F/O Frederick A. Lethbridge - USAAF - Sicily - 1944

[Leendert]

Family headstone for F/O Fred(erick) A. Lethbridge (ASN 31042081, as F/O T-060430) says he died on Sicily in 1944.
WWII memorial has DNB as cause of death.

NARA Record Group 92 (missing air crew) has a card with his name, but with addition "No MACR" (filed).
He may have been a glider or transport pilot.

Any lead to his actual date of death and/or circumstances is greatly appreciated, thanks.

Regards,
Leendert

[Alex Smart]

Middle name was Arthur.
F/O. Frederick Arthur Lethbridge.

[RSwank]

He was a glider pilot. His name shows up on this site (search for Lethbridge):

https://www.ww2gp.org/personnel/


More Info Here: https://www.ww2gp.org/roh/timeline_r...etveteran=4806


Above link says Flight Officer Fred Lethbridge was killed just before the invasion of Sicily (in Tunisia) in a training accident.

Something odd then about the death date (1944) as Sicily was invaded in July, 1943.

Update

I found a Rhode Island newspaper article from April 27, 1944. The headline is

"Seekonk Flier, 28, Is Dead In Sicily"
"Army Withholds Details From Wife, Family of"
"Fred A Lethbridge"

Article goes on to say he died February 12 but the War Department gave no details.
The last letter from Lethbridge told his parents he had been hospitalized with some
other officers for medical treatment but was out of the hospital.

[Alex Smart]

Explains why perhaps the reason that information was withheld.
Several of the aircraft and gliders were shot down by Allied Naval gunfire.

Date of invasion of Sicily was 9th July 1943.
The 1944 date may well have been the year and a day date for finding of death ?

[RSwank]

A year and a day after the invasion would have been sometime in July, 1944.

I think it is more likely he was killed on February 12, 1944 in a training accident in Sicily. (Troop carrier units were based in Sicily at that time).

This is his wife's (family) grave marker in Springvale Cemetery and contains a "memorial" mention of him. Note she also died in 1944.

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/...k-a-lethbridge


I did find a 1948 newspaper article about Fred A Lethbridge. He WAS also buried in Springvale Cemetery in 1948, so he may be near his wife.
(This is the timeframe when the bodies of US servicemen were being returned from overseas.)

Fred's mother and father are also in Springvale.

[Alex Smart]

Of the 6 US CG-4 Gliders lost on the 9th July,43 they all have MACR's.
Two however show that the pilot's name was unknown.
So if we accept that the pilot's were British then it dismisses these losses. As it is reported that 30 US pilot's volunteered to be Co-pilots.
But what if the pilot's were US airmen, one may have been Lethbridge ?

[Alex Smart]

Of note also when he enlisted in 1941, his status was given as single.
But when he died he was married, his wife's death is given as 1944.

[Leendert]

Thanks for all info. Date of death given. Unfortunately his unit is not known to see if any further details can emerge.
My estimate: injured at some point or a disease that eventually became fatal.....

Regards,
Leendert

[RSwank]

Leendert,

The Glider Pilots Website lists these for his units:

45 TCS (T3) /316 TCG
12 TCS /60 TCG

I assume the 12th TCS, 60th TCG was his unit at the time of death. They also suggest contacting the "Leon B Spencer Research Team" for more information. I will go ahead and do that and see if anything else can be found. The glider pilots website has a way to sort losses in order of death. Lethbridge does show up (but they don't have an actual death date). They don't show any deaths for February 12, 1944.