Stanley Russell Wells was born on December 15, 1922, in Granger, Scotland County, Missouri. He was the son of Isaac Russell Wells and Lotsy Ellen Brown Wells. He was married to Gladys Taylor. He enlisted in the service on July 28, 1942. He served in the 53rd Troop Carrier Squadron, 61st Troop Carrier Group, as a Staff Sergeant and Radio Operator of C-109 #42-51766 during World War II.

On the morning of December 18, 1944, the C-109 Liberator Express, #42-51766, took off from RAF Barkston Heath as part of a routine transport and training mission under the U.S. Army Air Forces 61st Troop Carrier Group (53rd Troop Carrier Squadron). Shortly after takeoff, while climbing and turning over the countryside near Carlton Scroop, the aircraft was involved in a mid-air collision with another U.S. transport-configured B-24, known as “Lazy Lou.” The C-109 sustained catastrophic damage when one of Lazy Lou’s propellers shredded its rear control surfaces. Losing stability almost instantly, the aircraft began a fatal descent over the village. It narrowly missed the school and church before crashing in flames in a nearby field, exploding on impact and killing all five crew members.

SSgt Wells was Killed in Action and is now buried in the Keokuk National Cemetery, Keokuk, Lee County, Iowa, USA.

Source of information: www.findagrave.com, www.americanairmuseum.com, www.loveden.org.uk