The Red Ryder

I am getting a jump on Memorial Day by honoring this WW2 Bomber Crew today.

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Standing (R-L): Pilot, 1st Lt. George N. Ryder, Jr, husband of Mary A. Ryder, Decatur, GA; Co-pilot, 2nd Lt. Wayne A. Kretschmar, son of Otto B. Kretschmar, Venturia, ND; Navigator, 2nd Lt. Billy K. Isbell, son of Ray E. Isbell, Charleston, IL; Bombadier, 2nd Lt. Easton W. Duval³, Jr., son of W. E. Duval, Sr., Austin, TX; Right Waist Gunner, T/Sgt Robert D. McIntire, son of Ella McIntire, St. Louis Park, MN

Kneeling (R-L): Ball Turret Gunner, S/Sgt Bud W. Armstrong, son of Mrs. Ima M. Armstrong, Shattuck, OK; Top Turret Gunner, T/Sgt Charles E. Doane, son of Mrs. Katie Doane, San Diego, CA; Nose Turret Gunner, S/Sgt James H. Williams, son of Mrs. Loretta Williams⁴, Kingsland, AR; Tail Gunner, S/Sgt Julius J. Bryson, son of Mrs. Eva Marie Bryson, Greensboro, NC; Left Waist Gunner, S/Sgt Raymond H. Bourgeois, son of Mrs. Josephine Bourgeois, Gramercy, LA

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This photo is of the crew of The Red Ryder, a WW2 B-24 Bomber on which my wife's youngest maternal uncle S/Sgt Raymond H. Bourgeois was a gunner.  He was a son of Henry Joseph and Josephine Corinne Caillouet Bourgeois of Gramercy, LA and he and his crew were lost on May 31, 1944 while returning to their base in Italy following a bombing run over the Polesti, Rumania oil fields.  He was six days shy of his 22 birthday.

The aircraft cleared the coast of Yugoslavia and was over the Adriatic sea, near the island of Vis when the pilot feathered the number 3 engine, but maintained air speed of about 150 knots. The crew was seen throwing guns, ammunition and equipment out of the aircraft in order to maintain altitude. Other planes attempted to contact the crew by radio, but were unsuccessful. At about 5000 to 6000 feet, the crew began to bail out, and 10 chutes were seen to open. All landed in the water, but none were recovered alive.

From all reports by others in formation with the Red Ryder, the bomber was not in severe distress, but no one will ever know for certain! It must have been however, since the crew did abandon it.

How we came to be in possession of the photo is forgotten.  We knew that one of the men was Raymond but unsure which.  There are no sisters or brothers remaining alive to identify him. 

It took some time for me to identify and eliminate all of the other crew members before determining that Raymond was the airman kneeling left.  Later I discovered that at the time, a protocol existed for such photos: From right to left standing, the pilot, co-pilot, navigator, bombardier and crew chief/right waist gunner.  Then kneeling right to left was the  ball turret gunner, top turret gunner, nose turret gunner, tail gunner and left waist gunner.  But, because I did not know which gun Raymond manned, I still would have been lost.  My wife and her oldest sister thought he might have been kneeling second from right.

After obtaining the official US Army Air Force accident report and learning the names and hometowns of the men, I began a letter writing campaign to newspapers, libraries, court houses, etc. in an effort to find anyone who could identify the men.  Somewhat to my surprise, many people contacted me, including a phone call from a surviving brother of one of the men.  All of the people who wrote expressed their gratitude for the photograph and information that I had gleaned from the accident report.  Reports they had received at the time from the military either contained scant information or, were long ago lost in the dusty attics of time.

Only one newspaper - a daily in St. Louis Park, MN - refused to run my letter to the editor saying instead that it was not "public interest" and, I would have to pay advertising rates for them to include it in their publication!

My wife told me that her grandfather Bourgeois never acknowledged his son's death.  He reasoned that because his body had not been recovered, his son was not dead.  I feel certain that belief comforted him until his own death in 1953.

Readers interested in viewing more information about this research effort, and letters from relatives should click on the blog title to reach my website that feebly attempts to honor these men.

The plane in the photo is not the Red Ryder.  This photo was taken in Fresno, CA c1944, before the crew went overseas.


No. 990

Leland L. "Lee" and Elizabeth Jane Manis Coffey

"Lee" was a son of John Morgan and Elizabeth Day Coffey, and was born in Cherokee Co., NC on Jul. 28, 1851. He was married to Elizabeth Jane Manis but I have not found the marriage date. Elizabeth was born Feb. 28, 1856 in NC and died on Dec. 22, 1943 in Marble, Cherokee Co. Lee died there on Nov. 11, 1907. Both are buried in the Moss Cemetery at Marble.

He and Elizabeth were parents of at least seven children, all boys except for one daughter.

Barney Luther, born Aug. 1, 1876 in Union Co., GA and died Oct. 21, 1957 in Enka, Hominy Twp., Buncombe Co., NC. He married Melissa Wilson on Aug. 15, 1903 in Cherokee Co. Melissa was born c1884 in NC. Their children were Lois Alma; Barney, Jr.; Jack Edgar; and Paul Lee. Barney registered for the WW1 draft in Marble, Cherokee Co. on Sep. 12, 1918. He was described as being short with blue eyes and black hair. Build was not provided. He was 42 yrs old, born Aug. 1, 1876. He was a farmer who resided at Marble. He named Mrs. Jessie Coffee [sic] as his nearest relative. Both are buried at Moss.

Virgil Lee, born Dec. 29, 1877 in Cherokee Co., and was married there on Jul. 2, 1903 to Nora Texie Bryson. Nora was born Jun. 28, 1885 in Cherokee Co. and died there on Feb. 13, 1971. Virgil died Oct. 10, 1964. Both are buried at Moss. Their children were Cornelia, Roscoe and Hattie. Perhaps they had more. Virgil registered for the WW1 draft in Marble, Cherokee Co. on Sep. 12, 1918. He was described as being of medium height and build with blue eyes and black hair. He gave his age as 39 yrs., born Dec. 29, 1877. He was a farmer at Marble and named Mrs. Nora Coffee [sic] of Marble as his nearest relative.

Emma was born Mar. 19, 1879, probably in Cherokee Co., and died there on Sep. 27, 1964. She married William Jackson Barton, born May 24, 1872 in Georgia, on Oct. 17, 1894. William died in Marble on Dec. 18, 1960. Both are buried at Moss. They likely had children but I have not yet searched for them. William also probably registered for the WW1 draft but I have not yet found his registration card.

Squire Morgan was the fourth child, born Jan. 2, 1882 in Cherokee Co., and died of cardiac arrest in Marble on Dec. 17, 1971. He is also buried at Moss. Morgan Squire Coffee [sic] registered for the draft on Sep. 12, 1918 in Cherokee Co., NC. He was of medium height and build with blue eyes and brown hair. He was 36 years old, born Jan. 2, 1882. He was a farmer at Marble, Cherokee Co. He named Elizabeth Coffee of Marble as his nearest relative. I have not determined if Elizabeth was his mother or his wife. I have not yet found any other information about him.

William Edgar, born Jun. 20, 1886 in Cherokee, died of a coronary occlusion on Sep. 25, 1959 at Marble. He married c1910 to Lucy Ashe, born c1886 in NC. Together they had at least nine children: Gene, Harold T., Carl Lee, William Wade, Ora Bell, James Woodrow, Lenora, Marvin and Dorothy May. William registered for the draft on Jun. 5, 1917 in Marble, Cherokee Co., NC. He was 30 yrs. old, born Jun. 25, 1882 in Cherokee Co. He was a farmer at Marble and was described as being of medium height with slender build, blue eyes and light colored hair.

Stedman M. Smith Coffey, born Sep. 14, 1889 in Macon Co., NC, died Jul 16, 1987 in Marble. He married on Jan. 10, 1909 to Ethel M. Adams. Ethel was born Mar. 23, 1891 in Cherokee Co., and died Jan. 29, 1971 in Marble. Both she and Stedman are buried at Moss. Their children were Stella, Blanche, John Lee, Rev. Clyde, Vance, Vesta and Mildred. Smith S. Coffee [sic] registered for the draft in Marble, Cherokee Co., NC on Jun 5, 1917. He was described as being of medium height and slender build with brown eyes and black hair. He gave his age as 27 yrs., born Sep. 14, 1889 in Macon Co., NC. He was a farmer who lived with his wife and two children at Marble.

Frank was the last child born to "Lee" and Elizabeth Jane. He came into the world on Dec. 5, 1896 in NC and died Nov. 18, 1983 in Buncombe Co. He married Mary E. Craig c1922. Mary was born Sep. 21, 1906 in NC and died May 5, 1994 in Cherokee Co. Both are buried at Moss. Their children were Lucille and Jean. Frank registered for the draft in Marble, Cherokee Co., NC on Jun 5, 1917. He was described as being of medium height and build with dark blue eyes and dark hair. He gave his age as 21 yrs., born Dec. 5, 1896 in Cherokee Co., NC. He was a farmer at Marble, unmarried and cared for his mother.

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Sources: Death certificates; Cherokee Co. Marriages 1860-1905;