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Paul Bellamy
6/23/2009 1:53:33 PM | I found the graves of two individuals from the 861st Chemical Company, one of the base supposrt units, in Madingley Cemetery recently.
Their entries on the ABMC Database are as follows:
Cecil D. Hurb
Private First Class, U.S. Army
Service # 34408202
861st Chemical Company
Entered the Service from: Florida
Died: 23-Jun-44
Buried at: Plot C Row 2 Grave 75
John W. McVean
Staff Sergeant, U.S. Army
Service # 37295572
861st Chemical Company
Entered the Service from: Minnesota
Died: 28-Jan-45
Buried at: Plot F Row 2 Grave 19
Other than January 28th 1945 being the date of the 401st's 200th mission I can't find any records of anything out of the ordinary occuring at Deenethorpe on those dates, does anyone know what happened to these men?
All the best,
Paul
Paul Bellamy
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Phoenix
6/23/2009 2:36:35 PM | Can't help you much there Paul, maybe road traffic accidents in the snowy conditions at the time or something similar? Don't help with June though, certainly won't be heat exhaustion, not in England anyway :twisted:
So while you are on can you explain what the heck the support units did? I get MP's, weather, chemical and so on but what on earth is a sub-depot, a service squadron and station compliment blows me away :shock: The organisation of a Royal Air Force station is so easy but then I was brainwashed for 26 years :evil:
450th Sub Depot
78th Station Complement
379th Service Squadron
861st Chemical Company
1597th Ordnance Supply and Maintenance Company
1199th Military Police Company
1209th Quartermaster Service Group
2966th Finance Detachment
860th Chemical Company
18th Weather Detachment
Tally Ho
Dale
improvise, adapt, overcome
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Paul Bellamy
6/23/2009 3:08:03 PM | The Sub Depot was the main base engineering facility on a heavy bomber station.
Part of 8AF Service Command, they did the overhauls and repair work that were too big for the individual squadron line ground crews to handle.
The Station Complement Squadron dealt with the day-to-day running of the base, from manning the control tower to changing lightbulbs. They would work with the Air Ministry Works Dept chaps on base maintainence.
The 18th Weather Squadron had a detachment at all 8AF airbases, and ran the Met Section in the control tower.
Chemical Companies dealt with both non-explosive ordnance (i.e. filling incendiary and smoke marker bombs from liquid bulk) and base gas defence in case of attack.
The Chem Coy worked alongside the Ordnance Supply and Maint Coy, which had two sections:
Ordnance dealt with the bombs and bullets and supplied them to the squadron ordnance crews.
Armament dealt with, well, the armament, in a similar fashion to the above.
The Quartermaster Service Group ran the non-aviation stores, issuing to the Station Complement Sqn, mess halls etc.
The MP, Medical, Postal and Finance units are self-explaintory, as is the Fire Fighting Platoon.
However, in 1945 almost all of these support units were amalgamated into the Air Service Group, which was split into the Engineering Squadron and Materiel Squadron, to bring them in line with the rest of the US Army organisational scheme.
Hope that helps a bit.
All the best,
Paul.
Paul Bellamy
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Phoenix
6/24/2009 12:39:33 AM | Paul,
That helps no end, so many numbers, so complicated, I guess in 1945 somone thought the same thing. I still say the RAF is a lot simpler 😂
Tally Ho
Dale
improvise, adapt, overcome
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Paul Bellamy
5/14/2011 11:37:07 AM | As with most things, the answers can be found when you look hard enough.
Cecil D. Hurb
Private First Class, U.S. Army
Service # 34408202
861st Chemical Company
Entered the Service from: Florida
Died: 23-Jun-44
Buried at: Madingley Cemetery, Cambridge, Plot C Row 2 Grave 75
861st Chemical Company, Air Operations, Detachment "A". AAF Station 109 (Podington)
Unit History, April 1942 to November 1944:
In an accident while on pass, Pfc. Cecil D. Hurb was fatally injured by a low flying airplane.
John W. McVean
Staff Sergeant, U.S. Army
Service # 37295572
861st Chemical Company
Entered the Service from: Minnesota
Died: 28-Jan-45
Buried at: Madingley Cemetery, Cambridge, Plot F Row 2 Grave 19
HQ 861st Chemical Company, Air Operations. AAF Station 128
Unit History, January 1945:
S/Sgt. John W McVean, ASN 37295572 (821)*, accidentally killed while on authorized furlough, in street accident, Sheffield, England, 28 January 1945.
Line of Duty Non-battle casualty.
* MOS 821: Supply NCO - Quartermaster Supply Technician
PB
Paul Bellamy
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Paul Bellamy
6/24/2011 3:20:19 PM | Headstone photos added to above post, following a visit to Madingley today.
Paul
Paul Bellamy
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David W McVean
2/18/2012 11:28:59 AM | Morning Paul,
David W McVean in Duluth Minnesota.
My dad John W McVean is the person you mentioned in your post and part of the 401 or 861 Chem. He was born here in Duluth MN in 1916 and died Jan 1945 in London.
I visited his grave for the first time 4 years ago and I am near 70 now. He died when I was about 1 1/2 years old.
John my dad died while on furlough from Deenethorpe celebrating their 200th sucessful flight with out any loses.
He died while running for shelter during a buzz bomb attack on London. He was hit by a trolley in the fog.
Stranger yet I got a phone call from my dads buddy that was with him having a beer with friends when dad died in England. This was about 10 years ago and I beleive Lester Gilbert Gilbertson died a year later. Lester also lived in Duluth Dads Pal's name Lester Gilbertson went through boot camp at Fort Snelling MN. and Merced in Calf. when I was born. I only met with Lester once. While visiting we shared a beer at his apartment and he showed me a bunch of old pictures of them and some of the other boys on base.
He held my dad while he lied dying. Then he proceeded to tell me that he had something on his chest and wanted to call me many years before but felt his message would not be well received. My dad pushed a female friend that they had been drinking with out of the way of the Trolley that hit him. Jim also told me what I already knew that my dad had gotten the famous Dear John letter from his mother that my mother was unfaithful to him. So infact he may not have been celibrating at all, but rather crying in his beer. I was about one at the time.
My dad was buried temp. in the Cambridge cemetery and then his body was moved to the spot where his cross is now.
So needless to say my mother and my dads mother because she knew the situation had a major fight and never spoke again. I never knew my grandparents and the first time we met was when I went to her funural in 1982 and met cousins for the first time that told me grandpa died of a broken heart a year after my did John died. Hugh was my dads father and John was an only son, I am an only grandson so I can imagine a man dying of a broken heart under those circumstances. Since then I have done a ton of genealogy on our surname and been to the old croft in Scotland built in the Highlands 1850.
Cheers and God Bless David McVean dwmcvean@q.com
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donaldbyers
2/18/2012 6:00:31 PM | Heroes aren't just those in the air, I know you are proud of him.
Sgt. Donald C. Byers, 613th Bomb Squadron, Togglier, 42-97344 Carrie B II, KIA 08/24/1944.
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David W McVean
4/2/2012 7:39:55 PM | FYI 4-2-12 My dad John W McVean mentioned below. His buddy in the military when he died is Lester Gilbertson, both stationed at Deenthorpe in the 861st Chem. Lester died soon after my visit with him and I lost contact until today when I found his surviving brother. He mention that a niece may have gotten all Lester's military pictures.I called her in TX and she will send me some letters and pictures of the sqaud form 1944. I will forward to whom ever you want me to post. Cheers David McVean dwmcvean@q.com "David W McVean":
Morning Paul,
David W McVean in Duluth Minnesota.
My dad John W McVean is the person you mentioned in your post and part of the 401 or 861 Chem. He was born here in Duluth MN in 1916 and died Jan 1945 in London.
I visited his grave for the first time 4 years ago and I am near 70 now. He died when I was about 1 1/2 years old.
John my dad died while on furlough from Deenethorpe celebrating their 200th sucessful flight with out any loses.
He died while running for shelter during a buzz bomb attack on London. He was hit by a trolley in the fog.
Stranger yet I got a phone call from my dads buddy that was with him having a beer with friends when dad died in England. This was about 10 years ago and I beleive Lester Gilbert Gilbertson died a year later. Lester also lived in Duluth Dads Pal's name Lester Gilbertson went through boot camp at Fort Snelling MN. and Merced in Calf. when I was born. I only met with Lester once. While visiting we shared a beer at his apartment and he showed me a bunch of old pictures of them and some of the other boys on base.
He held my dad while he lied dying. Then he proceeded to tell me that he had something on his chest and wanted to call me many years before but felt his message would not be well received. My dad pushed a female friend that they had been drinking with out of the way of the Trolley that hit him. Jim also told me what I already knew that my dad had gotten the famous Dear John letter from his mother that my mother was unfaithful to him. So infact he may not have been celibrating at all, but rather crying in his beer. I was about one at the time.
My dad was buried temp. in the Cambridge cemetery and then his body was moved to the spot where his cross is now.
So needless to say my mother and my dads mother because she knew the situation had a major fight and never spoke again. I never knew my grandparents and the first time we met was when I went to her funural in 1982 and met cousins for the first time that told me grandpa died of a broken heart a year after my did John died. Hugh was my dads father and John was an only son, I am an only grandson so I can imagine a man dying of a broken heart under those circumstances. Since then I have done a ton of genealogy on our surname and been to the old croft in Scotland built in the Highlands 1850.
Cheers and God Bless David McVean dwmcvean@q.com
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donaldbyers
4/2/2012 8:55:27 PM | David,
You would send them to me the Group Historian. Will give you my address through PM.
Don Byers
Sgt. Donald C. Byers, 613th Bomb Squadron, Togglier, 42-97344 Carrie B II, KIA 08/24/1944.
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Paul Bellamy
7/27/2013 7:35:05 PM | Personnel Roster of the Headquarters Unit, 861st Chemical Company (Air Operations), Station 128 for December 1944
The names of both John W McVean and Lester Gilbertson can be found, along with their MOS codes:
MOS 821: Quartermaster Supply Technician
MOS 786: Toxic Gas Handler
Paul Bellamy
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Paul Bellamy
7/28/2013 6:31:18 AM | The company in May 1944:
(NARA 65602AC)
Paul Bellamy
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