top of page

737. Pensacola's November Loss 11-12-1944 WWII

Writer's picture: AuthorAuthor

Updated: Feb 28, 2022

US Army Air Corps Staff Sergeant Fred Roy Rainey Jr. was born in Pensacola, Florida on February 29, 1924, the son of Fred Roy Rainey Sr. (1896-1955) and Daisy Belle Hendrich (1905-2002). His father was born in Illinois and entered the work force in Peoria working for the Peoples Drill & Seeder Company in 1916. He would enlist in the US Navy during WWI and served from December 1917 until July 1919. His mother was born in Pensacola and apparently was his father's second wife. Daisy was the daughter of John William Hendrich (1876-1927) and Ida Louraine Fell (1881-1964) who married in 1897. Her father supported his family working for the Pensacola Shipbuilding Company. Both of her parents are buried in Myrtle Grove Cemetery.


After WWII, Fred and Daisy are listed in 1945 as living at 2520 West Lloyd Street with their daughter Emogene Ethel (1929-) with Fred working as a laborer. However, during this same year he became self-employed and lived out of a trailer traveling from town to town for the Billboard Publishing Company from Cincinnati, OH. Three years later, he and Daisy are living at 2806 West Jackson Street with Fred running a concessions stand at Gulf Beach.


After WWII began, Fred Jr. would graduate from Pensacola High School in the Class of 1942 before enrolling in Perkinston College in Perkinston, Mississippi. During this period, he worked for the Byers Brother's Shows until his sophomore year. At that time, he would enlist in the US Army Air Corps on December 31, 1942 at Camp Shelby, Mississippi. He was assigned to the 498th Bombardment Squadron of the 345th Bombardment Group. His squadron was activated in 1942 and was comprised of B-25 medium bombers. After training, they were to be deployed to Europe however, this was changed in April 1943 to the Southwest Pacific. Accordingly, their bombers were installed with fourteen .50 machine guns to equip them for strafing missions.


Until July 1944, the squadron flew out of bases in New Guinea where they bombed and strafed Japanese installations throughout the Bismarck Archipelago. After the battle for Leyte began in the Philippines in October 1944, the squadron was ordered to sail for Mokmer Airfield located at Dulag (Leyte). There, they would disembark and begin operations in support of the invasion. The squadron loaded onto the six transports in October at Biak with Staff Sergeant Rainey boarding the SS Thomas Nelson. The trip was slow since the liberty ships could only travel at 8-10 knots at best. Soon they arrived off Dulag on October 29, 1944 and anchored up with the convoy. But when they arrived, they were unable to unload because the base was not ready for them. Consequently, they were forced to remain aboard on their ships anchored off Dulag.


Then suddenly on November 12th around lunchtime, ten Japanese bombers roared in from the horizon heading straight for the transports. They flew through the 20-mm antiaircraft fire as one enemy kamikaze slammed into the aft of the SS Thomas Nelson. A huge fiery explosion erupted in the #4 four hold where Fred and his squadron were quartered. Many of the men were now trapped next to the ammunition as the fire raged. A total of 168 men were killed even though the ship survived the attack. Everywhere the survivors could see the bodies of the dead or very seriously wounded. There were also people in the water alongside the ship, some blown overboard and some jumped to escape the raging inferno.


The body of Pensacolian Fred Roy Rainey Jr. was recovered and buried ashore in a temporary cemetery. Per request of his family, he was disinterred and transported back to Pensacola where he was buried with full military honors in the Myrtle Grove Cemetery in February 1949.















3 views0 comments

Recent Posts

See All

Comentarios


  • facebook
  • twitter
  • linkedin

©2018 by Unique History of Pensacola. Proudly created with Wix.com

bottom of page