Second Lieutenant Cecil Charles McNeish, Army serial number O-2070085, was born at Osceola Mills, Clearfield County, Pennsylvania, on September 7, 1924. His parents were Lewis McNeish (8 Aug 1882 – 14 Jul 1953), who was born in Scotland and immigrated to America in 1886; and Emma A. (Yahner) McNeish (5 May 1882 – 16 Aug 1965), who was born in Pennsylvania. His parents married at Saint Lawrence, Cambria County, Pennsylvania on September 20, 1910. His father was a coal miner, worked in construction, and was later a butcher.

He had two brothers: Francis Eugene McNeish (6 Feb 1916 – 11 Sep 1944) and James Martin McNeish (9 Apr 1919 – 19 Jul 2004). By 1930 the family lived on Pruner Street in Osceola Mills, Pennsylvania.

He registered for the draft at Houtzdale, Pennsylvania on December 21, 1942. He was 5 feet 10 inches tall, weighed 195 pounds, and had hazel eyes and black hair. He completed Army Air Forces navigator training in Class 44-11 at Selman Field, Monroe, Louisiana, and was commissioned a Second Lieutenant on September 4, 1944.

He was assigned to the heavy bomber crew of Lt Joseph D. Conwill Jr. The crew completed B-17 operational training at Biggs Field in El Paso, Texas, and deployed to England in early January 1945. They were assigned to the 837th Bomb Squadron of the 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. The crew was soon chosen to become a lead crew.

On March 15, 1945, the Conwill flew on the 487th Bomb Group mission to bomb the railroad marshalling yards at Oranienburg, Germany. Lt Conwill's crew lead the Diamond Squadron (aka the Low, Low Squadron) of the formation. Air leader Captain Robert G. Reeder flew in the copilot seat. Copilot Lt Birtrum Lindquist moved to the tail gunner position as officer tail gunner and formation observer, as was the custom. Here is Lt Conwill's crew roster on that day:

B-17G 44-8746 – 837th Bomb Squadron

• Conwill Jr, Joseph D – 1/Lt – Pilot – KIA

• Reeder, Robert G – Capt – Air Leader – POW

• McNeish, Cecil C – 2/Lt – Navigator – KIA

• Moderski, Jerome D – 1/Lt – Bombardier – KIA

• Dippo, Ramor W – 2/Lt – Radar Operator – POW

• Randall, Clarence W – S/Sgt – Engineer – KIA

• Polifka, George J – Sgt – Radio Operator – POW

• Copelin, Robert L – Sgt – Waist Gunner – POW

• Valentine, James A – Sgt – Waist Gunner – POW

• Lindquist, Birtrum – 2/Lt – Officer Tail Gunner – POW

Lt McNeish and three of his crewmates were killed in action when their aircraft, B-17G 44-8746, was shot down by flak over Wittenberge, Germany, in the Elbe River Valley, after bombing the marshalling yards at Oranienburg. Direct flak hits blew off the nose of the aircraft and the forward underside of the fuselage, probably killing Lt McNeish and Lt Moderski instantly. The engineer, S/Sgt Randall, was observed to be seriously wounded and unconscious, lying on the floor near the bottom of the top turret. The catwalk in the bomb bay was blown away and his crewmates could not reach him. He went down with the plane. Pilot Lt Conwill survived the parachute jump, but was seriously wounded. He died of his wounds at a military hospital in Neuruppin, Germany on April 2, 1945.

Note: Wittenberge is misspelled Wittenberg in Missing Air Crew Report 13089. The stated map coordinates (53°00'N, 11°45'E) identify Wittenberge.

Ivo de Jong, author of The History of the 487th Bomb Group (H), contacted waist gunner James A. Valentine during his research for the book. Mr. Valentine recalled:

     "My crew flew five missions, before we were made a lead crew. When we went down the mission was to the Berlin area. We were on our way home when we were hit by flak. Our plane took several direct hits. One shell blew the nose off taking with it the navigator and the bombardier. One shell hit underneath and blew the bottom off the from the nose past the bomb bay. The pilot and co-pilot, both wounded, managed to fall out of the bottom. I understand both men were found and cared for by some German civilians, but were too badly wounded and had to be turned over to the authorities. The pilot died later in a POW camp. The engineer was also badly wounded and he lay in the bottom of his turret. The catwalk from the radio room to him was blown away, so we could not get to him. He went down with the plane. The rest of us all managed to bail out. It seems I was the only one not picked up right away and was by myself for several days before I was caught. I was trying to reach the Russian lines and came pretty close. I was captured and taken to jail in Potsdam for several days, then taken to Stalag III-B. Later on the Russians liberated our camp, but we had to get away from them. Several of us took off through the woods and several days later reached the Elbe river where we were picked up by an American convoy and taken across to the American side. While I was in the camp in France waiting to come home, I ran into some of the others of my crew. They were all caught together and thought I was dead."

Apparently Lt McNeish's remains were found in a German churchyard in February 1947. This was probably at Perleberg, Germany, a short distance northeast of Wittenberge. His remains were permanently interred at Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery, Belgium, in Plot G, Row 15, Grave 54. He is buried next to his brother, Francis E. McNeish, Army serial number 33567943, who served in the 113th Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron.

Some relatives:

     His father's parents were Peter J. McNeish (1842 – 2 Jan 1907), who was born in Ireland and immigrated to America about 1885; and Mary Ann (Turner) McNeish (Apr 1854 – 3 Jan 1919), who was born in Scotland and immigrated to America in 1886. They lived at Osceola Mills, Clearfield County, Pennsylvania.

     His mother's parents were Martin Yahner Jr (2 Apr 1837 – 12 Apr 1920) and Mary Ann (Thomas) Yahner (5 Jan 1843 – 1913), who were born in Pennsylvania, and lived at Chest Township, Cambria County, Pennsylvania.

Sources:

1. 487th Bomb Group Association

2. 1900 US Census; Pennsylvania; Cambria County; Chest Township. Yahner, Martin. 9 Jun 1900 (his mother's father)

3. 1920 US Census; Pennsylvania; Clearfield County; Osceola. McNeish, Lewis. Jan 1920 (his father)

4. 1930 US Census; Pennsylvania; Clearfield County; Osceola Mills. McMish, Lewis [sic]. 23 May 1930 (Lewis McNeish, his father)

5. 1940 US Census; Pennsylvania; Clearfield County; Osceola Mills; 503 Pruner Street. McNeish, Louis [sic]. 22 Apr 1940 (his father)

6. American Battle Monuments Commission

7. Bush, Maribeth. Email correspondence. Jan 2016 (a great niece of Cecil C. McNeish)

8. Cecil Charles McNeish in FitzGibbon Family Tree (ancestry.com)

9. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

     • Application for World War II Compensation. 21 Jan 1950 (submitted by his parents)

     • Death Certificate of Lewis McNeish. Jul 1953 (his father)

     • Death Certificate of Emma McNeish. Aug 1965 (his mother)

10. de Jong, Ivo. The History of the 487th Bomb Group (H). Paducah KY: Turner Publishing, Oct 2004

11. Gates, Roy B. and Mansfield, Richard H. Selman Field 1942 – 1946. Paducah, KY: Turner Publishing, 1998, p 59

12. Marriage Certificate of Lewis McNeish and Emma (Yahner) McNeish. 20 Sep 1910 (his parents)

13. (The) Morning Call, Allentown PA. Obituary of James Martin McNeish. 21 Jul 2004 (his brother)

14. Mundia.com (ancestry.com) profiles of Cecil C. McNeish

15. New York Passenger and Crew List. Ship Ethiopia arrived at Port of New York on 27 Oct 1886

16. Social Security Death Index

17. U.S. Army Air Forces Missing Air Crew Report 13089

18. U.S. Headstone and Interment Records for U.S. Military Cemeteries on Foreign Soil, 1942–1949 (ancestry.com)

19. U.S. National World War II Memorial Registry. World War II Honorees Cecil C. McNeish and Francis E. McNeish (honored by their brother James M. McNeish)

20. U.S. Rosters of World War II Dead, 1939–1945:

21. U.S. World War II Draft Cards, Young Men, 1940–1947

22. World War I Draft Registration of Lewis McNeish. 12 Sep 1918 (his father)

23. World War II Draft Registration of Lewis McNeish. 27 Apr 1942 (his father)

Research by:

Paul Webber

Find A Grave member ID 47577572

Last edited 7 May 2024