Joseph Thomas Devine
T/4 in 3133rd Signal Service Co
Born 1917 in CT, Died 1949
County of residence at enlistment: Hartford County, CT
Other residence(s): Hartford, CT
United States Army, European Theatre of Operations
Occupation before the war: skilled occupations in the manufacture of miscellaneous products
Joe Devine was born on October 19, 1917 in Hartford, CT. His father, and all four of his grandparents, had been born in Ireland. His father was a carpenter with the railroad, and later in a factory; his mother went to work in a waffle shop by the time Joe, the youngest of three, had reached his teenage years.
He attended St. Joseph Cathedral School and graduated from Hartford High School in 1936. His yearbook reports that his nickname was "Baldy," and that he was big and good-natured.
By the time he registered for the draft, on October 16, 1940, he was working at aircraft engine manufacturer Pratt & Whitney in West Hartford. He enlisted on February 24, 1944; his occupation at the time was listed as "skilled occupations in the manufacture of miscellaneous products."
He was assigned to the 3133 Signal Service Company, and saw service in Italy during the war. After the war he returned to Hartford and eventually decided to become an East Hartford police officer. He worked for a while as a supernumerary (part-time) policeman, and in August, 1949 was promoted to the status of a regular patrolman.
He was active in the St. Rose chapter of Catholic War Veterans, a member of Robinson Post 254 of the VFW, and a member of the Layman's Retreat League of Connecticut.
Joe died only two months after being named a patrolman, on October 16, 1949. (Cause of death is unknown.) Members of the East Hartford Policemen's and Firemen's Association served as an honor guard at the funeral home. He was buried at Veterans Memorial Field at Hillside Cemetery in East Hartford, CT with full military honors.
Sources:
1920 census
1930 census
1936 high school yearbook
1940 census
1940 draft card
1944 enlistment record
1949 Find a Grave record
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/177337507/joseph-t-devine
1949 Connecticut death index
1949 article in the Hartford Courant (CT) about his being named patrolman
https://www.newspapers.com/image/370053665/?match=1&terms=joseph%20t%20devine
1949 obituary in Hartford Courant (CT)
1949 article in the Hartford Courant (CT)
https://www.newspapers.com/image/370167749/?match=1&terms=joseph%20t%20devine