Lawrence Fred Watson Jr. was born on December 23, 1923, in Anderson, Anderson County, South Carolina. He was the son of Lawrence Fred Watson Sr. and Hazel Alberta Pruitt Watson. He served in the 451st Bomber Squadron, 322nd Bomber Group, Medium, as a Second Lieutenant and Co-Pilot of B-26G #43-34422 during World War II.

On March 18, 1945, the aircraft crashed near airfield A-61 in Beauvais-Tillé, France, shortly after takeoff for a mission targeting road infrastructure in Germany. While assembling into formation, a piloting error led to a mid-air collision with another B-26, serial number 43-34409, at approximately 08:50. The crash resulted in the complete destruction of both aircraft.

2Lt Watson was Killed in Action and is now buried in the Silver Brook Cemetery, Anderson, Anderson County, South Carolina, USA.

Source of information: http://francecrashes39-45.net/