Fallen Middlefield Soldier Featured in ‘Faces of Margraten’ Book

By WRILEY NELSON
MARGRATEN, Netherlands

Nineteen-year-old Private First Class Robert J. Hubbard, formerly of Beaver Meadow Road in Middlefield, was killed in action in 1945. Now, almost 80 years after his death, Hubbard is featured in a memorial book, “The Faces of Margraten: They Will Remain Forever Young,” created by a group of volunteers in the Netherlands.

More than 8,000 U.S. casualties are buried in the Netherlands American Cemetery and Memorial outside the small Dutch town of Margraten. The names of another 1,700 are listed on the Walls of the Missing. In 2014, volunteers from the Fields of Honor Foundation inaugurated the Faces of Margraten project, which decorates the grave sites and memorial walls with soldiers’ personal photos. Volunteers on both sides of the Atlantic have collected over 8,500 faces.

To commemorate the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the Netherlands, the volunteers compiled a book of these photos, complete with detailed biographies of 200 soldiers. The Dutch edition quickly sold out twice. On Friday, March 3, the authors officially presented an American edition at the U.S. Embassy in The Hague. The American edition features 50 more stories and even more photos, in addition to the 10,000-name honor roll.

Hubbard was born in Cooperstown on September 26, 1925, the son of Jessie D. and Annie F. (Eaton) Hubbard. He graduated from Cooperstown Central School in 1944. He was killed in action near the town of Lippstadt, Germany on April 3, 1945. Hubbard posthumously received the Purple Heart and the Silver Star for gallantry in his final engagement. According to his Silver Star citation, Hubbard was killed by sniper fire while singlehandedly covering the retreat of his trapped platoon.

“The Faces of Margraten” is available directly from the publisher, Amsterdam University Press, or from any book outlet.