This photo is of 1Lt. Chester Wade Lawrence, date unknown but possibly the summer of 1943, he received his commission and wings in February 1943 at Marianna AAF. These P-47's are from a training squadron possibly at Greenville, SC. Below is a chronology of Chet Lawrence's life.
Home town Leicester, Massachusetts. Leicester High School Class of 1940.
Enlisted October 24, 1940 in Worcester, MA., Quartermaster Corps for Alaska duty, later accepted as an Aviation Cadet.
NOTE: Some dates I found confict such as graduating from basic training January 1943 and then graduating advanced training February 1943. His obituary stated he received his commission and wings in February 1943.
Primary training possibly at Thompson-Robbins Field, Helena, AR.
Basic flight training at Gunter Field, Montgomery, AL.
Advanced flight training at Marianna AAF, Marianna, FL.
Was in training squadron depicted in this photo.
Assigned to 359FS, 356FG, 67FW, 8AF
Killed January 18, 1945, age 24, MACR 11867
P-51D-20-NA, USAAF s/n 44-63268, "Little Mary"
Crashed in North Sea 20 miles SE of Clacton-on-Sea, England while returning alone from Airfield A-70, Laon, France. Weather 200 foot overcast with tops at 5,000 feet, wind SW at 35mph.
Last radio contact at 1415 hours with 67th Fighter Wing controller 20 miles SE of Clacton-on-Sea. No wreckage or body found.
Cambridge American Cemetery and Memorial, Tablets of the Missing or Buried at Sea.
Patrick
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