New England aviators 1914-1918; their portraits and their records (1919) (14576630188)

Second Lieutenant William F. Herrick, A.S., U.S.A. Killed in airplane accident, Sept. 16, 1918. Son of William B. and Lucy A. (Fisk) Herrick; was born at Natick, Mass., July 31, 1890. He graduated from the Newton High School in 1906, and spent one year at M.I.T. He went abroad for one year as private tutor, and after his return was engaged in business up to the time of his enlistment, in June, 1917. He attended the Ground School, M.I.T., and upon the completion of his course was sent overseas to France. He was transferred to Foggia, Italy, where he was commissioned 2d Lieut, in May, 1918. He was then given the option of service in the bombing-planes at the Italian front, or of returning to France to qualify as a fighting pilot. He chose the latter course, and was nearly ready to go to the front when the fatal accident occurred at Issoudun, France. The following extract is from a letter received by the father of Lieut. Herrick from a Red Cross representative: "Lieut. Herrick was engaged with a number of other aviators in mass formation practice on Field 7. At a certain signal he and Lieut. Sylvester B. Moore were to pass each other, one flying up and the other down. Through some misunderstanding both aviators ascended. The result was a collision; the airplanes were smashed and the men fell, being instantly killed. ... I was talking with some of the men about Lieut. Herrick, and it would be a satisfaction to you to know with how much affection and admiration they spoke of him. They said he was always full of fun and helped to keep them all in good spirits. He was considered an unusually good flyer. You may rest assured it was no fault of his own that caused his death, but an accident coming in the regular performance of duty." Lieut. Herrick was buried with military honors at cemetery No. 32, about seven miles from Issoudun, France.
Identifier: NewEnglandaviatVol2Tick (find matches)
Title: New England aviators 1914-1918; their portraits and their records
Year: 1919 (1910s)
Authors: Ticknor, Caroline, 1866-1937, ed
Subjects: Biography Aeronautics World War, 1914-1918
Publisher: Boston, New York, Houghton Mifflin Company
Contributing Library: Smithsonian Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: Smithsonian Libraries



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. The following extract is from a letter received by the father ofLieut. Herrick from a Red Cross representative: Lieut. Herrick was engaged with a number of other aviators in mass-formation practice on Field 7. At a certain signal he and Lieut. SylvesterB. Moore were to pass each other, one flying up and the other down.Through some misunderstanding both aviators ascended. The result wasa collision; the airplanes were smashed and the men fell, being instantlykilled. ... I was talking with some of the men about Lieut. Herrick, andit would be a satisfaction to you to know with how much affection andadmiration they spoke of him. They said he was always full of fun andhelped to keep them all in good spirits. He was considered an unusuallygood flyer. You may rest assured it was no fault of his own that causedhis death, but an accident coming in the regular performance of duty. Lieut. Herrick was buried with military honors at cemeteryNo. 32, about seven miles from Issoudun, France. ( 138 )
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*ELWIN F. CHAPMAN Cadet, A.S., U.SA.Killed in airplane accident, June 3, 1918 Son of George F. and Eliza M. (Capen) Chapman, of Canton,Mass.; was born at Evanston, Wyoming, July 3, 1891. At an earlyage he moved with his family to Jamaica Plain, Mass., wherehe attended school. In 1906 he entered Bordentown MilitaryAcademy, at Bordentown, N.J., graduating in 1910. He was re-garded as one of the finest athletes that this school had ever pro-duced, and while there he was captain of the baseball team, andin his senior year captain of the football team; also a member ofthe basket-ball team. In the fall of 1910 he entered the Universityof California, graduating in 1914; there he was one of the leadingathletes; he was pitcher on the Varsity baseball team, and memberof the Theta Delta Chi fraternity, the Wolfs Head Club, and theGun Club. He enlisted at Brookline, Mass., in Nov., 1917, and in Feb., 1918,entered the School of Military Aeronautics, at Princeton, N.J.,where, in a class of ninety,