[The following excerpt is from the Memorial Day Ceremony given at the Hampton Academy Jr. High School on May 29, 1998, produced and directed by Sheila Nudd, Music Director.]

"Edward William Tobey was born on February 13, 1920 in Dover, New Hampshire. He was raised up in a house on the corner of Academy Ave. and High Street right across from the Hampton Academy school. He was an excellent athlete. He played many sports such as baseball, basketball and hockey. He also played piccolo in the school band. He was involved on many school activities including the glee club, the senior play, and he was a sports-writer for the school newspaper.

He graduated from Hampton Academy in 1938. Then he went to the University of New Hampshire. Edward then registered for the United States Army Band. He was chosen for the 1940 Army draft. He trained in North Carolina.

Edward was then commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant at Hondo AAF, Texas. He learned how to fly and become a tail-gunner on a B-29 with a thirteen-man crew. Edward flew as a Navigator on one of the first B-29 Superforts with secret RADAR on it. His crew was sent to the tiny island of Tinian, in the South Pacific. Their mission was to carry bombs that were going to bomb Japan. On their 7th mission, the plane's engine failed. The plane crashed and exploded. Every crew member except one, died. Edward Tobey was killed. The same Edward Tobey who once walked the halls of Hampton Academy. He was killed in action on May 20th, 1945. Although he lies buried in the South Pacific, there is a stone here [at Hampton Academy] to honor his memory."

03 Sep 1944, 3 - The Boston Globe at Newspapers.com

Edward W Tobey