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757. Pensacola's May Loss 5-10-1944 WWII

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Updated: Feb 27, 2022

US Air Corps Lieutenant Sidney Lowell Anderson was born in Defuniak Springs, Walton County, Florida on March 8, 1924, the son of Thomas Jefferson Anderson (1898-1971) and Claudia E. Davis (1902-1976). His father was a native of Walton County, Florida whereas his mother was born and raised in Pensacola. His father supported his family as an employee of the US Post Office and was the former principle of the Brent and Pleasant Grove Elementary Schools. To add to his life's accomplishments, he was also a retired minister serving several local churches as well as being the first minister at the Warrington Baptist Church. Sidney was the third of four children born to this union along with Willie Clarice (O'Gara) (1921-2002), Lance Warren (1923-2011), and Maxwell Lovell (1928-2005).


Growing up Sidney would attend all the local schools before enrolling in Pensacola High School where he was active in football, track, drama club, carnival court and the school choir. He would graduate in 1942 and continued his job as a laborer for the Hardaway Construction Company at NAS. Finally, both he and his older brother Lance enlisted together in the US Army Air Corps on February 23, 1935 at Gunter Field in Montgomery, Alabama. They were sent to Craig Air Field in Selma, Alabama where they completed their preliminary flight training. Soon after they attended their advanced training in single engine fighter aircraft. Upon completion, they were granted their wings as well as their commissions as second lieutenants on February 8, 1944.


Sidney was then transferred to Sarasota, Florida, which served as the Army's finishing school for fighter pilots before they were sent overseas in combat. Hardly had the young man reported into his new duty station before his bride to be joined him in Sarasota for their wedding. On February 28, 1944, he was joined in marriage to Miss Sarah Imogene Beckham. She had graduated from Pensacola High School in 1943 before entering nursing school at the Pensacola Hospital. She was the daughter of Thomas Verne Beckham (1862-1981) who worked in Civil Service and Connie Ethylene Turner (1905-1991) who was a bookkeeper. Her father was also a WWI corporal in the US Army from 1916-1919 and is buried at Barrancas National Cemetery. Her parents married in 1924 in Bay County, Florida and he would retire from Civil Service NAS in 1954.


But the war was not going to wait for the young couple to get well acquainted so Sidney had to return immediately to his training while Imogene began setting up their household in Sarasota. Sidney and the other trainees were being oriented to the P-39, P-47, P-40 and eventually the P-51 Mustang aircraft. There were four bombing and gunnery ranges built in the area for the new pilots to practice and hone their killing skills. They used bombs filled with white powder mixed in with the gunpowder so the spotters could see where the bombs landed and evaluate the pilot's accuracy. However, this type of training was not without its dangers! There were many a young, inexperienced pilot killed during these dangerous bombing runs.


Then, three weeks after their wedding the unthinkable happened! On May 10, 1944, Sidney was participating in a dive bombing exercise when something went wrong. Whether it was pilot error or mechanical malfunction will probably never be known but regardless Sidney crashed and was killed instantly. Imogene and his parents were notified immediately and began making arrangements to bring him home to Pensacola. On May 14, Imogene and a military escort arrived with his remains and the young Pensacolian was laid to rest in St. John's Cemetery with full military honors. Even his brother Lance was able to get emergency leave to come home from Craig Field where he was on duty as an instructor.

























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