In one of her first significant acts to help Fairmont, Dr. John P. Brown's widow, Katherine Vesty Brown, increased the size of his cemetery by about one-third. This was done in 1943 when it became evident to all that a cross-channel invasion across the English Channel would be necessary to break Germany's iron grip on Europe. Everyone expected heavy casualties and there were no other nearby cemeteries available to the general public. The plots were laid out in May, 1943. Thankfully our area boys did not experience nearly as high a casualty rate as was expected, and the useful life of the cemetery was extended by more than twenty years with the addition of the "1943 section."

(This information was conveyed to me by Paul Thompson, Jr. For many years Paul and his mother, Magenta Lassiter Thompson, looked after the upkeep and operation of the cemetery until it was taken over by the Town of Fairmont.)