T/SGT USAAF

S/N = 110 16 909

Leon was born on the 3rd of June, 1920, in Brunswick, Cumberland County, Maine. His Birth Record has his full name as Leon Maynard Bamforth. He was the second child for June Myrtle nee Smith (1901 – 1977) and Coral Bamforth (1899 – 1993.) They were both born and lived their entire lives in Brunswick. Leon had 4 sisters; Helene, Elinor, Muriel, and Tereasa who died several months after her birth.

In 1930 the Bamforth family lived on the Harpswell Neck Rd in Brunswick; and Coral was the proprietor of Brunswick Battery Service specializing in automotive electrical service. In 1932 Coral changed the name of his business to Bamforth Auto Electric Service. By 1940 the family had relocated to 206 Maine St. above the family business. Leon was the bookkeeper for his father’s business and according to that year’s census, had one year of college.

As a youngster Leon was in the Boy Scouts and attended Brunswick’s public schools, graduating from BHS in 1938. Alongside his yearbook photo is the statement “Now here’s our idea of the perfect ladies’ man! Yes, we give you Bamforth, the “Battling Bantam” who will one day be famous for his romantic appeal.” Leon was the manager for the football team, a member of the History Club and the Boys’ Hi-Y, he was in the Senior Play and received two Bookkeeping Pins.

In 1940 Leon headed to California to attend an ‘aircraft mechanic’ course at the Aero Industries Technical Institute, in Los Angles. On 1 Jul 1941, still in CA, Leon Leroy Bamforth registered for the WWII Draft. His application listed him as being: 5 ft 10 in tall, weighing 162, blue eyes and brown hair. On the 5th of Jan 1942 Leon enlisted in the US Army Air Corps.in Portland, Maine.

After boot camp, his initial training was at Sheppard Field in Wichita Falls, TX, attached to the 403rd School Squadron. And, on 12 June 1942, Leon graduated from the Spartan School of Aeronautics (A.C.T.D), Mechanics Division; Class 18-42 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Prior to the war Spartan was a commercial aeronautics firm. It switched to training pilots and mechanics for our both US and Allied forces during the war.

On the 20th of November 1942, S/Sgt Bamforth received orders to be a member of Ferry Crew #67-Y-1, to deliver a B-17F, #42-5130, from the Presque Isle Army Airfield in Presque Isle, Maine to ‘Little Pie’ (RAF Thurleigh, near Bedford, England.) It was piloted by 2nd LT David Steele with an additional crew of 7. RAF Thurleigh was headquarters for the 306th Bomb Group and its four squadrons; the 367th, 368th, 369th, and 423rd. Upon arriving at Thurleigh the aircraft was christened “Sweet Pea.”

In March of 1943, Leon was awarded an Air Medal for extraordinary achievement in aerial flight. According to the 20 Apr 1943, Portland Press article: Leon was the Flight Engineer/Top Gunner on the B-17 Flying Fortress “Unbearable” piloted by Lieut Ralph W. Jones, “when the big craft, with a fire in its nose, ammunition exploding in the ball turret and its landing gear retracted, landed safely on 1 March ’43.“ The aircraft had been struck from underneath by another B-17 flying in formation during a training mission. Bamforth and another crewmember were able to contain the fire, allowing for a safe ‘wheels-up’ landing. Tech Sgt Bamforth was quoted “I’ll fly with that guy any time.” The “Unbearable” and Leon were attached to the 306th Bomb Group / 369th Bomb Squadron, flying out of RAF Thurleigh. In addition, his crew flew many missions in the “Meathound”

As being the “Top Turret Gunner”, he manned a rotating turret atop the aircraft, which was armed with twin 50-cal machine guns. This position also served as the onboard flight engineer; troubleshooting any issue which arose during flight.

After completing 25 combat missions, T/Sgt Bamforth was given a month-long furlough, and he returned home to Brunswick. While there, Leon joined the local VFW, Post-616; and in August of 1943 he gave an extensive interview with a reporter from The Brunswick Record. He mentioned that he had flown missions over France, Holland, Denmark, Norway, and Germany; earning an Air Medal with three Oak Clusters and the Distinguished Flying Cross. He told how he had shot down two enemy fighter planes from his position as a B-17, ‘Top Turret Gunner.’ On the 27th of Jan 1943, Leon’s 2nd mission, he and his crew took part in the first American daylight bombing raid over Wilhelmshaven, Germany. During these 25 missions, six of his crewmembers had been injured and Leon assisted in applying in-flight first aid. After this furlough, Leon was to report to the Salt Lake City replacement center. He expected that he would be assigned as an instructor somewhere in the US. During the interview, Leon mentioned that ‘a bad eye’ disqualified him from being a pilot, which had been his ambition.

For the next 10 months T/Sgt Bamforth was assigned to the 224th Combat Crew Training School, at the Sioux City Army Air Base, in Sioux City, Iowa. On 10 June 1944, Leon received a Certificate of Proficiency, and shortly after, he and his nine crewmembers, Combat Crew #4132, received Special Orders to the 305th Bomb Group/ 364th Bomb Squadron; located at USAAF Station #105, or RAF Chelveston near the village of Chelveston in North Hamptonshire, England; about 70 miles north of London. During the overseas transit flight to Chelveston, according to a crewmember, Leon took some turns piloting the aircraft, it was noted that, “it was not his specialty.” They flew their first mission on Jul 17th aboard the famed ‘Thundermug.’ They flew 4 more missions, and then on the 24th and 25th they participated in the 1st and only use of B-17 bombers, utilized in a tactical role, as part of Operation Cobra in St. Lo France. Too many allied troops were killed by friendly bombs and the aircraft was no longer used during that Operation.

On the 31st of July 1944, T/Sgt Bamforth was flying with the same flight crew which he had trained with in Iowa, aboard “The Leading Lady,” A/C No. 42-39948. It was a routine bombing mission to Munich, Germany, which took-off from RAF Chelveston. Leon manned his normal position as the Flight Engineer and Top Turret Gunner. Directly over the target area, the aircraft and Leon were struck by high-velocity flak; which penetrated his left temporoparietal region and caused his instantaneous death. He was the only crewmember KIA on that flight; and the aircraft, with his remains was able to return back to RAF Chelveston.

“The Leading Lady” surviving crewmember’s:

(P) Capt Eugene E. Henry O-761735

(CP) 1st Lt Carmine Savastano O-552431

(BMB) 2nd Lt Martin J. Lally O-771940

(NAV) 2nd Lt Paul K. Young O-718477

(RO) T/Sgt William E. Mauntel 35324416

(WG) T/Sgt Joseph L. Peed 14180858

(BT) S/Sgt Gerald R. Palmer 33731637

(TG) S/Sgt Dale J. Hanks 39291202

Leon was buried in the American Military Cemetery in Cambridge, England on 3 Aug 1944. Four years later Leon’s remains were returned to Maine; and on 14 Jul 1948 he had a full Military Service burial at the Varney Cemetery in Brunswick.

In October of 1948 the Brunswick VFW added Leon’s name to their name, becoming the Manwaring-Moreau-Bamford Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 616.

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“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 on Together We Served and Fold3. Can you help write these stories? Together we Served and Fold3/Find A Grave have smartphone apps that will allow people to visit any war memorial or cemetery and read these stories of the WWII fallen.”