William P Armstrong (1924 - 1945)

Born 30 Oct 1924 in Washington, District of Columbia, United States

Ancestors

Died 1 Apr 1945 at age 20 in Wels, Upper Austria, Austria

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Biography

FO William Armstrong was Killed in Action during World War II.

William Armstrong is a Military Veteran.
Served in the United States Army Air Force 301st Fighter Squadron 1944-1945
Tuskegee Airman flying Ace

William Armstrong was awarded the Purple Heart.

William was born in 1924. He was the son of George Armstrong and Evelyn Mason. Born in Washington DC, he had one older sister, Evelyn. When William was young, his parents separated and his mother moved he and his sister to Providence Rhode Island. ^[1] She married Nelson Venters and they established a household.^[2]

William attended schools in Providence's West End neighborhood, graduating in 1943 from Central High School, excelling in his studies. He applied to the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama and was accepted into the Pilot Training Program, graduating in September of 1944 as a Flight Officer. He was assigned to the 301st Fighter squadron, 332nd Fighter group, based in Ramitelli, Italy.

On April 1, 1945, he was on a B-24 escort mission to St. Polten, Austria when his plane came under attack. An eye witness to the fight observed a plane smoking badly with flames under the wings. The location was a quarter mile south of Wels, Austria. ^[3] It can be presumed that is body was found by locals, and buried in a nearby cemetery until the cessation of hostilities when Graves Administration would have searched the area for missing casualties. William was originally considered to be Missing in Action, but his remains were recovered and in 1949, his family chose to have William returned to the United States for burial rather than have him interred in Europe. He is buried in the family plot at Grace Church Cemetery in Providence. ^[4]

Sources

1. ↑ "United States Census, 1940," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KSJL-573 : 6 January 2021), Williams Armstrong in household of Nelson Venters, Providence, Providence, Rhode Island, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 6-140, sheet 2B, line 65, family 89, Sixteenth Census of the United States, 1940, NARA digital publication T627. Records of the Bureau of the Census, 1790 - 2007, RG 29. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2012, roll 3777.
2. ↑ "United States Census, 1940," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KSJL-579 : 6 January 2021), Evelyn Venters in household of Nelson Venters, Providence, Providence, Rhode Island, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 6-140, sheet 2B, line 63, family 89, Sixteenth Census of the United States, 1940, NARA digital publication T627. Records of the Bureau of the Census, 1790 - 2007, RG 29. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2012, roll 3777.
3. ↑ Missing Air Crew Report # 13376
4. ↑ https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/11092476/william-pickney-armstrong