Waldoboro, Maine – March 24, 1944
British Corsairs – WWII
U.S. Navy Photo
On March 24, 1944, two British pilots took off from the Brunswick Naval Air Station for a training flight. Both pilots were flying American made Corsairs with British markings. While conducting aerial maneuvers over the town of Waldoboro they collided in mid-air and both crashed in the northern portion of the town. Neither pilot survived.
One of the pilots was Sub-Lieutenant Garrod Hale Barton, flying aircraft #JT-214. His plane came down in a wooded area on the farm of Ernest Castner and exploded on impact. To learn more about Sub -Lt. Barton, click on link below. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/70670027/garrod-hale-barton
The other pilot was Sub-Lieutenant Donald N. Crysler flying aircraft #JT-186. His plane came down near the home of Preston Lewis. To see a photograph of Sub-Lt. Crysler, click on the link below. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/139929681/donald-norman-crysler
Sources:
The Waterbury Democrat, “Investigate Collision”, March 25, 1944, pg. 5.
Unknown Newspaper, “Plane Crash Kills Two British Pilots”, unknown date, courtesy of the Waldoboro Historic Society.
Maine Military Aircraft Crash Database, from Aviation Archeology In Maine website, http//:mewreckchasers.com
www.findagrave.com
