Remains of World War II Marine Identified, Returned to Wilmington

U.S. Marine Cpl. John E. Edwinson Jr., a native of Wilmington, Massachusetts, was 21 years old when he was killed in action in World War II on Sept. 24, 1942, when his unit was ambushed at Guadalcanal.

Edwinson and dozens of his fellow Marines were buried in graves in Hills X and Y outside Guadalcanal. Despite the search between 1947 and 1949, recovery teams could not locate the graves. 

Search efforts continued throughout the decades until early 2016, when a recovery team found military-issued artifacts and a dog tag that was determined to be consistent with a tag worn by another missing Marine who was reported to have been buried at Hill Y.

It would take many more years of continued searching and unearthing more remains. On Sept. 11, 2024, Edwinson's remains were positively identified.

"John's family never gave up hope for his recovery and his return to their hometown; his siblings continued to communicate with the Marine Corps and stayed on top of retrieving information every time there was a new development in the search efforts," according to a statement in Edwinson's obituary. "Unfortunately, none of his siblings lived long enough to see him recovered, but they instilled that sense of duty and family into their children to continue the search. The family was thrilled to get the phone call that his remains were identified, and they started planning his return home to Wilmington and lay him to rest with his parents."

Edwinson's family invites the community to gather at the Nichols Funeral Home, 187 Middlesex Ave. (Route 62) in Wilmington on Saturday, April 26, for visitation from 10 a.m. to noon, with a service at noon. Edwinson will be interred with military honors in the family lot at Wildwood Cemetery in Wilmington. The community is also invited to gather along Wildwood Street between Nichols Funeral Home and Wildwood Cemetery at 12:30 p.m. to honor the service of this hometown hero.