1st Lieut. Frederick Kennedy Plyley
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Nov. 9, 1919 – Apr.
24, 1943 Vonore Meth. Cem., Monroe Co., Tn
Lieut.
Frederick Kennedy Plyley, Vonore,
first pilot of a Flying Fortress, who was reported missing since April 23,
died in the European area on April 24, the War Department has notified his
mother Mrs. Vivian K. Plyley. Young
Plyley is among the first One
the eve of his departure for the transatlantic flight his bomber was delayed
by engine trouble, and a few nights later, it is learned, off the coast of The
commanding officer, Capt. Estes Griffin, was making the trip across in Lieut.
Plyley’s ship and the co-pilot, Lieut. Raymond H.
Bidwell, had gone ahead in another.
Other members of the crew aboard the Fortress were Lieut. James W. Courtwright, Nebraska, the bombardier; Lieut. Arthur Ciccarello, Boston, the navigator; Sgt. George Brown,
Columbus, Ohio, engineer; Sgt. Arthur R. McKinley, South Bend, Ind.,
assistant engineer; Staff Sgt. Lowell A. Lindlow,
Kansas City, radio operator; Sgt. Alfred F. Garretson, Oregon, assistant
radio operator; Staff Sgt. Thomas J. O’Moore,
Connecticut, arm gunner, and Sgt. Arthur E. Mahoney, Boston, tail gunner. Among
letters of sympathy from Army officials is one from Commanding General H.H.
Arnold of the Army Air Forces to the young pilot’s mother, which reads: “My
dear Mrs. Plyley: With keen regret I have learned
that your son, First Lieutenant Frederick Kennedy Plyley,
previously reported missing, died April 24, 1943, while flying in the service
of his country in the European Area. “My
attention has been called to the fine spirit of cooperation and the ability
to adapt himself to any situation which characterized Lieutenant Plyley from the beginning of his military career. He was a brave pilot and a loyal officer
whose integrity and perseverance commanded the high regard of all associates,
and we of the Army Air Forces feel that his passing represents a distinct
loss to the service. Mere words cannot
compensate for the loss of your son,
but I hope time will temper your grief and that you will be consoled to some
extent by the knowledge that he gave his utmost for the cause of our country. “I
offer my deepest sympathy to you and to other members of the family.” Another
clipping was a letter written by Lieut. Raymond H. Bidwell to the sister of
Lieut. Plyley. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Frederick
K. Plyley is made Lieutenant. He is son of Mrs. Vivian K. Plyley, 1519 Forest Ave., has been commissioned a second
Lieutenant in the Army Air Forces. He
received his wings at the graduation exercises held at Spence Field, Ga.,
last week Lieut.
Plyley was graduated from Vonore
High School in 1937 and attended U-T where he was a member of Kappa Sigma
fraternity. He
began his training at Maxwell Field in January. The
Knoxville News-Sentinel, Fri., Sep 11, 1942 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- KNOXVILLE PILOT IS
'MISSING IN ACTION' First
Lt. Frederick K. Plyley, 23, son of Mrs. Vivian Plyley of 1519 Forest Ave., has been reported missing in
action somewhere in the Atlantic, his mother has been notified. Lt.
Plyley, who entered the Air Forces on Jan. 6 last
year, leaving U-T where he was a member of Kappa Sigma fraternity, was a B-17
pilot, and was to have left the states on April 17. He was reported missing since April 23. The
Knoxville News-Sentinel, Sat. May 15, 1943 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- FRED PLYLEY
REPORTED DEAD IN MID-ATLANTIC First
Lt. Frederick Kennedy Plyley, son of Mrs. Vivian K.
Plyley, reported missing April 23, died in the
European area April 24, his mother learned yesterday. Lieutenant
Plyley enlisted in the Air Corps while a junior at
the University of Tennessee and entered the service in Jan. 1942. In
a letter to Lt. Plyley's sister, Miss Hilda Plyley, Lt. Raymond H. Bidwell, Plyley's
co-pilot, reported missing Aug. 15 over Paris, told of Lt. Plyley's flight. "I
left the States a short time ahead of my crew in another ship," Bidwell
said. "When I arrived in England
we were told that an SOS had been received from Fred's plane the same
morning." "Judging
from the fact that he took off at approximately 10 p.m. his position would
have been just about the middle of the North Atlantic. Because his ship went down in the
mid-Atlantic the only chance of rescuing the men would have been to have a
convoy pick them up. I'm sure every
possible attempt was made to rescue them." A
member of the Kappa Sigma Fraternity whild in
pre-law training at U-T, Lt. Plyley is a nephew of
A.J. Kennedy of Vonore, postmaster and former
representative. The
Knoxville Journal, Sun Oct. 24, 1943 U.S. World War II Army
Enlistment Records, 1938-1946
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Flying Fortress
Researcher and Designer