William 'Bill' Madison Rumsey Jr.


Capt    0-728740    612th
California
1921 - 1944

Pilot aboard 42-37833 (Omar The Dentmaker)


    

                                                                                          Normandy cemetery, France
                                                                                          Plot : B , Row : 9 , Grave : 32.






     William (Bill) was born Aug 2, 1921, in Sacramento, California.
     He enlisted to the air corps.

     In 1943 he arrived in England to join the 401st BG
     His last mission, March 26, target: Watten , France.


     They were hit by flak over Pas de Calais and exploded.

     He was awarded with an Air Medal and a Purple Heart Medal

     In 1944, when Bill died on the age of 20 he left behind his family :

         His father, William Madison Rumsey
         His mother, Christine Clemensen





Mission to Watten, France, operation " Crossbow " (Nazi rocket sites), just before bomb run, plane was hit by flak.
Chrashed near Bouquemaison, France.



                         It was on Sunday morning, March 26, 1944, the crew was called to an early briefing.

                         
        L - R, back row: Michael R. Walsh - WILLIAM M. RUMSEY - Donald B. Roberts - Lt. Colonel White.
                    L - R Front row: Harold S. Arnold - William W. Carter - Irving I. Lieberman - Ivan R. Lee.



     The target was Pas de Calais, france and the V-1 installlations from which the Germans launched their
     rocket attacks on Britain.
     It was considered a mild run as serious opposition was seldom encountered recently.

     The crew crossed the channel and headed towards the Initial Point.
     No fighters were in sight, and no flak had been seen.

     It was just as the crew were starting on the bomb run that it happened.
     A shell exploded suddenly inside the plane behind the pilot, Capt William M Rumsey.
     A single burst of flak had hit them squarly.

     The plane immediately went out of control and according to eyewitnesses from other planes, the plane
     flew upside down and backwards through the formation.

     The plane began to disintregate, wings, engines, etc, breaking off.

     Two crew members bailed out just before the plane exploded.

     A French men, J. Yaequemelle, found the bodies of the eight men, no chutes were open.
     William obviously died before coming to earth.
     He was requisitioned to take a wagon and two horses and to take the dead soldiers to the cemetery of
     their village, Bouquemaison, Somme, Picardie, France

     William and his mates were buried side by side in their uniforms.

     On June 10, 1945 the bodies of the eight airmen were exhumed by American forces to be buried in
     a military cemetry.

     William was buried in the Normandy Cemetery.




               The Rumsey's have a long history in Folsom, California, 6 generations.

               His father had a store on Sutter street, a place where you could find almost everything.


                  

               In the early 40's you could find young Bill Rumsey Jr most of the time there.

               Billy was a good atleet and he was likable, happy and always had a good sence of humor.

               Bill was the uncle of Rich Rumsey and the nephew of Elmer McBeth.

               I found a short movie about street names of Folsom.
               There is a street named after Bill, Rumsey Way.

                  

                                                                MAY HE ALWAYS BE REMEMBERED.



    

If you have questions, remarks or information , please feel free to Email me
or leave a message in my guestbook

Top