William Patrick Skeffington was born on March 17, 1917, in Lisbon, Ransom County, North Dakota. He served in the 20th Bombardment Squadron, 2nd Bombardment Group, as an Aviation Cadet and Ball Turret Gunner of B-17G #44-6440 during World War II.

On March 22, 1945, the B-17 #44-6440 was lost during a combat mission over Germany in the closing weeks of World War II. The aircraft was part of a daylight bombing operation flown by the Fifteenth Air Force, which at that stage of the war was focused on disrupting remaining German transportation networks, industrial targets, and military infrastructure. During the mission, the bomber came under intense German anti-aircraft fire. Critically damaged and unable to maintain formation, the aircraft attempted to break away but ultimately crashed near the town of Großräschen, in present-day Brandenburg, Germany. The crash claimed the lives of nine crew members, all of whom were killed when the aircraft went down, leaving no known survivors.

AVC Skeffington is now interred alongside some of his fellow crew members in a shared grave at Fort McPherson National Cemetery in Maxwell, Lincoln County, Nebraska, USA.

Source of information: www.findagrave.com, U.S. Army Air Forces Missing Air Crew Reports (MACR)