The Marlborough
Historical Society

     Raymond was born the 10^th of April, 1917 in Marlborough, Massachusetts, the oldest of four sons to Albany and Helena Lacouture.  He married Marie Burgwinkle in 1940 and they would have one son Raymond Jr.  While living in Franklin, Missouri and working as an auto mechanic Raymond enlisted into the Army the 6^th of February, 1941.  Following his basic training, Raymond was assigned to Battery A of the 59^th Coast Artillery Regiment in Manila, Philippines.  On the 8^th of December, 1941 following the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, all American, Dutch and British holdings in the far east were attacked by the forces of Imperial Japan.  Battery A was also known as Hearn Battery and was located on the fortress of Corrigedor in Manila harbor.  The fortress of Corrigedor held out until the 7^th of May, 1942 when against overwhelming Japanese forces the garrison surrendered. 

     The men who were captured now faced what became known as the Battan death march, a 65-mile march through the Philippine jungle with no food and very little water, close to 10,000 men would die during this forced march.  Raymond survived the march and years as a prisoner of war in the Philippines and at some point, was transferred to the island of Formosa.  He died so close to the end of hostilities the 17^th of January 1945 of beri beri and cardiac failure at Camp #6 Taihoku on the island of Formosa.  He is buried at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, Hawaii Plot C, grave 1522.  Lacouture Court in Marlborough is named in his honor. 

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