| Birth: |
Nov. 4, 1917
Timpson
Shelby County
Texas, USA |
| Death: |
May 9, 1942
Charters Towers
Queensland, Australia |
Silvanus "Sil" Winfrey, Jr., b. 1917, d. 1942.
Military Inscription:
CITATION OF HONOR
UNITED STATES ARMY AIR FORCES
Staff Sergeant Sil Winfrey, Jr.
May 9, 1942
HE LIVED TO BEAR HIS COUNTRY'S ARM, HE DIED TO SAVE ITS HONOR. HE WAS A SOLDIER ... AND HE KNEW A SOLDIER'S DUTY. HIS SACRIFICE WILL HELP TO KEEP AGLOW THE FLAMING TORCH THAT LIGHTS OUR LIVES... THAT MILLIONS YET UNBORN MAY KNOW THE PRICELESS JOY OF LIBERTY. AND WE WHO PAY HIM HOMAGE, AND REVERE HIS MEMORY, IN SOLEMN PRIDE REDEDICATE OURSELVES TO A COMPLETE FULFILLMENT OF THE TASK FOR WHICH HE SO GALLANTLY HAS PLACED HIS LIFE UPON THE ALTAR OF MAN'S FREEDOM.
H. H. Arnold (Henry H. Arnold)
General U.S. Army
Commanding General Army Air Forces
Note: Killed in crash of B-25 Mitchell of 13th Squadron, 3rd Bomb Group on take-off from Charters Towers Airfield, Charters Towers, Queensland, Australia. five men on board included 2nd Lt. John E. Albaugh, pilot; 2nd Lt. Edwin C. Townsend, Co-pilot; S/Sgt. Sil Winfrey, passenger; Sgt. Bernard Komm, A.F.C.E. Maintenance; Cpl. Joseph Wavard Myers, Passenger. Two enlisted men escaped death by clambering out of the burning wreckage when the tail section of the aircraft broke off.
The aircraft crashed at the end of the runway. The theorgy at the time was that the accident had happened because the pilot had attempted to takeoff with the B-25's autopilot engaged. 2nd Lt. Townsend was badly burned and died a few days later on 12 May 1942. Apparantly his screams of agaony could be heard all over the area until he died.
Information located on the internet indicates initial burial was at Charter Towers, then relocated to Townsville U.S. Cemetery. Apparantly, the body was later exhumed and shipped home for burial at Woodlawn Cemetery in Timpson, evidenced by existence of a foot stone along with memorial marker.
Woodlawn Cemetery; Timpson, Shelby County, Texas.
Photo made March 19, 2010.
See image data for embedded GPS latitude/longitude coordinates. It may be necessary to convert degree-minute-second to decimal format for use on Google Earth, etc.
Family links:
Parents:
Silvanus Winfrey (1891 - 1983)
Mary Evelyn Harris Winfrey (1893 - 1957)
Siblings:
Marjorie Katherine Winfrey (1913 - 1916)*
Silvanus Winfrey (1917 - 1942)
Mary Jo Winfrey (1921 - 1928)*
*Calculated relationship
Inscription:
CITATION OF HONOR
UNITED STATES ARMY AIR FORCES
Staff Sergeant Sil Winfrey, Jr.
May 9, 1942
HE LIVED TO BEAR HIS COUNTRY'S ARM, HE DIED TO SAVE ITS HONOR. HE WAS A SOLDIER ... AND HE KNEW A SOLDIER'S DUTY. HIS SACRIFICE WILL HELP TO KEEP AGLOW THE FLAMING TORCH THAT LIGHTS OUR LIVES... THAT MILLIONS YET UNBORN MAY KNOW THE PRICELESS JOY OF LIBERTY. AND WE WHO PAY HIM HOMAGE, AND REVERE HIS MEMORY, IN SOLEMN PRIDE REDEDICATE OURSELVES TO A COMPLETE FULFILLMENT OF THE TASK FOR WHICH HE SO GALLANTLY HAS PLACED HIS LIFE UPON THE ALTAR OF MAN'S FREEDOM.
H. H. Arnold (Henry H. Arnold)
General U.S. Army
Commanding General Army Air Forces
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Burial:
Woodlawn Cemetery
Timpson
Shelby County
Texas, USA |
Maintained by: J Winfrey
Originally Created by: Danny Grizzle
Record added: Mar 21, 2010
Find A Grave Memorial# 50024424 |
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