First Lieutenant Lawrence Howell McGinnes, Army serial number O-777745, was born at Waelder, Gonzales County, Texas on April 15, 1924. His family called him Howell when he was young. He was the youngest of five children of Lawrence Perry McGinnes (13 Mar 1883 – 13 Aug 1933) and Carrie Jane (Gilmore) McGinnes (29 Jan 1887 – 14 Jun 1943), who were born at Gonzales County, Texas. His parents married at Gonzales County on April 11, 1906. His father was a farmer. In 1918 the family lived at Waelder, Texas. They moved to Markham, Matagorda County, Texas when he was about one year old. His father died when he was nine years old, and his mother when he was nineteen.
He graduated from Markham High School in 1942, and registered for the draft at College Station, Brazos County, Texas on June 30, 1942. He was 5 feet 10 inches tall, weighed 143 pounds, and had brown eyes and black hair. At that time was enrolled as a student of mechanical engineering at Texas A & M College in College Station. He enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps at Houston, Texas on February 19, 1943.
He completed Army Air Forces pilot training in Class 44-E at Pecos Army Air Field, Texas, where he earned his wings and was commissioned a Second Lieutenant on May 23, 1944. His crew completed B-17 operational training at Dyersburg Army Air Base, Tennessee in October 1944, and was assigned to the 837th Bomb Squadron, 487th Bomb Group, at Army Air Forces Station 137 near Lavenham, Suffolk, England. They arrived in England by January 20, 1945, and became part of the 8th U.S. Army Air Force in Europe. Here is the crew roster on April 10, 1945:
B-17G 44-8808 – 837th Bomb Squadron
• McGinnes, Lawrence H – 1/Lt – Pilot – KIA
• Richmond, George M – Major – Air Leader – POW
• Kremler, Frank J – 2/Lt – Navigator – POW
• Lopez, George E – 2/Lt – Bombardier – POW
• Irving, Brice L – 1/Lt – Mickey [radar] Operator – POW
• Henderson, James V – T/Sgt – Engineer – KIA
• Layton, William H – T/Sgt – Radio Operator – POW
• Child, Richard P – S/Sgt – Waist Gunner – POW
• Lowe, John E – S/Sgt – Waist Gunner – POW
• Brill, Murray A – 2/Lt – Copilot/Tail Gunner – POW
On April 10, 1945 the 487th Bomb Group's target was the German airfield at Briest, Germany near Brandenburg. This was the base of operational German Me 262 jet fighters. The Group dispatched four Squadrons of B-17s. Lt McGinnes led the high Squadron in B-17G 44-8808, with air leader Major George M. Richmond flying in the copilot seat. There was heavy flak during the bomb run, which McGinnes' ship survived. After bombs away, the formation was flying west toward the rally point when it was attacked by German fighters. B-17G 44-8808 came under heavy fire from Me 262 jet fighters which set the plane on fire. Lt McGinnes and T/Sgt Henderson were unable to escape the burning aircraft and were killed.
The aircraft crashed some 50 miles west of Briest near Gardelegen, Germany at about 1600 hours. The burned bodies of Lt McGinnes and T/Sgt Henderson were found in the nose of the aircraft. All of the survivors were captured, but apparently Kremler, Lopez, and Irving were with a group of British POWs who convinced their captors to wait in the woods and surrender to advancing American troops. German troops took Lt Brill to the crash site, and he accompanied the bodies of his two crewmates by truck to a cemetery near Gardelegen, where he left them for burial.
Lt McGinnes' remains were returned to the States after the war and interred at Cedarvale Cemetery in Bay City, Matagorda County, Texas on July 24, 1949. He is buried near his parents in Section 4.
Sources:
1. 487th Bomb Group Association
2. 1920 US Census; Texas; Gonzales County; Waelder. McGines, Laranc P [sic]. 12 Feb 1920 (Lawrence P. McGinnes, his father)
3. 1930 US Census; Texas; Matagorda County. McGinnes, Lawrence P. 16 May 1930 (his father)
4. 1940 US Census; Texas; Matagorda County; Markham. McGinnes, Carrie. 12 Apr 1940 (his widowed mother)
5. Army Air Forces Collection of Mike Voisin. Class Book for Army Air Forces Advanced Pilot Class 44-E. Pecos Army Air Field, Texas. May 1944 (Lt McGinnes' Advanced phase of pilot training)
6. de Jong, Ivo. The History of the 487th Bomb Group (H). Paducah KY: Turner Publishing, Oct 2004
7. Enlistment Record of Lawrence H. McGinnes
8. Gibbs, Carol Sue. First Lieutenant Lawrence Howell McGinnes. Matagorda County TX: TXGenWeb, Oct 2019 (tribute page with newspaper transcriptions)
9. Headquarters, AAF Station 137, APO 559. Special Orders Number 17. 21 Jan 1945 (crew of Lt Lawrence H. McGinnes assigned to 837th Bomb Squadron, 487th Bomb Group at Army Air Forces Station 137, Lavenham, England effective 20 Jan 1945)
10. Lawrence Howell McGinnes in ZBaker family tree (ancestry.com)
11. Matagorda County, Texas. School Census Records. 1931–1933 (He is listed as Howell McGinnes.)
12. Stanley, Jack Fishman. Flight Log, Jan–Apr 1945 (Command Pilot, 837th Bomb Squadron, 487th Bomb Group)
13. Texas Deaths, 1890–1976: Mrs Carrie Jane McGinnes died at Houston, Harris County, Texas on June 14, 1943. (his mother)
14. U.S. Army Air Forces Missing Air Crew Report 14196
15. U.S. Rosters of World War II Dead, 1939–1945
16. U.S. School Yearbooks, 1900–1999 (ancestry.com): Longhorn [yearbook]. College Station TX: Texas A & M College, 1943
17. U.S. War Department. World War II Honor List of Dead and Missing Army and Army Air Forces Personnel. Washington, D.C., June 1946
18. U.S. World War II Draft Cards, Young Men, 1940–1947 (ancestry.com)
19. World War I Draft Registration of Lawrence P. McGinnes. 12 Sep 1918 (his father)
Research by:
Paul Webber
Find A Grave member ID 47577572
--------------------
[The following is from the Matagorda County Tribune on June 14, 1945. It incorrectly states that the aircraft was shot down by flak. See the bio above.]
United States Air Force First Lieutenant Lawrence Howell McGinnes was on his 15th bombing mission when his plane was hit with flak over Gardelegen, Germany only about 40 miles from his target. All members of the crew parachuted to safety except Lt. McGinnes and his Engineer and they went down with the ship. Lt. McGinnes served with the 838th Bomber Squadron, 487th Bomb Group.
The bodies of Lt. McGinnes and the Engineer were buried in Gardelegen, Germany by German civilians. Lt. McGinnes remains were returned to Texas for burial on July 24, 1949.
Lt. McGinnes had been a resident of Matagorda County practically all his life, having moved with his parents from Gonzales County, when he was about one year of age, and settled in the Markham Community. He graduated from the Markham High School with the class of 1941-42 and was attending Texas A. & M. College when he joined the Army Air Force in 1943.
The news of his death, five days before his 21st birthday, was a shock to his family and all his friends, because he was loved by all who knew him. Before he left for overseas duty he was looking forward and longing for the time to come when he could get over there in the middle of the fighting. He had completed 14 successful missions and was Pilot on the leading plane of a B-17 group on his 15th mission when he met his death. Another one of our boys to pay the supreme sacrifice for the cause of Liberty and Freedom.
Lt. McGinnes was the son of Lawrence P. and Carrie Jane Gilmore McGinnes. He survived by his sister, Wiilie Mae, 3 brothers, V. R., V.C., and L.B.. At the time of his death his remaining family lived in Markham, Texas.
He graduated from Markham High School in 1942, and registered for the draft at College Station, Brazos County, Texas on June 30, 1942. He was 5 feet 10 inches tall, weighed 143 pounds, and had brown eyes and black hair. At that time was enrolled as a student of mechanical engineering at Texas A & M College in College Station. He enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps at Houston, Texas on February 19, 1943.
He completed Army Air Forces pilot training in Class 44-E at Pecos Army Air Field, Texas, where he earned his wings and was commissioned a Second Lieutenant on May 23, 1944. His crew completed B-17 operational training at Dyersburg Army Air Base, Tennessee in October 1944, and was assigned to the 837th Bomb Squadron, 487th Bomb Group, at Army Air Forces Station 137 near Lavenham, Suffolk, England. They arrived in England by January 20, 1945, and became part of the 8th U.S. Army Air Force in Europe. Here is the crew roster on April 10, 1945:
B-17G 44-8808 – 837th Bomb Squadron
• McGinnes, Lawrence H – 1/Lt – Pilot – KIA
• Richmond, George M – Major – Air Leader – POW
• Kremler, Frank J – 2/Lt – Navigator – POW
• Lopez, George E – 2/Lt – Bombardier – POW
• Irving, Brice L – 1/Lt – Mickey [radar] Operator – POW
• Henderson, James V – T/Sgt – Engineer – KIA
• Layton, William H – T/Sgt – Radio Operator – POW
• Child, Richard P – S/Sgt – Waist Gunner – POW
• Lowe, John E – S/Sgt – Waist Gunner – POW
• Brill, Murray A – 2/Lt – Copilot/Tail Gunner – POW
On April 10, 1945 the 487th Bomb Group's target was the German airfield at Briest, Germany near Brandenburg. This was the base of operational German Me 262 jet fighters. The Group dispatched four Squadrons of B-17s. Lt McGinnes led the high Squadron in B-17G 44-8808, with air leader Major George M. Richmond flying in the copilot seat. There was heavy flak during the bomb run, which McGinnes' ship survived. After bombs away, the formation was flying west toward the rally point when it was attacked by German fighters. B-17G 44-8808 came under heavy fire from Me 262 jet fighters which set the plane on fire. Lt McGinnes and T/Sgt Henderson were unable to escape the burning aircraft and were killed.
The aircraft crashed some 50 miles west of Briest near Gardelegen, Germany at about 1600 hours. The burned bodies of Lt McGinnes and T/Sgt Henderson were found in the nose of the aircraft. All of the survivors were captured, but apparently Kremler, Lopez, and Irving were with a group of British POWs who convinced their captors to wait in the woods and surrender to advancing American troops. German troops took Lt Brill to the crash site, and he accompanied the bodies of his two crewmates by truck to a cemetery near Gardelegen, where he left them for burial.
Lt McGinnes' remains were returned to the States after the war and interred at Cedarvale Cemetery in Bay City, Matagorda County, Texas on July 24, 1949. He is buried near his parents in Section 4.
Sources:
1. 487th Bomb Group Association
2. 1920 US Census; Texas; Gonzales County; Waelder. McGines, Laranc P [sic]. 12 Feb 1920 (Lawrence P. McGinnes, his father)
3. 1930 US Census; Texas; Matagorda County. McGinnes, Lawrence P. 16 May 1930 (his father)
4. 1940 US Census; Texas; Matagorda County; Markham. McGinnes, Carrie. 12 Apr 1940 (his widowed mother)
5. Army Air Forces Collection of Mike Voisin. Class Book for Army Air Forces Advanced Pilot Class 44-E. Pecos Army Air Field, Texas. May 1944 (Lt McGinnes' Advanced phase of pilot training)
6. de Jong, Ivo. The History of the 487th Bomb Group (H). Paducah KY: Turner Publishing, Oct 2004
7. Enlistment Record of Lawrence H. McGinnes
8. Gibbs, Carol Sue. First Lieutenant Lawrence Howell McGinnes. Matagorda County TX: TXGenWeb, Oct 2019 (tribute page with newspaper transcriptions)
9. Headquarters, AAF Station 137, APO 559. Special Orders Number 17. 21 Jan 1945 (crew of Lt Lawrence H. McGinnes assigned to 837th Bomb Squadron, 487th Bomb Group at Army Air Forces Station 137, Lavenham, England effective 20 Jan 1945)
10. Lawrence Howell McGinnes in ZBaker family tree (ancestry.com)
11. Matagorda County, Texas. School Census Records. 1931–1933 (He is listed as Howell McGinnes.)
12. Stanley, Jack Fishman. Flight Log, Jan–Apr 1945 (Command Pilot, 837th Bomb Squadron, 487th Bomb Group)
13. Texas Deaths, 1890–1976: Mrs Carrie Jane McGinnes died at Houston, Harris County, Texas on June 14, 1943. (his mother)
14. U.S. Army Air Forces Missing Air Crew Report 14196
15. U.S. Rosters of World War II Dead, 1939–1945
16. U.S. School Yearbooks, 1900–1999 (ancestry.com): Longhorn [yearbook]. College Station TX: Texas A & M College, 1943
17. U.S. War Department. World War II Honor List of Dead and Missing Army and Army Air Forces Personnel. Washington, D.C., June 1946
18. U.S. World War II Draft Cards, Young Men, 1940–1947 (ancestry.com)
19. World War I Draft Registration of Lawrence P. McGinnes. 12 Sep 1918 (his father)
Research by:
Paul Webber
Find A Grave member ID 47577572
--------------------
[The following is from the Matagorda County Tribune on June 14, 1945. It incorrectly states that the aircraft was shot down by flak. See the bio above.]
United States Air Force First Lieutenant Lawrence Howell McGinnes was on his 15th bombing mission when his plane was hit with flak over Gardelegen, Germany only about 40 miles from his target. All members of the crew parachuted to safety except Lt. McGinnes and his Engineer and they went down with the ship. Lt. McGinnes served with the 838th Bomber Squadron, 487th Bomb Group.
The bodies of Lt. McGinnes and the Engineer were buried in Gardelegen, Germany by German civilians. Lt. McGinnes remains were returned to Texas for burial on July 24, 1949.
Lt. McGinnes had been a resident of Matagorda County practically all his life, having moved with his parents from Gonzales County, when he was about one year of age, and settled in the Markham Community. He graduated from the Markham High School with the class of 1941-42 and was attending Texas A. & M. College when he joined the Army Air Force in 1943.
The news of his death, five days before his 21st birthday, was a shock to his family and all his friends, because he was loved by all who knew him. Before he left for overseas duty he was looking forward and longing for the time to come when he could get over there in the middle of the fighting. He had completed 14 successful missions and was Pilot on the leading plane of a B-17 group on his 15th mission when he met his death. Another one of our boys to pay the supreme sacrifice for the cause of Liberty and Freedom.
Lt. McGinnes was the son of Lawrence P. and Carrie Jane Gilmore McGinnes. He survived by his sister, Wiilie Mae, 3 brothers, V. R., V.C., and L.B.. At the time of his death his remaining family lived in Markham, Texas.
First Lieutenant Lawrence Howell McGinnes, Army serial number O-777745, was born at Waelder, Gonzales County, Texas on April 15, 1924. His family called him Howell when he was young. He was the youngest of five children of Lawrence Perry McGinnes (13 Mar 1883 – 13 Aug 1933) and Carrie Jane (Gilmore) McGinnes (29 Jan 1887 – 14 Jun 1943), who were born at Gonzales County, Texas. His parents married at Gonzales County on April 11, 1906. His father was a farmer. In 1918 the family lived at Waelder, Texas. They moved to Markham, Matagorda County, Texas when he was about one year old. His father died when he was nine years old, and his mother when he was nineteen.
He graduated from Markham High School in 1942, and registered for the draft at College Station, Brazos County, Texas on June 30, 1942. He was 5 feet 10 inches tall, weighed 143 pounds, and had brown eyes and black hair. At that time was enrolled as a student of mechanical engineering at Texas A & M College in College Station. He enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps at Houston, Texas on February 19, 1943.
He completed Army Air Forces pilot training in Class 44-E at Pecos Army Air Field, Texas, where he earned his wings and was commissioned a Second Lieutenant on May 23, 1944. His crew completed B-17 operational training at Dyersburg Army Air Base, Tennessee in October 1944, and was assigned to the 837th Bomb Squadron, 487th Bomb Group, at Army Air Forces Station 137 near Lavenham, Suffolk, England. They arrived in England by January 20, 1945, and became part of the 8th U.S. Army Air Force in Europe. Here is the crew roster on April 10, 1945:
B-17G 44-8808 – 837th Bomb Squadron
• McGinnes, Lawrence H – 1/Lt – Pilot – KIA
• Richmond, George M – Major – Air Leader – POW
• Kremler, Frank J – 2/Lt – Navigator – POW
• Lopez, George E – 2/Lt – Bombardier – POW
• Irving, Brice L – 1/Lt – Mickey [radar] Operator – POW
• Henderson, James V – T/Sgt – Engineer – KIA
• Layton, William H – T/Sgt – Radio Operator – POW
• Child, Richard P – S/Sgt – Waist Gunner – POW
• Lowe, John E – S/Sgt – Waist Gunner – POW
• Brill, Murray A – 2/Lt – Copilot/Tail Gunner – POW
On April 10, 1945 the 487th Bomb Group's target was the German airfield at Briest, Germany near Brandenburg. This was the base of operational German Me 262 jet fighters. The Group dispatched four Squadrons of B-17s. Lt McGinnes led the high Squadron in B-17G 44-8808, with air leader Major George M. Richmond flying in the copilot seat. There was heavy flak during the bomb run, which McGinnes' ship survived. After bombs away, the formation was flying west toward the rally point when it was attacked by German fighters. B-17G 44-8808 came under heavy fire from Me 262 jet fighters which set the plane on fire. Lt McGinnes and T/Sgt Henderson were unable to escape the burning aircraft and were killed.
The aircraft crashed some 50 miles west of Briest near Gardelegen, Germany at about 1600 hours. The burned bodies of Lt McGinnes and T/Sgt Henderson were found in the nose of the aircraft. All of the survivors were captured, but apparently Kremler, Lopez, and Irving were with a group of British POWs who convinced their captors to wait in the woods and surrender to advancing American troops. German troops took Lt Brill to the crash site, and he accompanied the bodies of his two crewmates by truck to a cemetery near Gardelegen, where he left them for burial.
Lt McGinnes' remains were returned to the States after the war and interred at Cedarvale Cemetery in Bay City, Matagorda County, Texas on July 24, 1949. He is buried near his parents in Section 4.
Sources:
1. 487th Bomb Group Association
2. 1920 US Census; Texas; Gonzales County; Waelder. McGines, Laranc P [sic]. 12 Feb 1920 (Lawrence P. McGinnes, his father)
3. 1930 US Census; Texas; Matagorda County. McGinnes, Lawrence P. 16 May 1930 (his father)
4. 1940 US Census; Texas; Matagorda County; Markham. McGinnes, Carrie. 12 Apr 1940 (his widowed mother)
5. Army Air Forces Collection of Mike Voisin. Class Book for Army Air Forces Advanced Pilot Class 44-E. Pecos Army Air Field, Texas. May 1944 (Lt McGinnes' Advanced phase of pilot training)
6. de Jong, Ivo. The History of the 487th Bomb Group (H). Paducah KY: Turner Publishing, Oct 2004
7. Enlistment Record of Lawrence H. McGinnes
8. Gibbs, Carol Sue. First Lieutenant Lawrence Howell McGinnes. Matagorda County TX: TXGenWeb, Oct 2019 (tribute page with newspaper transcriptions)
9. Headquarters, AAF Station 137, APO 559. Special Orders Number 17. 21 Jan 1945 (crew of Lt Lawrence H. McGinnes assigned to 837th Bomb Squadron, 487th Bomb Group at Army Air Forces Station 137, Lavenham, England effective 20 Jan 1945)
10. Lawrence Howell McGinnes in ZBaker family tree (ancestry.com)
11. Matagorda County, Texas. School Census Records. 1931–1933 (He is listed as Howell McGinnes.)
12. Stanley, Jack Fishman. Flight Log, Jan–Apr 1945 (Command Pilot, 837th Bomb Squadron, 487th Bomb Group)
13. Texas Deaths, 1890–1976: Mrs Carrie Jane McGinnes died at Houston, Harris County, Texas on June 14, 1943. (his mother)
14. U.S. Army Air Forces Missing Air Crew Report 14196
15. U.S. Rosters of World War II Dead, 1939–1945
16. U.S. School Yearbooks, 1900–1999 (ancestry.com): Longhorn [yearbook]. College Station TX: Texas A & M College, 1943
17. U.S. War Department. World War II Honor List of Dead and Missing Army and Army Air Forces Personnel. Washington, D.C., June 1946
18. U.S. World War II Draft Cards, Young Men, 1940–1947 (ancestry.com)
19. World War I Draft Registration of Lawrence P. McGinnes. 12 Sep 1918 (his father)
Research by:
Paul Webber
Find A Grave member ID 47577572
--------------------
[The following is from the Matagorda County Tribune on June 14, 1945. It incorrectly states that the aircraft was shot down by flak. See the bio above.]
United States Air Force First Lieutenant Lawrence Howell McGinnes was on his 15th bombing mission when his plane was hit with flak over Gardelegen, Germany only about 40 miles from his target. All members of the crew parachuted to safety except Lt. McGinnes and his Engineer and they went down with the ship. Lt. McGinnes served with the 838th Bomber Squadron, 487th Bomb Group.
The bodies of Lt. McGinnes and the Engineer were buried in Gardelegen, Germany by German civilians. Lt. McGinnes remains were returned to Texas for burial on July 24, 1949.
Lt. McGinnes had been a resident of Matagorda County practically all his life, having moved with his parents from Gonzales County, when he was about one year of age, and settled in the Markham Community. He graduated from the Markham High School with the class of 1941-42 and was attending Texas A. & M. College when he joined the Army Air Force in 1943.
The news of his death, five days before his 21st birthday, was a shock to his family and all his friends, because he was loved by all who knew him. Before he left for overseas duty he was looking forward and longing for the time to come when he could get over there in the middle of the fighting. He had completed 14 successful missions and was Pilot on the leading plane of a B-17 group on his 15th mission when he met his death. Another one of our boys to pay the supreme sacrifice for the cause of Liberty and Freedom.
Lt. McGinnes was the son of Lawrence P. and Carrie Jane Gilmore McGinnes. He survived by his sister, Wiilie Mae, 3 brothers, V. R., V.C., and L.B.. At the time of his death his remaining family lived in Markham, Texas.
He graduated from Markham High School in 1942, and registered for the draft at College Station, Brazos County, Texas on June 30, 1942. He was 5 feet 10 inches tall, weighed 143 pounds, and had brown eyes and black hair. At that time was enrolled as a student of mechanical engineering at Texas A & M College in College Station. He enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps at Houston, Texas on February 19, 1943.
He completed Army Air Forces pilot training in Class 44-E at Pecos Army Air Field, Texas, where he earned his wings and was commissioned a Second Lieutenant on May 23, 1944. His crew completed B-17 operational training at Dyersburg Army Air Base, Tennessee in October 1944, and was assigned to the 837th Bomb Squadron, 487th Bomb Group, at Army Air Forces Station 137 near Lavenham, Suffolk, England. They arrived in England by January 20, 1945, and became part of the 8th U.S. Army Air Force in Europe. Here is the crew roster on April 10, 1945:
B-17G 44-8808 – 837th Bomb Squadron
• McGinnes, Lawrence H – 1/Lt – Pilot – KIA
• Richmond, George M – Major – Air Leader – POW
• Kremler, Frank J – 2/Lt – Navigator – POW
• Lopez, George E – 2/Lt – Bombardier – POW
• Irving, Brice L – 1/Lt – Mickey [radar] Operator – POW
• Henderson, James V – T/Sgt – Engineer – KIA
• Layton, William H – T/Sgt – Radio Operator – POW
• Child, Richard P – S/Sgt – Waist Gunner – POW
• Lowe, John E – S/Sgt – Waist Gunner – POW
• Brill, Murray A – 2/Lt – Copilot/Tail Gunner – POW
On April 10, 1945 the 487th Bomb Group's target was the German airfield at Briest, Germany near Brandenburg. This was the base of operational German Me 262 jet fighters. The Group dispatched four Squadrons of B-17s. Lt McGinnes led the high Squadron in B-17G 44-8808, with air leader Major George M. Richmond flying in the copilot seat. There was heavy flak during the bomb run, which McGinnes' ship survived. After bombs away, the formation was flying west toward the rally point when it was attacked by German fighters. B-17G 44-8808 came under heavy fire from Me 262 jet fighters which set the plane on fire. Lt McGinnes and T/Sgt Henderson were unable to escape the burning aircraft and were killed.
The aircraft crashed some 50 miles west of Briest near Gardelegen, Germany at about 1600 hours. The burned bodies of Lt McGinnes and T/Sgt Henderson were found in the nose of the aircraft. All of the survivors were captured, but apparently Kremler, Lopez, and Irving were with a group of British POWs who convinced their captors to wait in the woods and surrender to advancing American troops. German troops took Lt Brill to the crash site, and he accompanied the bodies of his two crewmates by truck to a cemetery near Gardelegen, where he left them for burial.
Lt McGinnes' remains were returned to the States after the war and interred at Cedarvale Cemetery in Bay City, Matagorda County, Texas on July 24, 1949. He is buried near his parents in Section 4.
Sources:
1. 487th Bomb Group Association
2. 1920 US Census; Texas; Gonzales County; Waelder. McGines, Laranc P [sic]. 12 Feb 1920 (Lawrence P. McGinnes, his father)
3. 1930 US Census; Texas; Matagorda County. McGinnes, Lawrence P. 16 May 1930 (his father)
4. 1940 US Census; Texas; Matagorda County; Markham. McGinnes, Carrie. 12 Apr 1940 (his widowed mother)
5. Army Air Forces Collection of Mike Voisin. Class Book for Army Air Forces Advanced Pilot Class 44-E. Pecos Army Air Field, Texas. May 1944 (Lt McGinnes' Advanced phase of pilot training)
6. de Jong, Ivo. The History of the 487th Bomb Group (H). Paducah KY: Turner Publishing, Oct 2004
7. Enlistment Record of Lawrence H. McGinnes
8. Gibbs, Carol Sue. First Lieutenant Lawrence Howell McGinnes. Matagorda County TX: TXGenWeb, Oct 2019 (tribute page with newspaper transcriptions)
9. Headquarters, AAF Station 137, APO 559. Special Orders Number 17. 21 Jan 1945 (crew of Lt Lawrence H. McGinnes assigned to 837th Bomb Squadron, 487th Bomb Group at Army Air Forces Station 137, Lavenham, England effective 20 Jan 1945)
10. Lawrence Howell McGinnes in ZBaker family tree (ancestry.com)
11. Matagorda County, Texas. School Census Records. 1931–1933 (He is listed as Howell McGinnes.)
12. Stanley, Jack Fishman. Flight Log, Jan–Apr 1945 (Command Pilot, 837th Bomb Squadron, 487th Bomb Group)
13. Texas Deaths, 1890–1976: Mrs Carrie Jane McGinnes died at Houston, Harris County, Texas on June 14, 1943. (his mother)
14. U.S. Army Air Forces Missing Air Crew Report 14196
15. U.S. Rosters of World War II Dead, 1939–1945
16. U.S. School Yearbooks, 1900–1999 (ancestry.com): Longhorn [yearbook]. College Station TX: Texas A & M College, 1943
17. U.S. War Department. World War II Honor List of Dead and Missing Army and Army Air Forces Personnel. Washington, D.C., June 1946
18. U.S. World War II Draft Cards, Young Men, 1940–1947 (ancestry.com)
19. World War I Draft Registration of Lawrence P. McGinnes. 12 Sep 1918 (his father)
Research by:
Paul Webber
Find A Grave member ID 47577572
--------------------
[The following is from the Matagorda County Tribune on June 14, 1945. It incorrectly states that the aircraft was shot down by flak. See the bio above.]
United States Air Force First Lieutenant Lawrence Howell McGinnes was on his 15th bombing mission when his plane was hit with flak over Gardelegen, Germany only about 40 miles from his target. All members of the crew parachuted to safety except Lt. McGinnes and his Engineer and they went down with the ship. Lt. McGinnes served with the 838th Bomber Squadron, 487th Bomb Group.
The bodies of Lt. McGinnes and the Engineer were buried in Gardelegen, Germany by German civilians. Lt. McGinnes remains were returned to Texas for burial on July 24, 1949.
Lt. McGinnes had been a resident of Matagorda County practically all his life, having moved with his parents from Gonzales County, when he was about one year of age, and settled in the Markham Community. He graduated from the Markham High School with the class of 1941-42 and was attending Texas A. & M. College when he joined the Army Air Force in 1943.
The news of his death, five days before his 21st birthday, was a shock to his family and all his friends, because he was loved by all who knew him. Before he left for overseas duty he was looking forward and longing for the time to come when he could get over there in the middle of the fighting. He had completed 14 successful missions and was Pilot on the leading plane of a B-17 group on his 15th mission when he met his death. Another one of our boys to pay the supreme sacrifice for the cause of Liberty and Freedom.
Lt. McGinnes was the son of Lawrence P. and Carrie Jane Gilmore McGinnes. He survived by his sister, Wiilie Mae, 3 brothers, V. R., V.C., and L.B.. At the time of his death his remaining family lived in Markham, Texas.
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1ST LT LAWRENCE HOWELL
McGINNES
APRIL 15, 1924
APRIL 10, 1945
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