Technical Sergeant George Edward ‘Ted’ Barton

Radio Operator assigned to the 603rd Bomb Squadron / 398th Bomb Group

Service Number 12078631

George or Ted, as he was better know to his family and friends was born to Roy Earle Barton and Catherine Olive (Hagar) on July 3, 1921 in East Orange, New Jersey. His only brother Steven Hagar was born on May 27, 1914. Steven sadly died on December 7, 1937 in an automobile accident. Roy was employed as an electrical engineer in the telephone industry according to the 1920 census record.

Ted attended East Orange High School, where he was involved with the school’s soccer team. He graduated from high school in 1940 and went on to study at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire and was a member of Gamma Delta Chi fraternity. After graduating from college in the spring of 1942, Ted went on to attend the Casey Jones School of Aeronautics before entering service. This school was adjacent to LaGuardia Airport in New York.

Enlistment place was Newark, New Jersey on May 26, 1942. Place of registration was Lehanon, New Jersey. Ted was described as being 5 feet 10 inches with brown hair and blue eyes.

Thanks to information kindly shared by Dartmouth College, we know where he did his training. Ted was part of Squadron 108 at San Antonio Aviation Cadet Centre. He was also stationed at Sheppard Field in Texas and did his flexible gunnery training at Buckingham Army Air Field in Fort Myers, Florida.

On June 15, 1944 he married Anne Garnett Williams. His father served as best man and Mrs William Tull was matron of honor. Mrs Tull’s husband was the engineer/top turret gunner on the same crew as Ted.

The Meyran crew was made up of the following crew:

Lt Meyran – Pilot

Lt Paul – Co Pilot

Lt Davidson – Navigator

F/O White – Bombardier

T/Sgt William S Tull – Engineer/Top Turret Gunner

T/Sgt George E Barton – Radio Operator/Gunner

S/Sgt Charles ‘Chuck’ Kennedy – Gunner

S/Sgt Melvin Brown – Gunner

S/Sgt Petrauskas – Gunner

S/Sgt Perry - Gunner

Although his date of arrival at Station 131 is not known, his first mission took place on July 29, 1944 when he flew with the King crew. His first mission with the Meyran crew took place on August 3 followed by missions on the 4, 5, 12, 13, 15, 24, 25, 26 and 30. Missions in September were flown on the 3, 8, 9,10, 13, 19, 25, 26, 27 and 30.

Waking up on October 15, I am sure Ted thought about his wife on her birthday while he was getting ready for his mission. Sadly, that day would be his last mission, as Flying Fortress 746-T crashed on take-off narrowly missing Anstey Church. There were no survivors. The crew were buried side by side temporarily on October 17 at 1500 hours in Cambridge American Cemetery until 1948, when most of the crews remains were repatriated. Tech Sgt Barton was laid to rest in a grave between 1Lt Baker and S/Sgt Petrauskas. Plot O, Row 10, Grave 9.

1Lt Charles E Khourie – buried in Arlington National Cemetery

1Lt William L Meyran – buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale, California

1Lt William J Vanderlick – buried at Fort Snelling National Cemetery, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Capt Carlton C Moore Jr – burial unknown

1Lt John P Baker – buried at Long Island National Cemetery, East Farmingdale, New York

T/Sgt William S Tull – buried at Cambridge American Cemetery

T/Sgt George E Barton – buried at Cambridge American Cemetery

S/Sgt Charles R Kennedy – buried at Saint Catharine’s Cemetery, Sea Girt, New Jersey

S/Sgt Victor C Petrauskas – buried at Calvary Cemetery, Westbury, Connecticut

S/Sgt Melvin P Brown – buried at Cambridge American Cemetery

He was awarded one Air Medal and two Oak Leaf Clusters. Among his belongings were a Certo Dollina camera, an exposure meter and a manual on the meter.

Roy Barton made the decision to leave his son’s remains in the care of the American Battle Monument Commission team at their cemetery at Madingley in Cambridgeshire. He forever sleeps in Plot D, Row 1, Grave 7. As part of the 398th mission to have the final resting place of their fallen buried there adopted, Technical Sgt Barton grave has been taken on by someone who regularly leaves flowers and remembers his service and sacrifice.

Ted, you may be gone from this world, but you are not forgotten.

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/56287610/george-edward-barton

https://www.fold3.com/record/83550463/george-e-barton-wwii-army-enlistment-records

https://www.fold3.com/record/529897259/george-e-barton-american-battle-monuments-commission

https://www.fold3.com/image/674238169?terms=new,george,e,barton,jersey

https://www.398th.org/

https://www.fold3.com/image/29435994/29435998

This story is part of the Stories Behind the Stars project

(see www.storiesbehindthestars.org) This is a national effort of volunteers to

write the stories of all 421,000+ of the US WWII fallen saved on Together We

Served and Fold3. Can you help write these stories? These stories will be

accessible via smartphone app at any war memorial or cemetery.

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