William E. Jones was born at Los Angeles County, California, on December 18, 1923. His parents were Roy Freeman Jones (12 Nov 1897 –25 Jul 1969), who was born in California and died at Pasadena, Los Angeles County, California; and Irma Brown-Jones (18 Dec 1902 – 17 Aug 1969), who was born in Kansas and died at Garnett, Anderson County, Kansas. Apparently his parents met at Harris Village, Reeder Township, Anderson County, Kansas; they married at Jackson County, Missouri on July 20, 1918. In September 1918 they lived at Harris Village in Anderson County, Kansas, and his father was a bookkeeper for New England National Bank. In February 1920 his parents still lived at Harris Village, Kansas, and his father was a bank cashier. By 1930 the family home was at 1977 North El Molino Avenue, Altadena, Pasadena Township, Los Angeles County, California, and his father was a bank escrow officer. In April 1940 he lived with his parents at Ottawa City, Franklin County, Kansas, where his parents owned and operated a beer parlor. By 1944 the family had returned to 1977 North El Molino Avenue, Pasadena (Altadena), California. He had a brother, Robert Jones (abt 1922 – unk). His home of record was Pasadena, California. He completed one year of college and worked in a semiskilled occupation in the building of aircraft. He was single when he enlisted in the U.S. Army at Los Angeles, California on February 11, 1943.

He completed Army Air Forces aerial gunnery training, and was assigned to the heavy bomber crew of Lt Joseph P. Willis in the 838th Bomb Squadron, 487th Bomb Group. The Willis crew completed B-24 crew training with the 487th Bomb Group at Alamogordo Army Air Base, New Mexico, and deployed with the Group to England in March 1944. They flew B-24H 42-52577 overseas via the southern Atlantic ferry route—a journey of about 10,000 miles—and arrived in England by mid-April 1944. The 487th Bomb Group was based at Army Air Forces Station 137 near Lavenham, Suffolk, England, and was part of the 8th U.S. Army Air Force in Europe.

On May 29, 1944 the 487th Bomb Group dispatched two Squadrons of B-24s to bomb the oil refinery at Politz, Germany (which is now Police, Poland). After leaving the target, the formation was attacked by German fighters in the vicinity of the rally point. Sgt Jones and eight of his crewmates went missing in action when their aircraft, B-24H 42-52577, was shot down by German Me 410 fighters and exploded over the Baltic Sea within sight of Bornholm Island. Their bodies were never found.

The aircraft was seen going down due north of the target at about 54°02'N, 14°42'E, one to two miles from the coast. Lt Willis assumed a northwesterly course towards Sweden. Witnesses saw fuel leaking from the bomb bay, which appeared to stop when an engine was feathered. The aircraft exploded, and witnesses saw it crash in the Baltic Sea at 1240 hours at 54°47'N, 14°00'E, about 20 miles northeast of Rugen Island, Germany. The navigator, Lt Edgar Allan Grabhorn, was blown clear in the explosion and survived. He was rescued later that day at 1815 hours by the German fishing vessel Oskar Friedrich at 54°39'N, 14°36'E, where he was found floating in a life raft. He became a prisoner of war.

Sgt Jones is memorialized on the Wall of the Missing at Cambridge American Cemetery. He also has a cenotaph at Arlington National Cemetery, Virginia.

B-24H 42-52577 crew:
• Willis, Joseph P – 2/Lt – Pilot – MIA
• Wasson, Robert L – 2/Lt – Copilot – MIA
• Grabhorn, Edgar A – 2/Lt – Navigator – POW
• Slusarczyk, Stanley A – 2/Lt – Bombardier – MIA
• Estright, Alfred T – Sgt – Engineer – MIA
• Robinson Jr, Richard S – S/Sgt – Radio Operator – MIA
• Rodgers, Gilbert E – Sgt – Ball Turret – MIA
• Pierson, Robert E – Sgt – Nose Turret – MIA
• Jones, William E – Sgt – Top Turret – MIA
• Donnelly, Robert J – Sgt – Tail Turret – MIA

Source of information: Paul M. Webber, www.findagrave.com, www.abmc.gov