Casualty of WWII, Lieutenant J Black, Service #98638,was a Pilot in the United States Navy Air Force and was killed together with his navigator Lieutenant Thomas N Aiken whilst returning from operational duties. They observed an air-launched V1 Flying Bomb and gave chase when their De Havilland Mosquito nightfighter was shot down by friendly fire from an anti-aircraft battery.The Mosquito was described as Britain's "Wooden Wonder"-it featured two Rolls-Royce Merlin engines and was constructed of plywood and balsa wood.His Mosquito was named/numbered "K-King, HK 289.By autumn 1944 the allied forces in Western Europe had destroyed all the launch areas for the German V1 flying bombs. The Luftwaffe then began a programme of air-borne launching of the missiles.Their plane crashed in the Suffolk countryside near Somerleyton.A memorial to them is in Waddling Lane, Somerleyton, Suffolk. It was erected by Lord and Lady Somerleyton and stands almost in the hedgerow on Home Farm beside the Flixton bridleway and is inscribed as follows:
NEAR THIS PLACE
LT J.BLACK U.S. N.A.F. PILOT
AND
LT T. AIKEN U.S. N.A.F. NAV
GAVE THEIR LIVES IN DEFENCE
OF THIS COUNTRY
RETURNING FROM OPERATIONAL
DUTIES ON NOV 14 1944
GREATER LOVE HATH NO MAN
THAN THIS.
THAT A MAN LAY DOWN HIS
LIFE FOR HIS FRIENDS.
(note:Somerleyton memorial photos kindly provided by Graham & Margaret Gooch)
Joe had entered the service from Richmond, Virginia; he graduated from Richmond University with a BA degree and had intentions to pursue a career in medicine. It was his basic knowledge of medicine that probably saved Nancy's life when she developed appendicitis. He enlisted in the Navy Reserve on 15th October 1940 just 5 days before his 21st birthday. After 3 months he moved to Jackson Naval Air Station in Florida as an aviation cadet. He completed his training in August 1941 and was a commander of patrol planes such as the twin-engined PBY Flying Boat (Catalina). He served protecting shipping on America's east coast for nearly two years before transferring to the Pacific. East coast shipping needed protection because American shipping was a target for German submarines which ventured very close to east coast ports. Whilst at Cranfield, the Duke of Bedford invited the trainees to a dance at his ancestral home, Woburn Abbey and it was there that Joe met Nancy Annan, a WREN working at Bletchley Park. She was on an assignment working on breaking the German codes-they later became engaged to marry, but after Joe was killed Nancy was invited to America by his parents. She eventually married there and settled in America. Joe and Thomas were training for ultimate transfer to the Pacific theatre to combat Japanese night-fighters there. They were part of a ten man group who gathered together on 1st July 1944 at USN HQ in London (only 4 of whom survived the war) thence to no.51 OTU at RAF Cranfield, Bedfordshire. At the time of his death, the squadron had only recently moved to RAF Coltishall, Norfolk.
There is some suggestion that Joe was initially interred * in England because Ian McLachlan in his book "Final Flights" describes that it was attended by 68 Squadron RAF, Czechs, English and John Black, Joe's brother who was serving in the USAAF. Also present was Joe's best friend, Lieut Samuel Warmuth Peebles, Jr It goes on to say that Joe's grave was the first in a row of 90 (suggesting Cambridge?) and that a week later, Sam himself was laid to rest at Joe's feet, first in the next row. Sam's Mosquito lost an engine on take-off crashing on the lawn of Horstead Hall, Suffolk, killing him and his ‘navrad' Eric Grinndal.
* from ABMC 18th May 2011.....
Following the war, the remains of 1LT Joseph F. Black, 98638 and those of LT Samuel Peebles, 106145 were returned to the U.S. for permanent interment. 1Lt Black at a private cemetery in Virginia and LT Peebles in Tennessee. Prior to repatriation to the U.S., both were temporarily interred at the Cambridge US Military Cemetery, Cambridge, England
NEAR THIS PLACE
LT J.BLACK U.S. N.A.F. PILOT
AND
LT T. AIKEN U.S. N.A.F. NAV
GAVE THEIR LIVES IN DEFENCE
OF THIS COUNTRY
RETURNING FROM OPERATIONAL
DUTIES ON NOV 14 1944
GREATER LOVE HATH NO MAN
THAN THIS.
THAT A MAN LAY DOWN HIS
LIFE FOR HIS FRIENDS.
(note:Somerleyton memorial photos kindly provided by Graham & Margaret Gooch)
Joe had entered the service from Richmond, Virginia; he graduated from Richmond University with a BA degree and had intentions to pursue a career in medicine. It was his basic knowledge of medicine that probably saved Nancy's life when she developed appendicitis. He enlisted in the Navy Reserve on 15th October 1940 just 5 days before his 21st birthday. After 3 months he moved to Jackson Naval Air Station in Florida as an aviation cadet. He completed his training in August 1941 and was a commander of patrol planes such as the twin-engined PBY Flying Boat (Catalina). He served protecting shipping on America's east coast for nearly two years before transferring to the Pacific. East coast shipping needed protection because American shipping was a target for German submarines which ventured very close to east coast ports. Whilst at Cranfield, the Duke of Bedford invited the trainees to a dance at his ancestral home, Woburn Abbey and it was there that Joe met Nancy Annan, a WREN working at Bletchley Park. She was on an assignment working on breaking the German codes-they later became engaged to marry, but after Joe was killed Nancy was invited to America by his parents. She eventually married there and settled in America. Joe and Thomas were training for ultimate transfer to the Pacific theatre to combat Japanese night-fighters there. They were part of a ten man group who gathered together on 1st July 1944 at USN HQ in London (only 4 of whom survived the war) thence to no.51 OTU at RAF Cranfield, Bedfordshire. At the time of his death, the squadron had only recently moved to RAF Coltishall, Norfolk.
There is some suggestion that Joe was initially interred * in England because Ian McLachlan in his book "Final Flights" describes that it was attended by 68 Squadron RAF, Czechs, English and John Black, Joe's brother who was serving in the USAAF. Also present was Joe's best friend, Lieut Samuel Warmuth Peebles, Jr It goes on to say that Joe's grave was the first in a row of 90 (suggesting Cambridge?) and that a week later, Sam himself was laid to rest at Joe's feet, first in the next row. Sam's Mosquito lost an engine on take-off crashing on the lawn of Horstead Hall, Suffolk, killing him and his ‘navrad' Eric Grinndal.
* from ABMC 18th May 2011.....
Following the war, the remains of 1LT Joseph F. Black, 98638 and those of LT Samuel Peebles, 106145 were returned to the U.S. for permanent interment. 1Lt Black at a private cemetery in Virginia and LT Peebles in Tennessee. Prior to repatriation to the U.S., both were temporarily interred at the Cambridge US Military Cemetery, Cambridge, England
Casualty of WWII, Lieutenant J Black, Service #98638,was a Pilot in the United States Navy Air Force and was killed together with his navigator Lieutenant Thomas N Aiken whilst returning from operational duties. They observed an air-launched V1 Flying Bomb and gave chase when their De Havilland Mosquito nightfighter was shot down by friendly fire from an anti-aircraft battery.The Mosquito was described as Britain's "Wooden Wonder"-it featured two Rolls-Royce Merlin engines and was constructed of plywood and balsa wood.His Mosquito was named/numbered "K-King, HK 289.By autumn 1944 the allied forces in Western Europe had destroyed all the launch areas for the German V1 flying bombs. The Luftwaffe then began a programme of air-borne launching of the missiles.Their plane crashed in the Suffolk countryside near Somerleyton.A memorial to them is in Waddling Lane, Somerleyton, Suffolk. It was erected by Lord and Lady Somerleyton and stands almost in the hedgerow on Home Farm beside the Flixton bridleway and is inscribed as follows:
NEAR THIS PLACE
LT J.BLACK U.S. N.A.F. PILOT
AND
LT T. AIKEN U.S. N.A.F. NAV
GAVE THEIR LIVES IN DEFENCE
OF THIS COUNTRY
RETURNING FROM OPERATIONAL
DUTIES ON NOV 14 1944
GREATER LOVE HATH NO MAN
THAN THIS.
THAT A MAN LAY DOWN HIS
LIFE FOR HIS FRIENDS.
(note:Somerleyton memorial photos kindly provided by Graham & Margaret Gooch)
Joe had entered the service from Richmond, Virginia; he graduated from Richmond University with a BA degree and had intentions to pursue a career in medicine. It was his basic knowledge of medicine that probably saved Nancy's life when she developed appendicitis. He enlisted in the Navy Reserve on 15th October 1940 just 5 days before his 21st birthday. After 3 months he moved to Jackson Naval Air Station in Florida as an aviation cadet. He completed his training in August 1941 and was a commander of patrol planes such as the twin-engined PBY Flying Boat (Catalina). He served protecting shipping on America's east coast for nearly two years before transferring to the Pacific. East coast shipping needed protection because American shipping was a target for German submarines which ventured very close to east coast ports. Whilst at Cranfield, the Duke of Bedford invited the trainees to a dance at his ancestral home, Woburn Abbey and it was there that Joe met Nancy Annan, a WREN working at Bletchley Park. She was on an assignment working on breaking the German codes-they later became engaged to marry, but after Joe was killed Nancy was invited to America by his parents. She eventually married there and settled in America. Joe and Thomas were training for ultimate transfer to the Pacific theatre to combat Japanese night-fighters there. They were part of a ten man group who gathered together on 1st July 1944 at USN HQ in London (only 4 of whom survived the war) thence to no.51 OTU at RAF Cranfield, Bedfordshire. At the time of his death, the squadron had only recently moved to RAF Coltishall, Norfolk.
There is some suggestion that Joe was initially interred * in England because Ian McLachlan in his book "Final Flights" describes that it was attended by 68 Squadron RAF, Czechs, English and John Black, Joe's brother who was serving in the USAAF. Also present was Joe's best friend, Lieut Samuel Warmuth Peebles, Jr It goes on to say that Joe's grave was the first in a row of 90 (suggesting Cambridge?) and that a week later, Sam himself was laid to rest at Joe's feet, first in the next row. Sam's Mosquito lost an engine on take-off crashing on the lawn of Horstead Hall, Suffolk, killing him and his ‘navrad' Eric Grinndal.
* from ABMC 18th May 2011.....
Following the war, the remains of 1LT Joseph F. Black, 98638 and those of LT Samuel Peebles, 106145 were returned to the U.S. for permanent interment. 1Lt Black at a private cemetery in Virginia and LT Peebles in Tennessee. Prior to repatriation to the U.S., both were temporarily interred at the Cambridge US Military Cemetery, Cambridge, England
NEAR THIS PLACE
LT J.BLACK U.S. N.A.F. PILOT
AND
LT T. AIKEN U.S. N.A.F. NAV
GAVE THEIR LIVES IN DEFENCE
OF THIS COUNTRY
RETURNING FROM OPERATIONAL
DUTIES ON NOV 14 1944
GREATER LOVE HATH NO MAN
THAN THIS.
THAT A MAN LAY DOWN HIS
LIFE FOR HIS FRIENDS.
(note:Somerleyton memorial photos kindly provided by Graham & Margaret Gooch)
Joe had entered the service from Richmond, Virginia; he graduated from Richmond University with a BA degree and had intentions to pursue a career in medicine. It was his basic knowledge of medicine that probably saved Nancy's life when she developed appendicitis. He enlisted in the Navy Reserve on 15th October 1940 just 5 days before his 21st birthday. After 3 months he moved to Jackson Naval Air Station in Florida as an aviation cadet. He completed his training in August 1941 and was a commander of patrol planes such as the twin-engined PBY Flying Boat (Catalina). He served protecting shipping on America's east coast for nearly two years before transferring to the Pacific. East coast shipping needed protection because American shipping was a target for German submarines which ventured very close to east coast ports. Whilst at Cranfield, the Duke of Bedford invited the trainees to a dance at his ancestral home, Woburn Abbey and it was there that Joe met Nancy Annan, a WREN working at Bletchley Park. She was on an assignment working on breaking the German codes-they later became engaged to marry, but after Joe was killed Nancy was invited to America by his parents. She eventually married there and settled in America. Joe and Thomas were training for ultimate transfer to the Pacific theatre to combat Japanese night-fighters there. They were part of a ten man group who gathered together on 1st July 1944 at USN HQ in London (only 4 of whom survived the war) thence to no.51 OTU at RAF Cranfield, Bedfordshire. At the time of his death, the squadron had only recently moved to RAF Coltishall, Norfolk.
There is some suggestion that Joe was initially interred * in England because Ian McLachlan in his book "Final Flights" describes that it was attended by 68 Squadron RAF, Czechs, English and John Black, Joe's brother who was serving in the USAAF. Also present was Joe's best friend, Lieut Samuel Warmuth Peebles, Jr It goes on to say that Joe's grave was the first in a row of 90 (suggesting Cambridge?) and that a week later, Sam himself was laid to rest at Joe's feet, first in the next row. Sam's Mosquito lost an engine on take-off crashing on the lawn of Horstead Hall, Suffolk, killing him and his ‘navrad' Eric Grinndal.
* from ABMC 18th May 2011.....
Following the war, the remains of 1LT Joseph F. Black, 98638 and those of LT Samuel Peebles, 106145 were returned to the U.S. for permanent interment. 1Lt Black at a private cemetery in Virginia and LT Peebles in Tennessee. Prior to repatriation to the U.S., both were temporarily interred at the Cambridge US Military Cemetery, Cambridge, England
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