Townsend Griffiss
Military ROLL OF HONOUR
Shared with the American Air Museum by Townsend Griffiss's great nephew, Rear Admiral Townsend Griffiss Alexander, US Navy (Retired).
Object Number - UPL 34359 - Lieutenant Colonel Townsend Griffiss, aide to Major General James E Chaney.
Lieutenant Colonel Townsend Griffiss, aide to Major General James E Chaney, was killed when the aircraft in which he was a passenger was mistakenly shot down. He was the first US airman to die in the line of duty in Europe after the USA entered the war. Griffiss is commemorated on the Tablets of the Missing at Cambridge American Cemetery.
The 8th Air Force base at Bushy Park was named Camp Griffiss in his honor.
Read a BBC article about Griffiss' life here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-17011105
Connections
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Units served with
- Unit Hierarchy: Headquarters
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Combat organisation
Places
- Site type: Military site
- Known as: Bushy Park; Kew Gardens; Teddington; Widewing
Events
| Event | Location | Date | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Born |
Buffalo, NY, USA | 4 April 1900 | |
|
Died |
15 February 1942 | Shot down over the Channel | |
| Coronado, CA, USA |
Revisions
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / Losses of the 8th & 9th AFs Vol 1 p. 492 by Bishop and Hey, web site of AF chronology
