Cecil A. Edmonds Sergeant, U.S. Army Air Forces Service # 34608953 321st Squadron, 27th Air Transport Group.

Entered the Service from: North Carolina Died: 21-Oct-44 Buried at: Plot F Row 6 Grave 81 Cambridge American Cemetery Cambridge, England Awards: (none listed)

_US Army Serial # 34608953 _ Cecil A Edmonds Resided in Buncombe County, North Carolina. He enlisted at CP Croft, SC on 10 March, 1943 as a Private. Cecil was born in North Carolina in 1924…… he completed 2 years of High School and was working as a Farm Hand/Dairy. He was single at enlistment._

Cecil was trianed to be an assistant in the US Army Transport Command (ATC) and served in the 37th Air Transport Group, the 321st Squadron in England. He died (DNB) on 21 Oct.1944, an unusual crash that took the lives of all aboard. It was on a small mountain in Princes Risborough, Uk.

Cecil's neice Suzie Barkely is searching for the Journey that her Uncle Cecil took, and how he came to dye in a sad accident that was apparently a mechanical problem, rather than Pilot Error as states. LIVING eye witnesses have been found….. the BEGINNING of Suzie's Story as she uncovrs more of the suituation;

We have made the trip to the crash site of my Uncle Cecil's plane, I have the report on the crash, including the info from the actual report of the crash. It says the cause was Pilot Error, and that he (the pilot) should have been using more instrument data, since there was a 500 ft. ceiling that morning, but I have met a bystander who was seven years old, ran to the crash, and who has talked to many other witnesses who say the plane was training smoke and that it was not pilot error. I sure wish I could let the pilot's family know, what actually happened. I only have his name and serial number from the report but, the new English friend and I plan on checking more into the crash. It was on a small mountain in Princes Risborough, Uk.

I have ordered the record on my Uncle from the Dept of Army, as I want to know what medals he received, etc. The rest of my family want me to continue the search, for any more information I can find out about, not only our uncle, but the crash, etc. The gentleman in UK wants his town to make a memorial marker on the site, before those who remember it are gone…I intend to go back if they do, and will continue to search for the other victims families, or what is left of them.

The trip to Madingly (Cambridge) was awesome…they placed flags on the grave, played taps for him, made pictures of us there, made copies of my pictures of Cecil for their scrapbook, and made us feel very welcome. I took some soil from Cecil's home and they showed me how to place it right at the foot of the grave, where it would stay, and would not do any damage to the area…(I had microwaved it to kill any germs, etc.) They, both the American Officer, and the British historian made our visit wonderful..

We (the USA) do it right. They gave me a dvd of a 50 minute program on the US Military Cemeteries that I will use in a program here on Memorial day, etc. Again, thanks. Susie Barkley

30 July, 2011 from Suzie; ( FROM THE COPY OF THE ACTUAL FLIGHT iNSIDENCE REPORT) the list of crew members on Cecil's flight include ……….

Pilot Edwin M. Walker, O-497880 1st Lt.; CP San P. Rubinowitz T-3599, F/O; William P. Lulf, R/O 13029012 T. Sgt.RO; E Cecil A Edmonds E 34608953 Sgt.; E Merl C Stuteman E 37527175 PFC. **The crash took place near Princes Risborough, UK on *21 Oct. 1944 at 0930GMT. plane was a C-47 321st transport Sq. Left Grove to Standstead and A 60. Cargo to continent. Nature of accident: Hit forest on top of hilltop (852' high). Cause of accident: While apparently trying to fly contact in instrument conditions, aircraft hit trees on hilltop and crashed. Crash was approximately 15 min. after takeoff, the aircraft struck a forest on a hilltop. Twenty nine miles from departure point.

MORE to come on this……