S/Sgt G.A. Stidham, USAAF

[RSwank]

Mike, very interesting.
There is a Scott A Stidham listed with the Workman Crew of the 94th on this list of bombardiers (search for Stidham).

http://freepages.military.rootsweb.a...er/c_names.htm

The problem with the list is that when I check on fold3.com, Stidham is not listed on the crew when the plane was lost on 29 May 43. What might have happened is that Stidham was on that crew originally and was KIA or DNB on an earlier mission (maybe on 4 May). He may have been killed in action or may have died from a failure of the O2 system, something like that. Whatever happened the plane returned on that mission (hence no MACR) and Stidham was replaced. That's my working hypothesis at this point.....

Another odd thing, there are two names on the Workman crew on the list above that were not on the plane 29 May 43 when it went down, Stidham and Garland L Strang.
Garland L Strang was from Maine and he is listed as DNB on the Maine casualty lists.
Strang's family was notified of his death in Europe sometime around the middle of May, 1943.
http://www.mainegavemany.com/StrangG.html

[Ivo de Jong]

Rolland, Mike,
Thanks for your diligent search and comments!!
I do believe that we have the right man here, and the entry on the cover of the book is in error and should be 'S.A. Stidham'. Great detective work on your part!

Rolland: please note that the link you provided to the 'winged victory' site concerns the mission of April 5, 1943 and not the one of May 4, 1943 (it's the common confusion of 'what are you reading when you see 5/4/43'...... Europeans see April 5, 1943 and Americans May 4, 1943).
The May 4 mission was flown without loss to the 8th AF.

So, since Stidham is listed as 'DNB' it seems likely that he died as a cause of illness, an accident or suicide. If he had died on board of one of the B-17's or B-24's due to flak or fighter fire, or due to anoxia, he would not have been listed as DNB, I believe.
At this moment I don't have access to Hey and Bishop's books 'losses of the 8th and 9th Air Forces'. I recall that they do list the DNB's in an appendix. Does either of you have access to the volume concerned?

Again, thanks very much for your help!
Ivo de Jong

[Alex Smart]

Hello,
Don't know if you have seen it but in
"Losses of the 8th and 9th Air Forces" vols 1 & 2, by Bishop & Hey.

Page 499 vol 1
18th May 1943
Unknown 305BG,365BS
*Pvt Thomas R Halleran
Killed/Died on this date ? Buried Cambridge Plot F-7-87.
Unknown 94BG, 410BS
*S/Sgt Scott A Stidham *S/Sgt Garland L Strang
Killed/Died this date ? Both were buried in Brookwood Cemetery.
Later returned for final burial to Oregon and Maine respectively.

Page 485 vol 2
Additions and corrections vol1
499 18 May 1943
Pvt Thomas R Halleran, 305BG, 305BS, (typo for 365BS ?) was killed in a road traffic accident.

As Halleran was killed in a traffic accident is it not possible that this was also the fate of both Strang and Stidham ? Also B17 42-29819 of the 305BG transfered to the AFSC this date was salvaged this date so perhaps a fatal accident involving that B17 ?

P.S.
Re the Workman crew 42-29710 "Hell Below", 29th May 1943, this a/c was lost on the 94th's first Mission from Earls Colne, 2 KIA,8 POW.
MACR 15139
Crew
Workman; Downey; Petruzzi +; Carroll; Stevenson; Webster; Lowe; Ferentinos +; Koch; Muir.

All for now
Alex

[Alex Smart]

Hello,

From the armyairforces.com website.

Marc Benson of Wisconsin reports that-

"S/Sgt. Stidham and fellow crewmate S/Sgt. Garland L. Strang were both killed when they wandered into a minefield. I think it was at the Snettisham Gunnery range."

All for now
Alex