notinfringed Posted March 30, 2019 Share #1 Posted March 30, 2019 I came across these pictures in an album, and I am trying to figure out as much about the event as I can. There were no markings on any of the photos. I was able to zoom in on a headstone that is visible in one shot and come up with the name "Sgt Henry G Strasburg". With that name, I was able to track down that this is the Sitka cemetery, and The Sgt's grave is plot AA 9. The funeral in question appears to be one plot next to Mr. Strasburg's. I am guessing that it would be plot AA 10. If so, this is the funeral of Roy William Both of Illinois. A Google search for Illinois newspapers gave me a webpage with an article, but I can't read it without a membership. The snippet that they do show reads "Roy Both (class of 1933) was one of six people killed in an explosion of a B-24 over Alaska on Oct. 21, 1944". I haven't been able to find anything beyond that. I was hoping someone may have more information on the crash, or any thing I may have missed from the pictures. I am also second guessing myself as to whether I even have the right person. If there were a plane crash, why is there only one body being buried? Just some questions for the experts. Thanks for any help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
notinfringed Posted March 30, 2019 Author Share #2 Posted March 30, 2019 A few more shots. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
notinfringed Posted March 30, 2019 Author Share #3 Posted March 30, 2019 Lastly, the shot showing the other Headstone, and a close up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P-59A Posted March 30, 2019 Share #4 Posted March 30, 2019 Email: [email protected] Try these people Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stratasfan Posted March 30, 2019 Share #5 Posted March 30, 2019 Here's a bit of info, as he still seems to be buried there: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/29282867 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stratasfan Posted March 30, 2019 Share #6 Posted March 30, 2019 Seems like he was buried there in 1948. Maybe he was moved, and that is why only one burial at the time of your photographs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stratasfan Posted March 30, 2019 Share #7 Posted March 30, 2019 Here is the explanation of the single funeral: They didn't find his body for a month. Also, he was an aerial photographer. That is cool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stratasfan Posted March 30, 2019 Share #8 Posted March 30, 2019 Can't find the mention of Class of 1933, but if you figure out what school it was, maybe there will be a class picture with him in it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aznation Posted March 30, 2019 Share #9 Posted March 30, 2019 More about the crash => http://www.davidkusel.com/veteran/v-strathman.htm and http://davidkusel.com/temp19/puck/55.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
notinfringed Posted March 30, 2019 Author Share #10 Posted March 30, 2019 More about the crash => http://www.davidkusel.com/veteran/v-strathman.htm and http://davidkusel.com/temp19/puck/55.htm This is interesting, but I wonder if it is the same crash. This article says that the other crew survived. I wonder if they were just wrong about that, or if these were actually separate incidents. I also find it curious that Mr. Strathman was interred in the Anchorage cemetery, and the vet I am looking for was interred in Sitka. Mt Iliamna is west of Anchorage, so it would be somewhat odd for them to transport Mr. Both's body all the way to Sitka. I am guessing these are two different crashes. It is possible the article I saw mixed the date up with this crash. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
notinfringed Posted March 30, 2019 Author Share #11 Posted March 30, 2019 Email: [email protected] Try these people I have tried emailing them on several occasions, and I have never gotten a response. I don't know if my email is just being screened out by a spam filter or what. I may give it another shot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
notinfringed Posted March 30, 2019 Author Share #12 Posted March 30, 2019 Seems like he was buried there in 1948. Maybe he was moved, and that is why only one burial at the time of your photographs. Thanks for the help. Do you have an account with any of these websites? I couldn't even pull up the info you got from "Find a grave". I wonder if the 1948 date was simply when the choice was made by the family to not send the body elsewhere? The inside of the album states that the vet was stationed in Alaska in 1944 and 1945, so the funeral was before 48 for sure. I am, however, not entirely sure that I have the right person. Mr. Both only makes sense if the plot in the picture is actually AA 9. Your info about him being interred in 48 makes me wonder if they didn't re-organize the cemetery after the war. If that is the case, I may have the wrong man entirely. It may be time for me to contact the cemetery. Thanks for your help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aznation Posted March 30, 2019 Share #13 Posted March 30, 2019 Yes, it is interesting. stratasfan's post of the article from Boston Harbor October 11, 1944 states that Tech Sgt Roy Both's body was the last to be recovered after a crash there Sept 3. That's what led me to the links I posted. Of note though is the fact that I don't see Both's name in either of the links I posted which is unfortunate. However, in the first link I provided it says in there, "Six of the twelve men in the plane managed to parachute to safety. The bodies of three officers and two enlisted men were located, with one still missing." I'm thinking it's possible that the one still missing was Roy Both, whose body was recovered later, but I'm not 100% certain. More information will be necessary to unravel this mystery. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aznation Posted March 30, 2019 Share #14 Posted March 30, 2019 If someone has a paid subscription to Newspapers.com, there's an article in there about the September 3rd crash. I could only get the OCR'd portion of the text which didn't come in too good but here it is. You can kind of make out some of it. https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/123028404/ Publication: Wilkes-Barre Times Leader, The Evening News Location: Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania Issue Date: Friday, October 20, 1944 Page: Page 39 October Jo 4V-Si i t twelve men on bomber which imploded over th AUk wilder-i j hv retched affr.i t hundred and tltXj mil Uk. la making this announcement to- r, the War Department aid th c..)tr si died la the oploaiot. of th B it Liberator on September 3 hlle (he plane mi flying from the AlaskaA mainland l H .AbullO The survivors: First Lt William 3. Greco, photographer, Buffalo, N: Y ; Second U. Dobert D. Mom. cV-p. tot, Chicago; Suff Sergeant Oscar W. Windham, Butler. G.: SUM Ser. geant Martin Woof en. New York City; Sergeant Robert W. Smith. Ifsvtt, Ind.: Sergeant Uewellyn G. Thlel. Camden. N. J. Those killed. Second Lt Richard R Chapman.- navigator. St. Paul, Minn.: Second Lt. Robert Geatchs, pilot, Oklahoma City. Okla.. Second Lt James S. Lawrence, bombardier. Pacific Grove. CaUf: Technical Sergeant Roy W. Both. passenger. Chicago: Staff Sergeant Lyle C. Slraihman, radio operator, Manning. Iowa; Sergeant John A. Eubank, assistant engineer, Kennett. Mo. The bomber caught fire, apparently the result of a broken g01!" . lioaM,ent, out. of . control Q.W feet over a 10.000 foot peak. Mount Illiamna. The pilot dived the plane in an attempt to blow out the fire but was unsuccessful. The crew and the passenger donned their parachute, but the plane was in a spin so violent that some of the men could not reach escape hatches and those who did were thrown back into the Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lettow Posted March 30, 2019 Share #15 Posted March 30, 2019 The pictures are likely from a burial at Ft. Richardson AK in 1944 or 1945. Both and Strasburg were originally interred there and moved to Sitka in 1948. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
US82Bravo Posted March 30, 2019 Share #16 Posted March 30, 2019 document from fold3 Larry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
US82Bravo Posted March 30, 2019 Share #17 Posted March 30, 2019 Sitka Interment Card ... document from ancestry.. Larry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
US82Bravo Posted March 30, 2019 Share #18 Posted March 30, 2019 Additional info from fold3... Larry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
US82Bravo Posted March 30, 2019 Share #19 Posted March 30, 2019 Additional info from fold3... Larry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
US82Bravo Posted March 30, 2019 Share #20 Posted March 30, 2019 additional info from fold3... Larry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
US82Bravo Posted March 30, 2019 Share #21 Posted March 30, 2019 additional info from fold3... Larry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobgee Posted March 30, 2019 Share #22 Posted March 30, 2019 Great research! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P-59A Posted March 31, 2019 Share #23 Posted March 31, 2019 41-23970/24003 Consolidated B-24D-15-CO Liberator 23973 (MSN 768) exploded in midair Ne Of Ilimna, Alaska Sep 10, 1944 due to engine fire. MACR 15767 and 15626. 6 crew killed, 6 bailed out and were rescued. This is from Baugher's list. If you look at the documents posted you will find incorrect tail numbers posted like #43-3973, #43-23973. The correct tail number is #41-23973, The information on Baugher's list dove tails with the known information. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P-59A Posted March 31, 2019 Share #24 Posted March 31, 2019 440903 B-24D 41-23973 404BS 28CmG 11 KEX 5 Geatches, Robert (NMI) USA AK Iliamni/35mi ENE AAIR also has the same info. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P-59A Posted March 31, 2019 Share #25 Posted March 31, 2019 If someone has a paid subscription to Newspapers.com, there's an article in there about the September 3rd crash. I could only get the OCR'd portion of the text which didn't come in too good but here it is. You can kind of make out some of it. https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/123028404/ Publication: Wilkes-Barre Times Leader, The Evening News Location: Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania Issue Date: Friday, October 20, 1944 Page: Page 39 October Jo 4V-Si i t twelve men on bomber which imploded over th AUk wilder-i j hv retched affr.i t hundred and tltXj mil Uk. la making this announcement to- r, the War Department aid th c..)tr si died la the oploaiot. of th B it Liberator on September 3 hlle (he plane mi flying from the AlaskaA mainland l H .AbullO The survivors: First Lt William 3. Greco, photographer, Buffalo, N: Y ; Second U. Dobert D. Mom. cV-p. tot, Chicago; Suff Sergeant Oscar W. Windham, Butler. G.: SUM Ser. geant Martin Woof en. New York City; Sergeant Robert W. Smith. Ifsvtt, Ind.: Sergeant Uewellyn G. Thlel. Camden. N. J. Those killed. Second Lt Richard R Chapman.- navigator. St. Paul, Minn.: Second Lt. Robert Geatchs, pilot, Oklahoma City. Okla.. Second Lt James S. Lawrence, bombardier. Pacific Grove. CaUf: Technical Sergeant Roy W. Both. passenger. Chicago: Staff Sergeant Lyle C. Slraihman, radio operator, Manning. Iowa; Sergeant John A. Eubank, assistant engineer, Kennett. Mo. The bomber caught fire, apparently the result of a broken g01!" . lioaM,ent, out. of . control Q.W feet over a 10.000 foot peak. Mount Illiamna. The pilot dived the plane in an attempt to blow out the fire but was unsuccessful. The crew and the passenger donned their parachute, but the plane was in a spin so violent that some of the men could not reach escape hatches and those who did were thrown back into the This is the correct information. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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