphia.
He died on November 27, 2009 and is buried at Mt. Sharon Cemetery in Springfield, PA.
Sources:
1920 census
https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/70648622:6061?ssrc=pt&tid=37239662&pid=19058198548
1930 census
https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/54518802:6224?ssrc=pt&tid=37239662&pid=19058198548
1935 Temple University yearbook
1940 census
https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/24013332:2442?ssrc=pt&tid=37239662&pid=19058198548
1940 draft card
1942 enlistment record
1948 Philadelphia marriage record
https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/1037438:2536?ssrc=pt&tid=37239662&pid=19058198548
1950 Pennsylvania veteran compensation application file
https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/1100825:3147?ssrc=pt&tid=37239662&pid=19058198548
1950 census
1960 estate notice in the Philadelphia Daily News (PA); shows the law firm he is a partner in
https://www.newspapers.com/image/184758012/?match=1&terms=herman%20poul
1962 article in the Philadelphia Inquirer (PA); he is a lawyer for a union
https://www.newspapers.com/image/178623795/?match=1&terms=herman%20poul
1970 UPenn The Law Alumni Journal, donations (search for Poul)
https://www.law.upenn.edu/alumni/journal_archive/PLJ1970fall.pdf
1993 US public records index
2009 Receives 75-year award from Masons (see p. 16)
https://pagrandlodge.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/FreemasonMagazine-2009-02.pdf
2009 Social Security death index
2009 obituary in the Philadelphia Inquirer (PA)
https://www.newspapers.com/image/200020449/?match=1&terms=herman%20b%20poul
2009 copy of obituary on Legacy website
https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/inquirer/name/herman-poul-obituary?id=10320736
2009 Find a Grave record