Richard Bailey
Military | Second Lieutenant | Pilot | 388th Bomb Group
Retired from the USAF with the rank of Major
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Laurence Marshall Bairstow
Military
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A bomber crew of the 388th Bomb Group with their B-17 Flying Fortress (serial number 42-30207) nicknamed "Big Red.' Handwritten caption on reverse: 'Bailey Crew.' Richard H. Bailey Crew 388th BG - 561st BS Standing Left to Right: George Bartuska (B), Richard H. Bailey (P), William L. Tobin (CP), Laurence M. Bairstow (N) Kneeling Left to Right: Ned Transou (R/O), John J. Thompson (FE), Donald E. Marble (WG), Ralph Higgins (TG), Edward L. Gwinnell (WG), Roy L. Graziani (BTG)
Also served in Korea and Vietnam. Retired from the USAF with the rank of Colonel.
Service
People
Units served with
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388th Bomb Group
Group
The 388th Bomb Group flew strategic bombing mission from Knettishall, Suffolk from June 1943 to the end of the war. During this time, though, detachments were sent to Fersfield, Norfolk to conduct Aphrodite missions. In these Aphrodite missions veteran... -
561st Bomb Squadron
Squadron
Aircraft
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42-30207 Big Red
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Cheyenne 29/4/43; Sioux City 11/5/43; Smoky Hill 9/6/43; Dow Fd 12/6/43; Assigned 561BS/388BG [ -T] Knettishall 14/6/43; Missing in Action Bordeaux 27/3/44 with Julius Lederman, Co-pilot: Waite Law, Bombardier: John Luzell (3 Prisoner of War)... -
42-30421
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Cheyenne 29/5/43; Kearney 14/6/43; Dow Fd 29/6/43; Assigned 561BS/388BG Knettishall 5/7/43; Missing in Action Emden 2/10/43 with Joe Felece, Co-pilot: Don Wilson, Navigator: Joe Sullivan, Bombardier: Joe Kendall, Flight engineer/top turret... -
42-3548 Little Willie
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Denver 28/7/43; Scott 9/8/43; Assigned 563BS/385BG [ -X] Gt Ashfield 25/8/43; Missing in Action Brunswick 23/3/44 with Dick Davis, Navigator: Leroy Coy (2 Killed in Action); Co-pilot: John Cooper, Bombardier: Ed Barwikowski, Flight engineer...
Associated Place
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Knettishall
Military site : airfield
Knettishall was built to Class A standard for an American Bomb Group that would be bringing up to forty heavy bombers with them in three or four Squadrons. The 388th Bomb Group, which stayed at Knettishall for their entire service in the ETO, flew B-17...
Events
| Event | Location | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Born | Saylesville, Lincoln, RI 02865, USA | 25 December 1917 |
| Lived in | Middlesex County, MA, USA | 1941 |
| Enlisted | Boston, MA, USA | 20 March 1941 |
| 388th BG Combat Tour | Knettishall, Diss IP22 2TH, UK | 17 July 1943 – 5 January 1944 |
| Died | Colonial Beach, VA 22443, USA | 5 May 2007 |
| Buried | 22 June 2007 | |
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Arlington National Cemetery • Arlington, Arlington County, Virginia, USA |
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Revisions
| Date | Contributor | Update |
|---|---|---|
| 10 December 2017 22:22:07 | 466thHistorian | Changes to events |
| Sources | ||
http://www.ww2enlistment.org/index.php?page=directory&rec=2159513 |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 10 December 2017 22:19:06 | 466thHistorian | Changes to nickname, service number, biography, awards, events, place associations and aircraft associations |
| Sources | ||
http://www.388bg.info/servlet/Controller?pageType=detail&id=388-I-BAI04-... |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 27 September 2014 18:18:08 | AAM | AAM ingest |
| Sources | ||
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / www.388bg.info/Personnel.html |
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