Nicholson Hamp Brookshire, Jr.

Monuments

Fallen Bombers in Médoc Information Boards

Fallen Bombers in Médoc Monument

Name:

Hamp Brookshire, Jr. Nicholson

Rank:

Staff Sergeant

Serial Number:

34313115

Unit:

560th Bomber Squadron, 388th Bomber Group

Date of Death:

1976-01-08

State:

North Carolina

Cemetery:

Spring Hill Cemetery, Scotland County, North Carolina

Plot:

Row:

Grave:

Decoration:

Air Medal

Comments:

Hamp Brookshire Nicholson, Jr. was born on October 12, 1920, in Monroe, North Carolina. He was the son of Hamp Brookshire Nicholson and Elizabeth Marie Ledbetter Nicholson. He was married to Gladys Josephine Walters Nicholson.

Hamp Brookshire, Jr. served in the 560th Bomber Squadron, 388th Bomber Group, Heavy, as a Staff Sergeant and Tail Gunner on the B-17 #42-5899 'Sioux City Queen' during World War II.

On January 5, 1944, his crew took off from Station 136 airfield in Knettishall, England, for a mission to bomb the Bordeaux-Mérignac airfield in France. Shot down by flak and fighters at around 11:00 AM, they evacuated their plane by parachute at 6,000 feet except for PFC Sautter, who was mortally injured. Their aircraft crashed in St-Laurent-Médoc, France. Of the crew members who were able to bail out, three members were captured by the Germans and taken as prisoners, 5 evaded the capture, and another casualty due to an unopened parachute. SSgt Nicholson was one of the evadees. He died on January 8, 1976, at the age of 55, in Durham, and is now buried in the Spring Hill Cemetery, Scotland County, North Carolina, USA.

Source of information: www.findagrave.com, francecrashes39-45.net