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Consairways Eagles of the Pacific 1944 |
Pilot Captain Hugh W. Prince (KIA, BR) Harnett County, NC Co-Pilot Frederick F. Gundrum Jr. (KIA, BR) CA Engineer Willard L. Churchill (KIA, BR) Scranton, PA Navigator RM1C Eddie B. Hult, USN (KIA, BR) Great Falls, MT Radio Jack "Arthur" Strumph (KIA, BR) NY Clerk Pfc William A. Staley, 13170733 (KIA, BR) Pittsburgh, PA Passenger Air Commodore Isaac John Fitch, RAF, 22162 (KIA, BR) Bedfordshire, UK Passenger Lt. Col. John C. Pearson, 44527 Royal Artillery, 127 Lt. A.A. Regt. (KIA, BR) Surrey, UK Passenger Major Ronald R. Barton-Tales, 155697 British Army, Royal Corps of Signals (KIA, BR) Passenger Lt. Col. Paul H. Berkowitz, O-19375 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (KIA, BR) PA Passenger Lt. Col. Euliss L. Duggan O-363515 USAAF (KIA, BR) TN Passenger Col. Charles P. Burnett, Jr., O-306508 General Staff Corps (KIA, BR) Seattle, WA Passenger 1st Lt. Stephen J. Maliszewski, O-1294336 (KIA, BR) NJ Passenger 2nd Lt. William P. Foil, O-521735 (KIA, BR) LA Passenger Capt. Herbert R. Gore, O-510365 (KIA, BR) Passenger Capt. John S. Ingraham, O-916676 1551 AAF Base Unit USAAF (KIA, BR) WA Passenger Maj. Morton L. Talley Jr., O-336771 (KIA, BR) Crashed July 26, 1944 MACR 16543 Aircraft History Built by Consolidated Aircraft Corporation at Fort Worth, Texas. Constructors Number 202. Delivered to the U.S. Army Air Force (USAAF) C-87-CF Liberator Express serial number 41-11706. Wartime History Assigned to Consolidated Airways Corporation (Consairways). Departed Fairfield-Suisun Airfield on a flight transporting passengers and cargo across via Hickam Field then across the Pacific bound for Amberly Field in Australia. Mission History On July 26, 1944 at 11:00am took off from Tarawa Airfield (Hawkins Field) piloted by Captain Hugh W. Prince on a flight bound for Henderson Field on Guadlacanal. Aboard were five civilian flight crew plus twenty-one passengers including Americans and British personnel. The weather was clear. Over Malaita Island, this C-87 was tracked by radar until 10:35pm then was not seen again. When this aircraft failed to arrive, it was officially declared Missing In Action (MIA). Search On July 27, 1944 three Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) flyingboats from 6 Squadron PBY-5 Catalina NZ4014, PBY-5 Catalina NZ4015 and PBY-5 Catalina NZ401? took off from Halavo Bay Seaplane Base on a search mission for this missing plane. The three Catalinas searched San Cristobal, Santa Isabel and Malaita Island without result. While returning, they spotted a burned area of jungle on a hilltop on Florida Island and a search party was orgnaized. Wreckage This C-87 crashed into a jungle covered hilltop roughly 200' from the top of a ridge to the north of north of Gaeta village on Florida Island. On July 28, 1944 a search party departed aboard RNZAF Catalina NZ4014 piloted by Flt. Lt. Butcher flew a rescue party to the nearest location to the crash site. The party included the Consairway station manager from Guadlacanal Dick Wood and Consairway Representative Ed Jones. Interviewing locals, they reported hearing a plane, seeing the landing lights and then heard a crash and guided the party to the crash site. A photograph was taken of the right tail with "111706" confirming the identity of this aircraft. Recovery of Remains At the crash site, Dick Wood recovered a briefcase marked “Top Secret” and turned it into the U.S. headquarters on Guadlacanal. He was twice interrogated to determine if he opened it or saw any of the contents, he had not. The briefcase contained war plans from U.S. President Roosevelt to be delivered to General Douglas MacArthur. Likely, the briefcase was carried by Col. Charles P. Burnett, Jr. who was assigned to the U.S. Army General Staff Corps. Recovery of Remains On July 28, 1944 the day the crash site was located the remains of the crew and passengers were recovered and transported to Guadalcanal. On August 13, 1944 the crew and passengers were bured at the American Cemetery Guadalcanal with British officers Fitch and Pearson buried in the New Zealand section. Postwar, these graves were exhumed and transported to New Caledonia, Hawaii and United States for permenant burial. Memorials The entire crew and all passengers were officially declared dead on July 26, 1944. Fitch, Ingraham and Strumph were officially declared dead on July 25, 1944 in error. Four were buried at National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (Punchbowl). Gundrum and Barton-Tates are buried in a group burial at section Q, site 1335. Strumph at section P, site 836. Ingraham at section C, site 860. Fitch and Pearson are buried at Bourail War Cemetery. Fitch at 8, 1. Pearson at 6, 9. Gundrum also has a grave or memorial marker at Cottonwood Cemetery in Winters, CA. Staley is buried on March 10, 1948 at Saint Mary's Cemetery in Pittsburgh, PA. Berkowitz is buried at the United States Military Academy Post Cemetery in West Point, NY. Duggan is buried at Chattanooga National Cemetery at plot U, 1C-WS. Foil is buried at Fisher United Methodist Church Cemetery in Franklinton, LA. Gore is buried at Mount Carmel Cemetery in Glendale, NY at section 1 block F path 13 lot 463 / N 1/4 462 grave 5. References USAF Serial Number Search Results - C-87-CF Liberator Express 41-11706 "11706 (MSN 202) W/o 25 Jul 1944 at Florida Is, Solomons" Missing Air Crew Report 16543 (MACR 16543) created retroactively circa 1945-1946 for Memorial Division FindAGrave - CPT Hugh Williamson Prince, Jr (grave photos) FindAGrave - Frederick F. Gundrum, Jr (group burial photo) FindAGrave - Frederick F. Gundrum, Jr (grave photo) FindAGrave - Willard Lloyd Churchill (grave) date of death listed as July 25, 1944 [sic July 26, 1944] FindAGrave - Edward Blackstone Hult (grave photo) FindAGrave - Jack Strumph (grave photos) date of death listed as July 25, 1944 [sic July 26, 1944] FindAGrave - Corp William Albert Staley (grave photo) rank listed as Corporal FindAGrave - Isaac John Fitch (Bourail New Zealand War Cemetery) CWGC - Isaac John Fitch date of death listed as July 25, 1944 FindAGrave - John Cyrus Pearson (Bourail New Zealand War Cemetery) CWGC - John C. Pearson FindAGrave - MAJ Ronald Barton-Tales (photo, grave photo) CWGC - Ronald R. Barton-Tales FindAGrave - LTC Paul H. Berkowitz (grave photo) FIndAGrave - Euliss L Duggan (grave photo) FindAGrave - Col Charles P Burnett, Jr. (grave photos) FindAGrave - Stephen J. Maliszewski FindAGrave - LT William P. Foil FindAGrave - Herbert R Gore FindAGrave - CPT John S Ingraham (grave photo) date of death listed as July 25, 1944 [sic July 26, 1944] FindAGrave - MAJ Morton L Talley, Jr (grave photo) Eagles of the Pacific: Consairways, memoirs of an air transport service during World War II (1980) by Edwin L. Spight and Jeanne L. Spight pages 148, 164-166 ArchaeHistoria "Site FLOR5. Aircraft – “TOP SECRET CARGO” :- Consairway C-87 Liberator Express, 41-11706." Thanks to Ewan Stevenson for additional information Contribute Information Are you a relative or associated with any person mentioned? Do you have photos or additional information to add? Last Updated
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