Robert Wagner Tinsley was born on June 9, 1920. He resided in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania prior to the war. He enlisted in the Army Air Corps on December 27, 1941 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He was noted, at the time of his enlistment, as being employed as a Laboratory technician and/or assistant and also as Single, without dependents. Robert served as a Second Lieutenant and Pilot on C-46A #42-61067, 1328th Army Air Force Base Unit, U.S. Army Air Force during World War II.

C-46A #42-61067 took off from Chanyi, China on a flight to Misamari, India. They crashed near Kayi Ligok, India possibly due to continuous rain, thunderstorms, overcast, and icing between 16,000 ft. and 20,000 ft. The entire crew was lost on this flight. His name is commemorated on the Walls of the Missing, Manila American Cemetery, Taguig City, Philippines. He also has a cenotaph located in Massachusetts National Cemetery, Bourne, Barnstable County, Massachusetts.

In 2009 this crash site was found. There were, however, no remains recovered.

2Lt Tinsley was one of over 2000 Americans who lost their lives defending China from their Japanese invaders from 1941-1945. He is also commemorated on the The Monument to the Aviation Martyrs in the War of Resistance Against Japan in Nanjing, China.

Source of information: www.findagrave.com, www.abmc.gov