1Lt Robert E. Kingsley Cemetery Plaque
Details:
Inside the cemetery, on the Rue de Chenneviéres, near the southeastern gate.
Plaque
A white rectangular plaque with a background image of 1Lt Kingsley, containing a commemoration message as well as a brief history of his crash. The plaque is written in French. The current plaque is the replacement of the old one.
Source of photos: Claude Faix / www.aerosteles.net
Monument Text:
À la mémoire de
Robert E. KINGSLEY
FIRST LIEUTENANT U.S. ARMY AIR FORCE
55 th bomber squadron, 386 th bomber Group medium
Auteur d'un acte de bravoure
Décédé le 27 mai 1944 à la Patte d'Oie d'Herblay
dans le crash de son B.26 Marauder
Touché par la défense aérienne allemande au retour de mission sur le pont ferroviaire de Sartrouville, l'appareil du Lieutenant Kingsley, en flammes et ne disposant plus que d'un seul moteur, perdit rapidement de l'altitude.
Resté aux commandes, il parvint à le maintenir en vol et évita son écrasement sur le centre-ville- d'Herblay trés fréquenté en ce jour de féte foraine. Par son sacrifice, il permit le parachutage des 5 membres d'équipage.
Plaque dévoilée le 25 août 2019, par Phillipe Rouleau, Mairie d'Herblay-sur-Seine, à l'occasion du 75e Anniversaire de la Libération de la Ville, en témoignage de notre reconnaissance pour les nombreuses vies épargnées, en présence de la famille du Lieutenant, spécialement venue des États-Unis.
English translation:
In memory of
Robert E. KINGSLEY
FIRST LIEUTENANT U.S. ARMY AIR FORCE
55th Bomber Squadron, 386th Bomber Group Medium
An act of bravery
Died on May 27, 1944 at Patte d'Oie d'Herblaydans
In the crash of his B.26 Marauder
Hit by German air defenses returning from a mission on the Sartrouville railway bridge, Lieutenant Kingsley's aircraft, in flames and with only one engine left, rapidly lost altitude.
Staying at the controls, he managed to keep the plane in the air and prevent it from crashing into the busy Herblay town center on the day of the fair. By his sacrifice, he enabled the parachuting of the 5 crew members.
The plaque was unveiled on August 25, 2019, by Phillipe Rouleau, Herblay-sur-Seine town hall, on the occasion of the 75th Anniversary of the Liberation of the town, as a token of our gratitude for the many lives spared, in the presence of the Lieutenant's family, specially flown in from the United States.
Commemorates:
People:
Units:
386th Bomber Group
555th Bomb Squadron, 386th Bomb Group
9th Air Force
US Army Air Corps
Wars:
WWII
Other images :