RE: Gene E Pearson (4th record from bottom). Can anyone help me decipher this record for a USAAF soldier returning to the US from England? What does Happy Warriers mean? From putting previous pages together I'm thinking these were men sent back home after release from hospital (maybe). In brackets I've tried to find the localities of places mentioned. Is Gene Pearson likely ground crew? Is 158th/130th associated with a particular US air force group? Any information would be gratefully received Dennis New York Passenger Lists, 1820-1957 Heading: HAPPY WARRIERS 28 July 1945 A few pages earlier the entry is: Advanced Detachment 160th General Hospital (160 General Hospital Headquarters Stowell Park in Gloucestershire?) Reception Station No 7 (Ft. Sheridan, Illinois?) 158th Reinforcement Co, 130th Reinforcement Bn (AAF) [United States Army Air Forces] Sta 594 (AAF Station 594 located at Jefferson Hall, Yarnfield near Stone, Staffordshire, England?) T Sgt Gene E Pearson 17181686 311 SW Broad St, Des Moines, Iowa
I believe Gene Pearson served with the US Medical Corps. Full Name. Gene E Pearson Army Serial Number. 17181686 Enlistment Place. Cp Dodge Herrold Iowa Enlistment Date. 26 Jan 1944 Army Branch. Medical Administrative Corps - For Officers only Branch - Army Race Or Ethnicity White Residence. Polk County, Iowa Enlistment Term. Enlistment for the duration of the War or other emergency, plus six months, subject to the discretion of the President or otherwise according to law Source Of Army Personnel. Enlisted Reserve or Medical Administrative Corps (MAC) Officer Army Component. Reserves - exclusive of Regular Army Reserve and Officers of the Officers Reserve Corps on active duty under the Thomason Act (Officers and Enlisted Men -- O.R.C. and E.R.C., and Nurses-Reserve Status) Level Of Education 3 years of high school Marital Status Single, without dependents Birth Date 1926 Birth Place Iowa Regards, John
Good morning Dennis. "Any information would be gratefully received" Have had a dig for you via the wonders of modern technology on t'other side of the Atlantic, so standby; Incoming! First up "Happy Warriors". A very apt name for lists of US servicemen transiting back home to the states after the end of the war in europe. I don't think it has any more meaning than this. 158 Reinforcement Company, 130th Reinforcement Battalion, AAF Station 594 (Yarnfield, Staffordshire) would have been a posting for Technical Sergeant Gene E (Edward) Pearson when transiting home from the unit he served with, which was the 334th Bombardment Squadron of the 95th Bomb Group (See close up of Question 18 and both sides of application below) You can see AAF Station 594 Yarnfield here: Resource Details - Staffordshire Past Track Details of the unit that Gene served with are from his application for WW II Service Compensation that he completed back home in Iowa on 12th September 1949 (this application would have been thoroughly checked before it was granted, and any sum paid out). Gene's application clearly passed muster as he was paid out $287:50. Gene married an English girl in January '47, Phyllis Edith Bailey (a GI bride no less). He flew Phyllis out to get wed on a Pan American flight leaving London on 31st December '46, arriving in New York on January 4th '47 (Edith was carrying some dowry back then!) Stuff for you to go on there Dennis. And one last thing, note in January '47 Gene gives his occupation as "Machine Operator"; personally I think - given his Technical Sergeant rank - he likely worked as groundcrew in the engineering/repair shop with the 334th. Good luck with all your searching. Kind regards, always, Jim.
Dennis, Date of Gene's discharge/separation from service as listed on his War Service Compensation application matches the date that's a (later) hand written edition to his draft card. Kind regards, always, Jim.
Thanks, John, for the additional info. The next relies from Jim help fill the picture even more. Regards Dennis
Thank you so much Jim. Bye the way I'm from Australia so many oceans away. I haven't got access to US data, so your info is fantastic. I'm related to the hapless young GI bride Phyllis Edith Bailey who married Gene Edward Pearson in 1947 (thanks for the marriage details, great) but he divorced and married an American girl a year later. Poor Phyllis went home but visited Iowa again in 1949 but to no avail. She ended up back in England and lived alone in Cornwall somewhere. So now I have a much clearer picture of her US soldier husband thanks to you and John (above). Good on ya, Jim Regards Dennis
Hello Dennis, thank you for your kind words. I held off on the marriage side of things earlier (when I was posting yesterday). I saw on the 1950 census that Gene Pearson had a new wife (Elenore) and a daughter born in the July of 1950. Gene gives his occupation as an electrician, carrying out electrical repairs; and while people can admittedly re-train it just makes me think even more that any medical service connection for him in the USAAF is wide of the mark and just a result of poor understanding of service categories, and placement within, by genealogy companies who just trawl data from national archives and much of the time have no understanding of what they are capturing. Such a shame that things don't always work out as folks hope. Phyllis certainly tried. Kind regards, always, Jim. P.S. If you would like a copy (electronic) of that 1950 census sheet Dennis just say the word and I'll post it up for you. Cheers, Jim.
Jim. I've just discovered that the 95th Bombardment Group were based at Horham in Suffolk which is about 20 kilometres east of Botesdale where Phyllis's grandparents lived. So, a classic meeting of the young couple in an English pub I suspect; like in the movies. Dennis PS I've seen the 1950 US census with wife Elinore
If you want it straight from the horses mouth on the 95th there's a history of same available to download (pdf) in the page here: https://www.americanairmuseum.com/archive/unit/95th-bomb-group Just scroll down the page to the "Related videos and documents" tab, click on it and download this one (it's a large 90 odd mb download and has loads of contemporary photographs, the downside being that most of the servicemen within are unamed) Kind regards, always, Jim.
Here's a few examples of the content of the 95th history. Just five pages from the two hundred and sixty odd. Kind regards, always, Jim.
