Tech Sergeant Francis M Brigham

Abt 1923 - 1943  (20 years)

• Name	Francis M Brigham
  Prefix	Tech Sergeant
  Birth	Abt 1923	Connecticut
  Gender	Male
  Census	1930
  		1930 Brigham 13. 1930 US census, Ellington, Tolland, Connecticut, enumeration district 7-6, Family Number 207, Brigham.
  Census	1940
  Census	1940
  Military Service	U.S. Army Air Corps, WWII
  	History by: Michael Stupinski Born in 1923, at the time of the 1930 census Frank was 6 years old and lived at 33 Elizabeth Street with his father George, a lumber yard dealer, his mother Adelphine, and a sister, Marion, age 4. He had completed 4 years of high school and was single when he enlisted for duty in Hartford on July 9, 1941. He gave his occupation as truck driver. Assigned to the 320th Bomber Squadron, 90th Bomber Group, 5th Air Force, he was a radioman / gunner on a B24. His Army Serial Number was 11010936 On January 9, 1943, near the island of New Britain in the Southwest Pacific, Frank's aircraft (serial number 772, the "Little Eva"�) was tracking a Japanese convoy that had been sighted by another aircraft. Flying at 7,000 feet, they spotted the convoy and prepared to make a bombing run against it. At that point 8 Japanese Zeros, flying in groups of four, attacked the bomber from head-on, making repeated runs against the plane. On the sixth attack the nose gunner on the bomber was presumably hit, as he stopped firing. On one of the last runs, the pilot was severely wounded by a bullet that then passed through Sgt. Brigham's left shoulder, also severely wounding him. The co-pilot took over the controls and dove for cloud cover. The aircraft lost power and the co-pilot prepared the crew for a water landing. The navigator had, by this time, treated Sgt. Brigham's wound the best he could under the circumstances. The wounded pilot helped the co-pilot land the aircraft in the water. The plane had broken up and was burning when the co-pilot got out of it. He found two empty life rafts, but no other members of the 9-man crew, including Sgt. Brigham, survived. He was in the raft for 9 days before landing on an island, and was eventually picked up after another 4 weeks had passed. Attempts to locate the aircraft and recover the bodies of the crew were fruitless. There is a monument to Sgt. Brigham at Fort William McKinley in Manila, The Philippines. He was awarded the Air Medal and the Purple Heart.
  Death	9 Jan 1943	Pacific Theater WWII
  Siblings	3 siblings
  1. Marion F Brigham
  2. Sergeant Rodney Lewis Brigham,   b. 11 May 1927   d. 21 Dec 1991
  3. Gordon K Brigham
  Person ID	I8061	Nagel
  Last Modified	12 Sep 2017

  
  

  Father	Sergeant George Newton Brigham,   b. 13 Feb 1896, Connecticut d. 13 Mar 1979, Ellington, Tolland, Connecticut (Age 83 years)
  Relationship	Birth
  Mother	Adelaphene Busher,   b. 1899   d. 18 Mar 1970, Vernon, Tolland, Connecticut (Age 71 years)
  Relationship	Birth
  Marriage	Abt 1922
  Family ID	F2759	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Event Map		Birth - Abt 1923 - Connecticut Death - 9 Jan 1943 - Pacific Theater WWII  = Link to Google Earth
  Pin Legend	: Address       : Location       : City/Town       : County/Shire       : State/Province       : Country       : Not Set

  
  

• Photos

  Francis M Brigham Francis M Brigham

  
  

  1940 Census

  1940 Brigham 26. 1940 US census, Ellington, Tolland, Connecticut, enumeration district 7-6, Family Number 76, Brigham.