Barclay Boyd Beeby

Military ROLL OF HONOUR
media-56860.jpeg UPL 56860 Capt Barclay B. Beeby, 388BG.

Newspaper clipping

Object Number - UPL 56860 - Capt Barclay B. Beeby, 388BG.

Assigned to 560BS, 388BG, 8AF USAAF. Barclay Boyd Beeby was born in Alton and attended Alton schools, including Shurtleff College. Before joining the military, he was sales manager of the Alton Baking and Ice Cream Company (ABC Bakery). He joined the Air Force in 1942, and flew 25 x missions over German and Norway. Lt. Beeby, pilot of a B-17 bomber, and his crew of nine men, named their plane the “Piasa Bird,” and painted its image on their plane. As a boy, he was a member of the Piasa Bird Council of Boy Scouts, and the symbol carried special significance for him. He said, “The Piasa Bird is about the ugliest thing I know, and if it won’t scare Hitler, I don’t know what will.” In June 1943, he had the opportunity during a practice mission to fly over his parents’ home on Evergreen Street in Upper Alton, and the pilot saluted.



Lt. Beeby was wounded in action in 1943, when his plane was forced out of formation after the propeller of the engine blew off. The propeller went through the side of the plane and wounded Beeby. Rapidly losing altitude, the plane became vulnerable prey for German fighters. Lt. Beeby found an empty field in France, ordered the bombs dropped from the plane, and started back to England. Fire from a German fighter plane, which the Alton flier’s crew finally shot down, wounded the top turret gunner and Lt. Beeby. The plane, with only one of the four motors running, reached England. Lt. Beeby was hospitalized for a short time, but was soon back again at the controls of his plane, flying over Germany. He was later assigned to Puerto Rico for a month, at a B-29 Super Fortress training center. He returned to Upper Alton in March 1944 to give a speech at the Alton Rotary Club. He told of his plane, “Piasa Bird,” flying on one of four motors, and had lost so much altitude he was forced to skim along only a few feet above the ground. Skirting back through France, he flew up behind a peasant driving his wooden wheeled oxcart. He flew right down the road behind the cart, and the driver, suddenly hearing the approach, dove into a water-filled ditch alongside. “Even under the circumstances,” said Lt. Beeby, we couldn’t help laughing.”



On 30-Dec-44, at the age of 30, Lt. Barclay Beeby and 13 of his men were killed on a training mission.



Awards: SS, DFC, AM (3 OLC), PH, EAME (2 x Battle Stars).

Connections

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Units served with

People

  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 388th Bomb Group 560th Bomb Squadron
  • Service Numbers: 38049463
  • Highest Rank: Technical Sergeant
  • Role/Job: Flight Engineer/Top Turret Gunner
  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 388th Bomb Group 560th Bomb Squadron
  • Service Numbers: T-121386
  • Highest Rank: Flight Officer
  • Role/Job: Co-Pilot
  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 388th Bomb Group 560th Bomb Squadron
  • Service Numbers: 32451313
  • Highest Rank: Technical Sergeant (2nd Grade)
  • Role/Job: Radio Operator
  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 388th Bomb Group 560th Bomb Squadron
  • Service Numbers: O-670274
  • Highest Rank: First Lieutenant
  • Role/Job: Bombardier

Aircraft

  • Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
  • Nicknames: Millie K
  • Unit: 388th Bomb Group 560th Bomb Squadron
  • Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
  • Nicknames: Sioux City Queen
  • Unit: 388th Bomb Group 560th Bomb Squadron

Places

Events

Event Location Date Description

Born

Alton, Illinois 21 November 1914 Son of John J and Caroline B Beeby.

Enlisted

Scott Field, IL 25 March 1942 Scott Field, Illinois

Other

Mission that earned Silver Star

Paris, France 31 December 1943 The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting the Silver Star to First Lieutenant (Air Corps) Barclay B. Beeby (ASN: 0-735023), United States Army Air Forces, for gallantry in action, while serving as Pilot of a B-17 Heavy Bomber on a bombing mission over enemy occupied Europe, 31 December 1943. When one engine of his aircraft became disabled prior to reaching the target, Lieutenant Beeby endeavored to maintain his position in the formation but soon found this to be impossible. Shortly afterwards, the propeller on the disabled engine sheared off its shaft and tore through the nose compartment causing serious damage and injuring the bombardier. Following this, enemy fighters attacked and as a result the ball turret guns were knocked out, three members of the crew were wounded by exploding cannon shells, the oxygen system knocked out and a fire started in the cockpit. After extinguishing the fire, Lieutenant Beeby dove his plane to a low altitude and skillfully maneuvered his aircraft back to base.

Died

Aguadilla Pueblo, Aguadilla, Puerto Rico 30 December 1944 MACR 15065 generated for the loss of B-29 42-24547 on 31 Dec 44, from Grand Island, that crashed at sea while on a training flight from Borinquen Field, Puerto Rico. Pilot had 1 engine feathered and was coming in for an emergency landing. Was making final approach, left wing banked and aircraft crashed approximately 500 yards short of runway. Cause of accident undetermined.

Buried

Arlington National Cemetery 21 April 1948 Arlington National Cemetery Arlington, Virginia Plot Sec: 12, Site: 900

Based

Knettishall Assigned to 560BS, 388BG, 8AF USAAF.

Revisions

Date
Contributorjmoore43
Changes
Sources

Added some punctuation in the "Summary biography" to aid readability.
Corrected a typo in the "Event description" - “the” was misspelled.

Date
ContributorAl_Skiff
Changes
Date
Contributor466thHistorian
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ContributorAAM
Changes
Sources

Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / www.388bg.info/Personnel.html, Losses of the 8th & 9th AFs Vol. I, p. 459

Barclay Boyd Beeby: Gallery (2 items)