Vernon Pearce Winton, Jr. was born at Memphis, Shelby County, Tennessee on September 19, 1921. His parents were Vernon Pearce Winton (6 Aug 1897 – 27 Mar 1974), who was born at Somerville, Morgan County, Alabama; and Ione D. (Driver) Winton (29 Oct 1896 – 31 Oct 1988), who was born at Osceola, Mississippi County, Arkansas. His parents married at Memphis, Tennessee in October 1920. His father was an insurance agent. He had a sister, Ione (Winton) Wilson (2 Dec 1923 – 27 May 2013). The family home was at 1295 Worthington, Memphis, Tennessee, his home of record.
He graduated from Central High School in Memphis about 1939, and from the University of Rochester (NY) George Eastman School of Music in 1943. During his college years he was a member of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra led by conductor José Iturbi. He was also a cellist with the Memphis Symphony Orchestra.
He registered for the draft at Rochester, New York on February 16, 1942. He was 5 feet 10 inches tall, weighed 143 pounds, and had blue eyes and brown hair. At that time he was a student at the University of Rochester. He was single when he enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps at Memphis, Tennessee on September 1, 1942. He graduated from the University of Rochester and received a bachelor of music degree in cello performance in Spring 1943. He was called to active duty by January 1944.
He completed Army Air Forces pilot training at Turner Field in Albany, Georgia, and was assigned as copilot on the heavy bomber crew of Lt Cecil R. Parker. The Parker crew completed B-17 operational training in the States, and was assigned to the 837th Bomb Squadron, 487th Bomb Group, at Army Air Forces Station 137 near Lavenham, Suffolk, England. They arrived at Station 137 by December 7, 1944, and became part of the 8th U.S. Army Air Force in Europe. Here is Lt Parker's crew roster on February 6, 1945:
B-17G 43-38044 crew:
• Parker, Cecil R – 2/Lt – Pilot – POW
• Winton Jr, Vernon P – 2/Lt – Copilot – KIA
• Floyd Jr, Thomas M – 2/Lt – Navigator – POW
• Enders, Leroy – Sgt – Togglier – POW
• Pointon, Floyd R – Sgt – Engineer – POW
• Burrow, Robert G – S/Sgt – Radio Operator – POW
• Rowe, Donald F – Sgt – Ball Turret Gunner – POW
• Domitrovich, George – Sgt – Waist Gunner – POW
• Endres, Eugene J – Sgt – Tail Gunner – POW
On February 6, 1945, the Parker crew flew B-17G 43-38044 'Picadilly Lilley' on a mission to Chemnitz, Germany. This was Lt Winton's tenth combat mission. The aircraft was hit by flak on the return from the mission and caught fire, which forced the crew to bail out. The aircraft crashed at 1045 hours in a field near Triptis, Thuringen, Germany, 20 to 25 kilometers southwest of Gera. Lt Winton was killed in action when his parachute failed, and he fell to the ground on the outskirts of Triptis. The other eight crew members survived and became prisoners of war.
He was buried at the local cemetery in Triptis, Germany. His remains were returned to the United States and reinterred at Forest Hill Midtown Cemetery in Memphis, Tennessee, on October 25, 1948. He is buried next to his parents.
He is honored on the Shelby County World War II Memorial at Veterans Plaza in Overton Park, Memphis, Tennessee; on the 487th Bomb Group Roll of Honour at the Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul in Lavenham, England; and on the 487th Bomb Group Roll of Honor Memorial at the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force in Pooler, Georgia.
Source of information: Paul M. Webber, www.findagrave.com