Staff Sergeant Edward Albert Bradford, born in 1918, was the son of Edward A and Mary Eveline (Heckrotte) Bradford of Martinsburg, Berkeley County, West Virginia. Martinsburg is 73 miles NW of Washington DC. He left a wife, Ann L Bradford, 905 F Street Northeast, Washington DC.

In the 1920 census 1 year old Edward is living with his parents, maternal grandmother Sarah Heckrotte 57, sisters Evelyn 5, and Catherine 3, at 110 North Maple Avenue in Martinsburg, Berkeley County, West Virginia. His father is a clerk in a pool room.

Edward had two more sisters, Florence born in 1922 and Virginia.

Edward’s father died 27 Jul 1923 as a result of injuries sustained in an automobile rollover accident leaving Mary with 5 children under 9 years old. Looks like the kids were spread around with family.

In the 1930 census Edward’s older sister Evelyn 15, is living with their paternal grandmother Blanche Bradford 63, in Baltimore. 25-year-old Evelyn is still living with Blanche in the 1940 census. Did not find Mary and the other four kids in any 1930 census. News article says he was raised by his maternal uncle William Heckrotte. In the 1940 census sister Catherine 22, is living with William and Ida Heckrotte but Edward is already out of that household.

In the 1940 census Edward’s mother is a waitress in a café and living alone at 54 M Street NW in Washington.

On his Oct 1940 draft registration 22-year-old Edward is living with his mother, now Mary Elfritz, at 735 New Jersey Avenue in Washington. He is employed by the Lucerne Dairy.

Edward married Ann Elizabeth Land on 7 Jun 1941 in Washington DC

Edward enlisted sometime in 1941. He was assigned to the 360th Bomb Squadron of the 303rd Bomb Group

6-Mar-42 Assigned as an Aerial Gunner on B-17F #41-24559 [PU-C], "Ooold Soljer:, 303BG 360BS at Gowen Field, Boise, Idaho. 16-Oct-42 Arrived at Molesworth, UK aboard "Ooold Soljer."

31-Mar-43 Dispatched as Left Waist Gunner of B-17F #41-24599 "Ooold Soljer" on a mission to bomb the shipyards at Rotterdam, Holland.

The NARA WWII casualty listings by state and county for Washington DC show Bradford, Edward A, SSgt from DC as killed in action 31 Mar 1943. The aircraft sustained a mid-air collision with B-17F #42-29573 "Two Beauts" 303BG/358BS This occurred less than an hour from takeoff with each carrying 6 bombs for the mission to Rotterdam. The planes crashed at Mears Ashby and 303rd reports a memorial to the two crews is there.

According to 303rd's web site, Bradford had previously flown 15 missions with Lewis Lyle and is shown in a crew photo with Lyle's crew and a write up of his missions.

Ann remarried Robert Augustus Dominick in 1944. They had three children.

Edward’s Headstone Inscription and Interment Record from the permanent cemetery in 1948 was sent to his mother, still at 735 New Jersey Avenue in Washington.

In Jun 1954 Mary Elfritz went to England to visit her son’s grave returning on the SS United States to New York departing Southampton 1 Jul.

Source: Facebook American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) contributor Brian Kueker

This story became part of the Stories Behind the Stars project (www.storiesbehindthestars.org). This is a national effort of volunteers to write the stories of all 400,000+ of the US WWII fallen here on Fold3. Can you help write these stories? Related to this, there will be a smartphone app that will allow people to visit any war memorial or cemetery, scan the fallen's name and read his/her story.

Edward A Bradford