by Larry Chowning –
Nicknamed “Urbanna bridge,” the Urbanna Road span over Urbanna Creek is officially named “Beryl R. Newman Memorial Bridge.” It recently received an additional sign, which was installed by the Virginia Department of Transportation, that speaks to why the bridge is named for Newman.
At an Urbanna Town Council meeting earlier this year, the question of who Newman was came up, which brought attention to the fact more needed to be said about Newman.
After hearing why the bridge was named for Newman, Town Council voted unanimously to have a second sign installed just below the bridge name sign on both sides of the bridge that read “MEDAL OF HONOR RECIPIENT.”
On July 17, 2001, a ceremony honoring the late Beryl R. Newman of Remlik was conducted to name the span colloquially known as “Urbanna bridge” and Route 227, then called Urbanna Road entering the town in Newman’s honor. The Virginia General Assembly voted to accept a proposal from the Middlesex County Board of Supervisors and Urbanna Town Council.
Medal of Honor
Newman was born in Baraboo, Wis., but after World War II moved from the Badger State to Remlik, where he raised his family and lived out his life. He ran a marina and seafood business on the old Standard Oil dock which was located at Upton Point Marina as it is known today, the town-owned marina.
Newman received the Medal of Honor for “conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty on May 26, 1944” in World War II. He was awarded the Medal of Honor on Jan. 15, 1945.
The official citation report stated that at the time he was a 1st Lt. in the 133rd Infantry Division. During a battle near Cisterna, Italy, “Lieutenant Newman, in the lead of his platoon, was suddenly fired upon by two enemy machine guns located on the crest of a hill about 100 yards in his front. The four scouts with him immediately hit the ground, but Newman remained standing in order to see the enemy position and his platoon then about 100 yards behind. Locating the enemy nest, Newman called back to his platoon and ordered a squad to advance to him and the other to flank the enemy to the right. Then, still standing upright in the face of the enemy machine gun fire, Newman opened up with his Tommy Gun (Thompson submachine gun) on the enemy nests. From his range, his fire was not effective in covering the advance of his squads, and one squad was pinned down by enemy fire.
“Seeing that his squad was unable to advance, Newman in full view of the enemy gunners and in the face of their continuous fire, advanced alone on the enemy nests. He returned their fire with his Tommy Gun and succeeded in wounding a German in each of the nests.
The remaining two Germans fled from the position into a house. Three more German soldiers came out of the house and ran toward a third machine gun. Newman, still relentlessly advancing toward them, killed one before he reached the gun and the second before he could fire it. The third fled for his life back into the house. Covering the assault, by firing into the doors and windows of the house, Newman boldly attacking by himself, called for the occupants to surrender to him.
“Gaining the house, he kicked in the door and went inside. Although armed with rifles and pistols, the 11 Germans there, apparently intimidated, surrendered to Newman without further resistance. Newman single-handedly, had silenced three enemy machine guns, wounded two Germans, killed two more and took 11 prisoners.”
