Sgt John White Jr, Army serial number 31183916, was a son of Scottish immigrants. He was born at Madison, Somerset County, Maine on July 5, 1921. The date of birth on his grave marker is incorrect. It was recorded incorrectly on his headstone application. The correct date, July 5, 1921, is recorded on his draft registration and in his Individual Deceased Personnel File.
His parents were John White (24 Jun 1889 – unk) and Helen Renwick (Smith) White (8 Sep 1891 – Dec 1939) (sometimes called Nellie), who were born at Galashiels, Scotland, a center of the textile industry. His father served as a Bugler in Scotland's Border Rifles for two years. His father immigrated to America via Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada in 1908; his mother immigrated to America in 1913. His parents married at Brooklyn, Kings County, New York on June 23, 1913, and became naturalized citizens in 1919.
He had two older siblings, Jean Renwick Smith (White) Shipman (14 Jul 1915 – 9 May 1999) and Robert Gordon White (6 Nov 1916 – 19 Aug 2000), who were born at Madison, Maine. His brother Robert served in the U.S. Army Infantry, and was wounded in action in June 1944.
The family lived initially at Madison, Maine, where his father was a mill superintendent for American Woolen Company. By April 1930 the family lived at 31 Creswell Street, Worcester, Worcester County, Massachusetts, where his father was superintendent at a woolen textile mill. His mother died in December 1939, and by April 1940 his father moved the family to 422 North 25th Street, Pennside (Reading), Berks County, Pennsylvania, where he worked in textile manufacturing at a woolen mill (probably at nearby Stony Creek Mills). By October 1940 the family moved back to Worcester, Massachusetts and lived at 188 Highland Street. In 1945 his father lived at 46 Roxbury Street in Worcester.
John White Jr registered for the draft at Worcester, Massachusetts on February 15, 1942. He was 5 feet 6 inches tall, weighed 131 pounds, and had brown eyes and blonde hair. At that time he lived at 68 Dover Street in Worcester, and was employed by Crescent Manufacturing Company at 69 Canterbury Street in Worcester. His point of contact was his sister Jean (White) Shipman, who lived at 84 Burncoat Street in Worcester. He completed four years of high school and worked in a managerial position. He was single, without dependents, when he enlisted in the U.S. Army at Fort Devens, Massachusetts on September 28, 1942.
He was called to active duty in March 1943, and completed Army Air Forces flight engineer and aerial gunnery training. He was then assigned as engineer-gunner on the heavy bomber crew of Lt Daniel C. Smoke Jr. The Smoke crew completed B-17 operational training at Biloxi, Mississippi, and was sent to Hunter Field, Savannah, Georgia, where they were assigned a new B-17 for the deployment to England. There is a photo of the crew that was taken outside the mess hall at Hunter Field. They were assigned to the 838th Bomb Squadron of the 487th Bomb Group at Army Air Forces Station 137 near Lavenham, Suffolk, England. They arrived at Station 137 by February 26, 1945, and became part of the 8th U.S. Army Air Force in Europe. Here is Lt Smoke's crew roster on March 19, 1945:
B-17G 43-38038 – 838th Bomb Squadron
• Smoke Jr, Daniel C – 2/Lt – Pilot – KIA
• Pendarvis, George H – F/O – Copilot – KIA
• Olsen, Gunnar K – F/O – Navigator – KIA
• Strong, John H – 2/Lt – Bombardier – KIA
• White Jr, John – Sgt – Engineer – KIA
• Stone, Harold J – Sgt – Radio Operator – KIA
• Sala, David W – Sgt – Ball Turret Gunner – KIA
• Koepsell, Elmer E – Sgt – Waist Gunner – KIA
• Burres, Richard E – Sgt – Tail Gunner – KIA
On March 19, 1945, the 487th Bomb Group dispatched thirty aircraft to bomb a communications center at Zwickau, Germany. The Smoke crew flew B-17G 43-38038 on this mission. Because of poor weather over England, the Group assembled into formation over A-71, an Allied advanced landing ground near Clastres in northeastern France. Sgt White and his eight crewmates were killed in action when their aircraft collided with Lt John R. Virgin's B-17G 43-37969 'Beverly Jean' during formation assembly. All of Lt Virgin's crew bailed out and survived, but none of Lt Smoke's crew was able to bail out. Sgt White and his crewmates perished in the subsequent crash of their aircraft near Couvron, France.
The dead were buried initially in the temporary U.S. Military Cemetery Champigneul #1 near Chalons-sur-Marne, France. (Chalons-sur-Marne was renamed Châlons-en-Champagne in 1998.) Sgt White's remains were returned to the United States and reinterred at Hope Cemetery in Worcester, Massachusetts, on July 16, 1949. He is buried in Section 44, Lot 14513.
Sources:
1. 487th Bomb Group Association
2. 1920 US Census; Maine; Somerset County. White, John. Jan 1920 (his father)
3. 1930 US Census; Massachusetts; Worcester County; Worcester; 31 Creswell Street. White, John. 9 April 1930 (his father)
4. 1940 US Census; Pennsylvania; Berks County; Lower Alsace Township; 422 North 25th Street (Reading, PA). White, John. 9 Apr 1940 (his father)
5. Belanger, Sandra. A Memorial Day Request From The Other Side. 15 July 2008
6. Cemetery records of Hope Cemetery, Worcester, MA
7. de Jong, Ivo. The History of the 487th Bomb Group (H). Paducah KY: Turner Publishing, Oct 2004
8. Enlistment Record of John White Jr
9. Enlistment Record of Robert G White, ASN 31067760 (his brother)
10. James D Fitzgerald Family Tree at ancestry.com
11. Maine, Birth Records, 1715–1922 (ancestry.com). His sister Jean Renwick Smith White was born at Madison, Maine on 14 Jul 1915; his brother Robert Gordon White was born at Madison, Maine on 6 Nov 1916.
12. New York, New York, Extracted Death Index, 1862–1948 (ancestry.com). John White, age 58, died at Kings County, New York in 1948. (possibly his father)
13. New York, New York, Extracted Marriage Index, 1866–1937 (ancestry.com). John White married Helen Renwick Smith at Kings County, New York on 23 Jun 1913. (his parents)
14. O'Leary, Jack. Thread posted on the facebook page of The Eighth Air Force Historical Society. 9 Sep 2013 (https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=617825511602102; confirms location of the crew photo at Hunter Field, Georgia)
15. Social Security Death Index
16. U.S. Army Air Forces Missing Air Crew Report 15844
17. U.S. Headstone Applications for US Military Veterans, 1925–1949 (ancestry.com)
18. U.S. Passport Applications, 1795–1925 (ancestry.com). 1924 passport application of Helen Renwick White of Madison, Maine (his mother)
19. U.S. War Department. World War II Honor List of Dead and Missing Army and Army Air Forces Personnel. Washington, D.C., June 1946
20. U.S. World War II Draft Cards, Young Men, 1940–1947 (ancestry.com)
21. U.S. World War II Hospital Admission Card Files, 1942–1954 (ancestry.com): Robert G. White; ASN 31067760; Infantry; enlisted man; wounded in action by artillery shell fragments; admitted and discharged to duty in June 1944. (his brother)
22. Worcester (MA) Telegram & Gazette. Obituary of Dr Lewis H Shipman. 19 Aug 1997 (his brother-in-law)
23. Worcester (MA) Telegram & Gazette. Obituary of Jean White Shipman. 11 May 1999 (his sister)
24. World War I Draft Registration of John White Sr. 5 Jun 1917 (his father)
25. World War II Draft Registration of John White Sr. 27 Apr 1942 (his father)
Research by:
Paul Webber
Secretary, 487th Bomb Group Association
Find A Grave member ID 47577572
His parents were John White (24 Jun 1889 – unk) and Helen Renwick (Smith) White (8 Sep 1891 – Dec 1939) (sometimes called Nellie), who were born at Galashiels, Scotland, a center of the textile industry. His father served as a Bugler in Scotland's Border Rifles for two years. His father immigrated to America via Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada in 1908; his mother immigrated to America in 1913. His parents married at Brooklyn, Kings County, New York on June 23, 1913, and became naturalized citizens in 1919.
He had two older siblings, Jean Renwick Smith (White) Shipman (14 Jul 1915 – 9 May 1999) and Robert Gordon White (6 Nov 1916 – 19 Aug 2000), who were born at Madison, Maine. His brother Robert served in the U.S. Army Infantry, and was wounded in action in June 1944.
The family lived initially at Madison, Maine, where his father was a mill superintendent for American Woolen Company. By April 1930 the family lived at 31 Creswell Street, Worcester, Worcester County, Massachusetts, where his father was superintendent at a woolen textile mill. His mother died in December 1939, and by April 1940 his father moved the family to 422 North 25th Street, Pennside (Reading), Berks County, Pennsylvania, where he worked in textile manufacturing at a woolen mill (probably at nearby Stony Creek Mills). By October 1940 the family moved back to Worcester, Massachusetts and lived at 188 Highland Street. In 1945 his father lived at 46 Roxbury Street in Worcester.
John White Jr registered for the draft at Worcester, Massachusetts on February 15, 1942. He was 5 feet 6 inches tall, weighed 131 pounds, and had brown eyes and blonde hair. At that time he lived at 68 Dover Street in Worcester, and was employed by Crescent Manufacturing Company at 69 Canterbury Street in Worcester. His point of contact was his sister Jean (White) Shipman, who lived at 84 Burncoat Street in Worcester. He completed four years of high school and worked in a managerial position. He was single, without dependents, when he enlisted in the U.S. Army at Fort Devens, Massachusetts on September 28, 1942.
He was called to active duty in March 1943, and completed Army Air Forces flight engineer and aerial gunnery training. He was then assigned as engineer-gunner on the heavy bomber crew of Lt Daniel C. Smoke Jr. The Smoke crew completed B-17 operational training at Biloxi, Mississippi, and was sent to Hunter Field, Savannah, Georgia, where they were assigned a new B-17 for the deployment to England. There is a photo of the crew that was taken outside the mess hall at Hunter Field. They were assigned to the 838th Bomb Squadron of the 487th Bomb Group at Army Air Forces Station 137 near Lavenham, Suffolk, England. They arrived at Station 137 by February 26, 1945, and became part of the 8th U.S. Army Air Force in Europe. Here is Lt Smoke's crew roster on March 19, 1945:
B-17G 43-38038 – 838th Bomb Squadron
• Smoke Jr, Daniel C – 2/Lt – Pilot – KIA
• Pendarvis, George H – F/O – Copilot – KIA
• Olsen, Gunnar K – F/O – Navigator – KIA
• Strong, John H – 2/Lt – Bombardier – KIA
• White Jr, John – Sgt – Engineer – KIA
• Stone, Harold J – Sgt – Radio Operator – KIA
• Sala, David W – Sgt – Ball Turret Gunner – KIA
• Koepsell, Elmer E – Sgt – Waist Gunner – KIA
• Burres, Richard E – Sgt – Tail Gunner – KIA
On March 19, 1945, the 487th Bomb Group dispatched thirty aircraft to bomb a communications center at Zwickau, Germany. The Smoke crew flew B-17G 43-38038 on this mission. Because of poor weather over England, the Group assembled into formation over A-71, an Allied advanced landing ground near Clastres in northeastern France. Sgt White and his eight crewmates were killed in action when their aircraft collided with Lt John R. Virgin's B-17G 43-37969 'Beverly Jean' during formation assembly. All of Lt Virgin's crew bailed out and survived, but none of Lt Smoke's crew was able to bail out. Sgt White and his crewmates perished in the subsequent crash of their aircraft near Couvron, France.
The dead were buried initially in the temporary U.S. Military Cemetery Champigneul #1 near Chalons-sur-Marne, France. (Chalons-sur-Marne was renamed Châlons-en-Champagne in 1998.) Sgt White's remains were returned to the United States and reinterred at Hope Cemetery in Worcester, Massachusetts, on July 16, 1949. He is buried in Section 44, Lot 14513.
Sources:
1. 487th Bomb Group Association
2. 1920 US Census; Maine; Somerset County. White, John. Jan 1920 (his father)
3. 1930 US Census; Massachusetts; Worcester County; Worcester; 31 Creswell Street. White, John. 9 April 1930 (his father)
4. 1940 US Census; Pennsylvania; Berks County; Lower Alsace Township; 422 North 25th Street (Reading, PA). White, John. 9 Apr 1940 (his father)
5. Belanger, Sandra. A Memorial Day Request From The Other Side. 15 July 2008
6. Cemetery records of Hope Cemetery, Worcester, MA
7. de Jong, Ivo. The History of the 487th Bomb Group (H). Paducah KY: Turner Publishing, Oct 2004
8. Enlistment Record of John White Jr
9. Enlistment Record of Robert G White, ASN 31067760 (his brother)
10. James D Fitzgerald Family Tree at ancestry.com
11. Maine, Birth Records, 1715–1922 (ancestry.com). His sister Jean Renwick Smith White was born at Madison, Maine on 14 Jul 1915; his brother Robert Gordon White was born at Madison, Maine on 6 Nov 1916.
12. New York, New York, Extracted Death Index, 1862–1948 (ancestry.com). John White, age 58, died at Kings County, New York in 1948. (possibly his father)
13. New York, New York, Extracted Marriage Index, 1866–1937 (ancestry.com). John White married Helen Renwick Smith at Kings County, New York on 23 Jun 1913. (his parents)
14. O'Leary, Jack. Thread posted on the facebook page of The Eighth Air Force Historical Society. 9 Sep 2013 (https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=617825511602102; confirms location of the crew photo at Hunter Field, Georgia)
15. Social Security Death Index
16. U.S. Army Air Forces Missing Air Crew Report 15844
17. U.S. Headstone Applications for US Military Veterans, 1925–1949 (ancestry.com)
18. U.S. Passport Applications, 1795–1925 (ancestry.com). 1924 passport application of Helen Renwick White of Madison, Maine (his mother)
19. U.S. War Department. World War II Honor List of Dead and Missing Army and Army Air Forces Personnel. Washington, D.C., June 1946
20. U.S. World War II Draft Cards, Young Men, 1940–1947 (ancestry.com)
21. U.S. World War II Hospital Admission Card Files, 1942–1954 (ancestry.com): Robert G. White; ASN 31067760; Infantry; enlisted man; wounded in action by artillery shell fragments; admitted and discharged to duty in June 1944. (his brother)
22. Worcester (MA) Telegram & Gazette. Obituary of Dr Lewis H Shipman. 19 Aug 1997 (his brother-in-law)
23. Worcester (MA) Telegram & Gazette. Obituary of Jean White Shipman. 11 May 1999 (his sister)
24. World War I Draft Registration of John White Sr. 5 Jun 1917 (his father)
25. World War II Draft Registration of John White Sr. 27 Apr 1942 (his father)
Research by:
Paul Webber
Secretary, 487th Bomb Group Association
Find A Grave member ID 47577572
Sgt John White Jr, Army serial number 31183916, was a son of Scottish immigrants. He was born at Madison, Somerset County, Maine on July 5, 1921. The date of birth on his grave marker is incorrect. It was recorded incorrectly on his headstone application. The correct date, July 5, 1921, is recorded on his draft registration and in his Individual Deceased Personnel File.
His parents were John White (24 Jun 1889 – unk) and Helen Renwick (Smith) White (8 Sep 1891 – Dec 1939) (sometimes called Nellie), who were born at Galashiels, Scotland, a center of the textile industry. His father served as a Bugler in Scotland's Border Rifles for two years. His father immigrated to America via Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada in 1908; his mother immigrated to America in 1913. His parents married at Brooklyn, Kings County, New York on June 23, 1913, and became naturalized citizens in 1919.
He had two older siblings, Jean Renwick Smith (White) Shipman (14 Jul 1915 – 9 May 1999) and Robert Gordon White (6 Nov 1916 – 19 Aug 2000), who were born at Madison, Maine. His brother Robert served in the U.S. Army Infantry, and was wounded in action in June 1944.
The family lived initially at Madison, Maine, where his father was a mill superintendent for American Woolen Company. By April 1930 the family lived at 31 Creswell Street, Worcester, Worcester County, Massachusetts, where his father was superintendent at a woolen textile mill. His mother died in December 1939, and by April 1940 his father moved the family to 422 North 25th Street, Pennside (Reading), Berks County, Pennsylvania, where he worked in textile manufacturing at a woolen mill (probably at nearby Stony Creek Mills). By October 1940 the family moved back to Worcester, Massachusetts and lived at 188 Highland Street. In 1945 his father lived at 46 Roxbury Street in Worcester.
John White Jr registered for the draft at Worcester, Massachusetts on February 15, 1942. He was 5 feet 6 inches tall, weighed 131 pounds, and had brown eyes and blonde hair. At that time he lived at 68 Dover Street in Worcester, and was employed by Crescent Manufacturing Company at 69 Canterbury Street in Worcester. His point of contact was his sister Jean (White) Shipman, who lived at 84 Burncoat Street in Worcester. He completed four years of high school and worked in a managerial position. He was single, without dependents, when he enlisted in the U.S. Army at Fort Devens, Massachusetts on September 28, 1942.
He was called to active duty in March 1943, and completed Army Air Forces flight engineer and aerial gunnery training. He was then assigned as engineer-gunner on the heavy bomber crew of Lt Daniel C. Smoke Jr. The Smoke crew completed B-17 operational training at Biloxi, Mississippi, and was sent to Hunter Field, Savannah, Georgia, where they were assigned a new B-17 for the deployment to England. There is a photo of the crew that was taken outside the mess hall at Hunter Field. They were assigned to the 838th Bomb Squadron of the 487th Bomb Group at Army Air Forces Station 137 near Lavenham, Suffolk, England. They arrived at Station 137 by February 26, 1945, and became part of the 8th U.S. Army Air Force in Europe. Here is Lt Smoke's crew roster on March 19, 1945:
B-17G 43-38038 – 838th Bomb Squadron
• Smoke Jr, Daniel C – 2/Lt – Pilot – KIA
• Pendarvis, George H – F/O – Copilot – KIA
• Olsen, Gunnar K – F/O – Navigator – KIA
• Strong, John H – 2/Lt – Bombardier – KIA
• White Jr, John – Sgt – Engineer – KIA
• Stone, Harold J – Sgt – Radio Operator – KIA
• Sala, David W – Sgt – Ball Turret Gunner – KIA
• Koepsell, Elmer E – Sgt – Waist Gunner – KIA
• Burres, Richard E – Sgt – Tail Gunner – KIA
On March 19, 1945, the 487th Bomb Group dispatched thirty aircraft to bomb a communications center at Zwickau, Germany. The Smoke crew flew B-17G 43-38038 on this mission. Because of poor weather over England, the Group assembled into formation over A-71, an Allied advanced landing ground near Clastres in northeastern France. Sgt White and his eight crewmates were killed in action when their aircraft collided with Lt John R. Virgin's B-17G 43-37969 'Beverly Jean' during formation assembly. All of Lt Virgin's crew bailed out and survived, but none of Lt Smoke's crew was able to bail out. Sgt White and his crewmates perished in the subsequent crash of their aircraft near Couvron, France.
The dead were buried initially in the temporary U.S. Military Cemetery Champigneul #1 near Chalons-sur-Marne, France. (Chalons-sur-Marne was renamed Châlons-en-Champagne in 1998.) Sgt White's remains were returned to the United States and reinterred at Hope Cemetery in Worcester, Massachusetts, on July 16, 1949. He is buried in Section 44, Lot 14513.
Sources:
1. 487th Bomb Group Association
2. 1920 US Census; Maine; Somerset County. White, John. Jan 1920 (his father)
3. 1930 US Census; Massachusetts; Worcester County; Worcester; 31 Creswell Street. White, John. 9 April 1930 (his father)
4. 1940 US Census; Pennsylvania; Berks County; Lower Alsace Township; 422 North 25th Street (Reading, PA). White, John. 9 Apr 1940 (his father)
5. Belanger, Sandra. A Memorial Day Request From The Other Side. 15 July 2008
6. Cemetery records of Hope Cemetery, Worcester, MA
7. de Jong, Ivo. The History of the 487th Bomb Group (H). Paducah KY: Turner Publishing, Oct 2004
8. Enlistment Record of John White Jr
9. Enlistment Record of Robert G White, ASN 31067760 (his brother)
10. James D Fitzgerald Family Tree at ancestry.com
11. Maine, Birth Records, 1715–1922 (ancestry.com). His sister Jean Renwick Smith White was born at Madison, Maine on 14 Jul 1915; his brother Robert Gordon White was born at Madison, Maine on 6 Nov 1916.
12. New York, New York, Extracted Death Index, 1862–1948 (ancestry.com). John White, age 58, died at Kings County, New York in 1948. (possibly his father)
13. New York, New York, Extracted Marriage Index, 1866–1937 (ancestry.com). John White married Helen Renwick Smith at Kings County, New York on 23 Jun 1913. (his parents)
14. O'Leary, Jack. Thread posted on the facebook page of The Eighth Air Force Historical Society. 9 Sep 2013 (https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=617825511602102; confirms location of the crew photo at Hunter Field, Georgia)
15. Social Security Death Index
16. U.S. Army Air Forces Missing Air Crew Report 15844
17. U.S. Headstone Applications for US Military Veterans, 1925–1949 (ancestry.com)
18. U.S. Passport Applications, 1795–1925 (ancestry.com). 1924 passport application of Helen Renwick White of Madison, Maine (his mother)
19. U.S. War Department. World War II Honor List of Dead and Missing Army and Army Air Forces Personnel. Washington, D.C., June 1946
20. U.S. World War II Draft Cards, Young Men, 1940–1947 (ancestry.com)
21. U.S. World War II Hospital Admission Card Files, 1942–1954 (ancestry.com): Robert G. White; ASN 31067760; Infantry; enlisted man; wounded in action by artillery shell fragments; admitted and discharged to duty in June 1944. (his brother)
22. Worcester (MA) Telegram & Gazette. Obituary of Dr Lewis H Shipman. 19 Aug 1997 (his brother-in-law)
23. Worcester (MA) Telegram & Gazette. Obituary of Jean White Shipman. 11 May 1999 (his sister)
24. World War I Draft Registration of John White Sr. 5 Jun 1917 (his father)
25. World War II Draft Registration of John White Sr. 27 Apr 1942 (his father)
Research by:
Paul Webber
Secretary, 487th Bomb Group Association
Find A Grave member ID 47577572
His parents were John White (24 Jun 1889 – unk) and Helen Renwick (Smith) White (8 Sep 1891 – Dec 1939) (sometimes called Nellie), who were born at Galashiels, Scotland, a center of the textile industry. His father served as a Bugler in Scotland's Border Rifles for two years. His father immigrated to America via Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada in 1908; his mother immigrated to America in 1913. His parents married at Brooklyn, Kings County, New York on June 23, 1913, and became naturalized citizens in 1919.
He had two older siblings, Jean Renwick Smith (White) Shipman (14 Jul 1915 – 9 May 1999) and Robert Gordon White (6 Nov 1916 – 19 Aug 2000), who were born at Madison, Maine. His brother Robert served in the U.S. Army Infantry, and was wounded in action in June 1944.
The family lived initially at Madison, Maine, where his father was a mill superintendent for American Woolen Company. By April 1930 the family lived at 31 Creswell Street, Worcester, Worcester County, Massachusetts, where his father was superintendent at a woolen textile mill. His mother died in December 1939, and by April 1940 his father moved the family to 422 North 25th Street, Pennside (Reading), Berks County, Pennsylvania, where he worked in textile manufacturing at a woolen mill (probably at nearby Stony Creek Mills). By October 1940 the family moved back to Worcester, Massachusetts and lived at 188 Highland Street. In 1945 his father lived at 46 Roxbury Street in Worcester.
John White Jr registered for the draft at Worcester, Massachusetts on February 15, 1942. He was 5 feet 6 inches tall, weighed 131 pounds, and had brown eyes and blonde hair. At that time he lived at 68 Dover Street in Worcester, and was employed by Crescent Manufacturing Company at 69 Canterbury Street in Worcester. His point of contact was his sister Jean (White) Shipman, who lived at 84 Burncoat Street in Worcester. He completed four years of high school and worked in a managerial position. He was single, without dependents, when he enlisted in the U.S. Army at Fort Devens, Massachusetts on September 28, 1942.
He was called to active duty in March 1943, and completed Army Air Forces flight engineer and aerial gunnery training. He was then assigned as engineer-gunner on the heavy bomber crew of Lt Daniel C. Smoke Jr. The Smoke crew completed B-17 operational training at Biloxi, Mississippi, and was sent to Hunter Field, Savannah, Georgia, where they were assigned a new B-17 for the deployment to England. There is a photo of the crew that was taken outside the mess hall at Hunter Field. They were assigned to the 838th Bomb Squadron of the 487th Bomb Group at Army Air Forces Station 137 near Lavenham, Suffolk, England. They arrived at Station 137 by February 26, 1945, and became part of the 8th U.S. Army Air Force in Europe. Here is Lt Smoke's crew roster on March 19, 1945:
B-17G 43-38038 – 838th Bomb Squadron
• Smoke Jr, Daniel C – 2/Lt – Pilot – KIA
• Pendarvis, George H – F/O – Copilot – KIA
• Olsen, Gunnar K – F/O – Navigator – KIA
• Strong, John H – 2/Lt – Bombardier – KIA
• White Jr, John – Sgt – Engineer – KIA
• Stone, Harold J – Sgt – Radio Operator – KIA
• Sala, David W – Sgt – Ball Turret Gunner – KIA
• Koepsell, Elmer E – Sgt – Waist Gunner – KIA
• Burres, Richard E – Sgt – Tail Gunner – KIA
On March 19, 1945, the 487th Bomb Group dispatched thirty aircraft to bomb a communications center at Zwickau, Germany. The Smoke crew flew B-17G 43-38038 on this mission. Because of poor weather over England, the Group assembled into formation over A-71, an Allied advanced landing ground near Clastres in northeastern France. Sgt White and his eight crewmates were killed in action when their aircraft collided with Lt John R. Virgin's B-17G 43-37969 'Beverly Jean' during formation assembly. All of Lt Virgin's crew bailed out and survived, but none of Lt Smoke's crew was able to bail out. Sgt White and his crewmates perished in the subsequent crash of their aircraft near Couvron, France.
The dead were buried initially in the temporary U.S. Military Cemetery Champigneul #1 near Chalons-sur-Marne, France. (Chalons-sur-Marne was renamed Châlons-en-Champagne in 1998.) Sgt White's remains were returned to the United States and reinterred at Hope Cemetery in Worcester, Massachusetts, on July 16, 1949. He is buried in Section 44, Lot 14513.
Sources:
1. 487th Bomb Group Association
2. 1920 US Census; Maine; Somerset County. White, John. Jan 1920 (his father)
3. 1930 US Census; Massachusetts; Worcester County; Worcester; 31 Creswell Street. White, John. 9 April 1930 (his father)
4. 1940 US Census; Pennsylvania; Berks County; Lower Alsace Township; 422 North 25th Street (Reading, PA). White, John. 9 Apr 1940 (his father)
5. Belanger, Sandra. A Memorial Day Request From The Other Side. 15 July 2008
6. Cemetery records of Hope Cemetery, Worcester, MA
7. de Jong, Ivo. The History of the 487th Bomb Group (H). Paducah KY: Turner Publishing, Oct 2004
8. Enlistment Record of John White Jr
9. Enlistment Record of Robert G White, ASN 31067760 (his brother)
10. James D Fitzgerald Family Tree at ancestry.com
11. Maine, Birth Records, 1715–1922 (ancestry.com). His sister Jean Renwick Smith White was born at Madison, Maine on 14 Jul 1915; his brother Robert Gordon White was born at Madison, Maine on 6 Nov 1916.
12. New York, New York, Extracted Death Index, 1862–1948 (ancestry.com). John White, age 58, died at Kings County, New York in 1948. (possibly his father)
13. New York, New York, Extracted Marriage Index, 1866–1937 (ancestry.com). John White married Helen Renwick Smith at Kings County, New York on 23 Jun 1913. (his parents)
14. O'Leary, Jack. Thread posted on the facebook page of The Eighth Air Force Historical Society. 9 Sep 2013 (https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=617825511602102; confirms location of the crew photo at Hunter Field, Georgia)
15. Social Security Death Index
16. U.S. Army Air Forces Missing Air Crew Report 15844
17. U.S. Headstone Applications for US Military Veterans, 1925–1949 (ancestry.com)
18. U.S. Passport Applications, 1795–1925 (ancestry.com). 1924 passport application of Helen Renwick White of Madison, Maine (his mother)
19. U.S. War Department. World War II Honor List of Dead and Missing Army and Army Air Forces Personnel. Washington, D.C., June 1946
20. U.S. World War II Draft Cards, Young Men, 1940–1947 (ancestry.com)
21. U.S. World War II Hospital Admission Card Files, 1942–1954 (ancestry.com): Robert G. White; ASN 31067760; Infantry; enlisted man; wounded in action by artillery shell fragments; admitted and discharged to duty in June 1944. (his brother)
22. Worcester (MA) Telegram & Gazette. Obituary of Dr Lewis H Shipman. 19 Aug 1997 (his brother-in-law)
23. Worcester (MA) Telegram & Gazette. Obituary of Jean White Shipman. 11 May 1999 (his sister)
24. World War I Draft Registration of John White Sr. 5 Jun 1917 (his father)
25. World War II Draft Registration of John White Sr. 27 Apr 1942 (his father)
Research by:
Paul Webber
Secretary, 487th Bomb Group Association
Find A Grave member ID 47577572
Inscription
JOHN WHITE JR
MASSACHUSETTS
SGT 487 AAF BOMB GP
WORLD WAR II
JULY 3 1922 MARCH 19 1945
Family Members
Siblings
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