50 Years Ago – September, 1972

50 Years Ago – September, 1972

By Jim Ignasher   

September, 1972

     Steven Neri of Tarklin Road enlisted in the United States Army.

     Airman 1/c David Lariviere of Esmond was serving in the U. S. Air Force.

     S/Sgt. Donald C. Shaw of Esmond was serving as a weapons specialist with the U. S. Air Force at Sawyer AFB in Michigan.

     Navy Petty Officer 2/c Joseph F. Greene of Spragueville was training at the Quonset Naval Air station.

     Boy Scout Troop 76 of Greenville, under the leadership of Orlando Spinella, volunteered to take part in cleanup efforts along the banks of the Blackstone River.

     Boy Scout troop 14 of Greenville held their monthly meeting in the Masonic Hall in Greenville.

     The Smithfield Boys Club, (Today known as the Smithfield YMCA) was still under construction, and was reported to be 75% completed.   

September, 1972

     Marilyn Maltais of Esmond was crowned “Beach Queen” at the conclusion of the summer swim program sponsored by the Smithfield recreational Department.

     On September 5, the Smithfield Raiders pre-teen football team beat the Lincoln Falcons 30 – 0.

     In 1972 the East Smithfield Library was housed in the left side of the Esmond Recreational Center. The right side, which had contained bowling alleys was renovated, to provide larger space for the library. Shortly after the renovations were completed, a group of teenaged volunteers helped to move 7,500 books, as well as tables, chairs, shelves, file cabinets, and assorted other items from the left side of the building to the right. The entire process took only two-and-half-days.

     A local auto dealership was attempting to clear out their used car inventory. A 1971 Mercury Capri could be had for $2,195; a ’71 Ford Ranch Wagon for $2,950; a 1970 Plymouth Fury for $1,450; and a 1968 Volkswagon convertible for $1,177.   

September, 1972

     On September 23, the Smithfield Jaycees held a Monte Carlo Night at the Waterman Lake Pavilion, which included gaming tables, roulette wheels, and dice games. Free beer and sandwiches were provided.

     It was also on September 23 that annual “Apple Harvest Outdoor Art Festival” was held at Waterman Field in Greenville, sponsored by an organization known as Art Group ’70.

     Deborah Cimaglio of Greenville won first place in the Burrillville Arts Festival in the teenage oil painting division.

     On September 26, the Rotunda, the translucent dome at the center of the Bryant College Unistructure was dedicated the “Koffler Rotunda” in honor of Sol Koffler, a benefactor to the college. Koffler, a Polish immigrant, came to America and established the luggage company known as American Tourister.

    The residents of the Greenville Manor held a picnic sponsored by the tenants association.   

September, 1972

Old Stone Bank was offering 6% interest on savings accounts.

     The popular long running television shows: The Walton’s, The Bob Newhart Show, The New Price Is Right, and M*A*S*H, made their first network television appearances in September of 1972.

     Hit songs of September 1972 included “Brandy (You’re a Fine Girl) by looking Glass; “Long Cool Woman in a Black Dress” by The Hollies; and “Back Stabbers” by The O’Jays.

50 Years Ago – August, 1971

50 years Ago – August, 1971

By Jim Ignasher   

August 5, 1971

     Navy Petty Officer First Class Albert R. Almon was serving aboard the aircraft carrier U.S.S. Wasp.

     Major Russell W. Turner of Greenville graduated from Command and General Staff school and was stationed in Augusta, Georgia.

     Boy Scout Troops 3 and 64, both of Greenville, spent a week camping at Camp Yawgoog.

     On August 1st, the crew of the Apollo 15 moon mission left a plaque on the surface of the moon honoring the 14 American astronauts and Russian cosmonauts who had lost their lives in the service of their country while working to further space exploration.

     Apollo 15 returned to Earth on the 7th.

     The Circus Wagon Theatre Company arrived at Whipple Field to give a performance of a play called “Shirley, Shirley”, the story of a spoiled brat who leaves the circus and experiences a series of life altering adventures before returning with a new attitude. The play was performed in pantomime from the rear deck of a red, white, and blue, flatbed truck equipped with a trampoline, a small swimming pool, a slide, and a jungle gym. The actors were all theatre majors from the University of Rhode Island. The next scheduled performance was at Burgess Field in Greenville. The troupe was slated to perform at 120 playgrounds throughout the state during the summer.   

August, 1971

     John B. Tessaglia A. I. A. of North Providence, was chosen as the architect to design Smithfield’s new police station on Pleasant View Avenue. The land for the new station was donated by Smithfield residents Burton and Mary Mowry.

     On August 12, the newly constructed Bryant College (now university) campus was nearing completion and getting ready to receive students for the fall semester. A bar which once existed on the campus known as “The Rathskeller” was granted a liquor license by the town.

     Meanwhile the college petitioned the town to abandon that portion of John Mowry Road which crossed the campus. Local residents were split on the issue, as were the police and fire departments, but history has shown the request was granted.

     A muscular dystrophy fund raising carnival was held at 34 Second Street in Esmond, by Meridee Goodwin and Rene Buteau, which raised $56.64 for the Muscular Dystrophy Association.

     On August 21, the Balfour – Cole American Legion Post on Pleasant View Avenue held a mortgage burning ceremony. The public was invited and refreshments were served.

     Hit songs heard on the radio in August of ’71 included “You’ve Got A Friend” by James Taylor, “How Can You Mend A Broken Heart?” by the Bee Gees, and “I Feel The Earth Move” by Carole King.  

August, 1971

     On August 25th the Apple Valley Cinema expanded by opening a fourth movie theatre making it the second cinema complex in Rhode Island to contain four theatres. If one went to the movies they might have seen “Plaza Suite”, a comedy by playwright Neil Simon that takes place in New York City’s Plaza Hotel, or “Summer of ‘42”, a coming of age film set in Nantucket during WWII, or “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory”, the story of a boy who finds a golden ticket in a chocolate bar and visits Wonka’s candy factory, or “Who Is Harry Kellerman And Why Is He Saying Those Terrible Things About Me?”, which was about a music composer trying to track down Kellerman.

     Also on August 25th the Greenville Senior Sunshiners took a one-day trip to New Hampshire.

     On August 28th an “old fashioned” square dance, sponsored by the Citizens for the Preservation of Waterman Lake, was held at the Waterman’s Lake Beach Club.

     t was also on August 28th that a severe thunderstorm blew through the Greenville area knocking down trees and causing power outages.

50 Years Ago – October, 1967

50 Years Ago – October, 1967

By Jim Ignasher

     October 1, 1967 marked the 60th anniversary of the Greenville Grange, an organization that promoted community and agriculture.

     Henry S. Turner and a group of other influential citizens are credited for the formation of the Greenville Grange which held its first meeting in 1907 in the vestry of the Greenville Baptist Church.

     The officers elected at that meeting were: Henry S. Turner, Master; Nicholas S. Winsor, Overseer; Mrs. Henry Eldredge, Lecturer; Thomas K. Winsor, (aka “The Apple King”), Steward; Frank Colwell, Assistant Steward; James Winsor, Chaplain; Mary M. Steere, Treasurer; Mary B. Lamb, Secretary; Frank Grant, Gatekeeper; Mary Barden, Ceres; Lizzie A. Hill, Pomona, Alice Blanchard, Flora; Jennie A. Winsor, Lady Assistant Steward.

     The organization initially held its meetings at the church before deciding to utilize the upstairs portion of Wilkinson Hall which once stood across the street from the Baptist Church on the corner of Austin Avenue and Route 44, where a dry cleaners and law office are located today. The first floor or Wilkinson Hall was occupied by the Smithfield Market, but the upper floors were used for meetings and entertainment,

     Wilkinson Hall burned to the ground in 1916, necessitating the grange meetings to once again be held in the church. A short time later the Greenville Grange began to hold its meetings in the back room of Tobey’s Store, which once stood on the corner of Route 44 and Smith Avenue, on the site now occupied by Wood Items and More. Tobey’s store burned on January 23, 1924, and was replaced by the brick building that stands today.

     In 1939 the Greenville Grange acquired the former Greenville School, a building that dated to 1874, and converted it to a Grange Hall. The school stood on Austin Avenue, just in from Route 44, until the 1980s when it was demolished to make way for new development.

     On October 10, 1967, the Grange held an open house party to celebrate the anniversary and invited the public to attend. In preparation of the event, the building had been refurbished and painted. Presiding at the celebration was Master Joseph Connetti.

     State Master Woodrow Tucker presented awards to Greenville Grange members for community progress, membership growth, and home economics.

     Music was provided by Priscilla Lowell and her orchestra.

     On October 3, the Bernon Library, that in 1967 stood at 15 Homestead Ave., and the Esmond Free Public Library, which occupied the former Esmond Recreation Hall at 7 Esmond Street, merged together to form the Esmond Free Public Library Corporation. The name was changed shortly afterwards to the East Smithfield Public Library.

     At the time of the merger it was hoped that a new library building could be built within the next three years. Meanwhile, the library would continue to operate at both locations.

     Airman 2/C Brian P. McCaffrey of Greenville was home on leave before his deployment to Vietnam.

     Airman 1/C Thomas D. Paiva of Esmond was serving with the Air Force Security Police at Tan Son Nhut Air Base in Vietnam.

     Lieutenant (j.g.) Warren Manchester was appointed commander of the Smithfield Junior Naval Cadets.  

     The annual Smithfield Harvest Festival was held at Waterman’s Lake on October 8. Besides the traditional games and rides, entertainment included a trick-motorcycle exhibition performed by New England’s champion rider “Chubby DeCubellis”, as well as a multiple parachute drop by members of the North Central Sky Diving Club.

     Square dancing music was performed by Russ King & Co., and dance music for the “younger generation”, (Who would be in their 50s and 60s today.) was provided by a group called “The Pastel Shaydes”. (Their spelling.)

     Bryant College, (Now Bryant University), announced that it was going to develop the 220 acre parcel of land on Route 7 it had received as a gift from Earl S. Tupper. One local newspaper reported that the campus would be known as “Tupper Campus on Memory Hill”. (How many knew that? I didn’t.)

     The land included several buildings, one being a former aircraft hangar, and the other being the Captain Joseph Mowry House that dates to 1708. The hangar is now gone, but the Mowry House still stands.    

 

 

 

 

Protecting Bryant University

By Jim Ignasher

 

    Author’s note: While a student at Bryant College in the late 1970s, I worked for the campus security.         

Sgt. Jack Currier
Bryant College Security Dept.

     It was a peaceful evening in September of 1979, and Sergeant Jack Currier of the Bryant College Security Department was on foot patrol in the Townhouse Village when the upper windows of a unit in G-Block suddenly exploded outwards followed by sheets of flame.  Currier radioed for the fire department before entering the building to search for victims, but intense heat and smoke drove him back into the street.  The fire began to spread to an adjacent unit, but fortunately there were no injuries, for the residents of the burning townhouse weren’t home, and others evacuated safely. The cause of the fire was blamed on a smoldering cigarette ash on the couch.

    It could be said that the Bryant campus is a community, and the incident mentioned illustrates the need for those to keep it safe.  Today the campus is patrolled by the Bryant University Department of Public Safety, a professional organization that provides 24/7 protection by being the first responders to all on-campus emergencies and calls for assistance.  As such, the job entails certain risks, for they never know what they might encounter. The same was true in the early days of the department’s history, when the world, and the campus, were much different than today.

    When Bryant’s Smithfield campus opened in 1972, the town was more rural, and the campus more isolated. Route 7 was a two-lane road, and the intersection of Route 116 was regulated by stop signs.  There were no hotels, industrial park, or business plazas between the college and Route 295.  

    Initially, the college contracted with a private security company, but for various reasons the arrangement didn’t work out, so a permanent campus security department was established.   

     At the time, Bryant had a criminal justice program as part of its curriculum which included students who lived on campus.  Some of these students became the first members of the Bryant College Student Patrol, the first public safety agency for the college.  The new Student Patrol adopted uniforms similar to those worn by the Smithfield police at the time; light blue shirts, dark blue pants, and “Smokey Bear” Stetsons.  

    The department’s first chief was Robert Gardner, a retired San Diego police detective, who along with three sergeants supervised the part-time student patrol.  Gradually more full-time positions were created and within a relatively short time the name of the organization changed from “Student Patrol” to “Security”.  By 1978, the department had about an equal number of full-time officers and part-time student patrolmen.

    Student positions weren’t limited to criminal justice majors, but few outside that major applied. The pay was $2.69 an hour, and it was the highest paying job a student could get on campus. Full-time officers received much better pay with benefits.

    Training to be a campus security officer in the 1970s was minimal.  A new officer would be assigned to a senior officer for a few days to be given instruction, and then be put on his own.  The campus population was relatively small compared with today, and the job for the student officer was particularly difficult for they were often dealing with peers or classmates.

    In the late 1970s, Smithfield’s fire department relied on volunteers between the hours of 5 p.m. and 8 a.m., which meant response time to Bryant during those hours could take 15 minutes or longer depending on weather and availability.  This situation led two student patrolmen, Jeff Hutchinson, and Mike Cei, to establish the Bryant College Emergency Medical Technician’s Association, which enabled on-campus volunteer EMTs to be available as first responders.  This organization was run entirely by students who became certified EMTs by attending night classes at C.C.R.I. in Lincoln, at their own expense.  

    Two EMTs were scheduled for duty at all times, day and night.  Each carried a pager that could receive radio transmissions from the security department – very hi-tech for the time.  When needed, the dispatcher would “activate” the pagers and advise the EMTs where they were needed.  The security patrol car would carry first-aid equipment to the scene.    

    The EMTs were kept busy answering all types of calls, from the mundane to the very serious, and provided care until the fire department arrived.  On occasions where an ambulance was unavailable, or deemed not needed, transportation to Fogarty Hospital in North Smithfield would be made with the security patrol car. (Fogarty Hospital no longer exists.)  

    The EMT Association was disbanded in the 1980s.     

    One duty of the security officers in the 1970s was to investigate all fire alarms on campus. In most cases they were accidental, or due to a prank, and once the “problem” was found officers would re-set the system.  Today the fire department responds to all fire alarms.

     During the mid-1980s, the security department stopped wearing uniforms and adopted a dress code that included a blue blazer, tie, dress shirt, and slacks.  A small patch worn over the left breast pocket of the shirts and blazer was the only identifying insignia.  A few months later the department name was changed to “Public Safety”.  

    It was also in the 1980s that the college discontinued its criminal justice program, and thus, as student patrolmen graduated, they were replaced by non-students.  

    In August of 1992 the Department of Public Safety once again began wearing uniforms.   

    The Bryant campus has more than doubled in size since 1972, and it continues to grow. Campus life has changed too, for today’s students and public safety officers have to consider issues that didn’t exist in the 1970s.  As such, today’s DPS officers are far better trained then their predecessors, and their training is always on-going.  Modern technology affords campus residents and employees a safer environment through surveillance cameras, and emergency call stations.  

    At present, the department is administered by Director Stephen M. Bannon, a retired Rhode Island state trooper, and his second in command, Captain John Rainone both of Smithfield.  

A Footnote to History

By Jim Ignasher

The hangar of the former Smithfield Airport. Photo courtesy of John Emin Jr.

The hangar of the former Smithfield Airport.
Photo courtesy of John Emin Jr.

Like the ripples caused by a pebble tossed into a still pond, sometimes a minor event can have far reaching effects.  Take for example a boy in Pennsylvania who yearned to be a pilot; or the young man in Rhode Island with a passion for flying who decided to build an airport.  The decision made by each would touch the life of the other, and ultimately play a role in the outcome of the Second World War.

This story is true, but it’s virtually unknown beyond the borders of Smithfield, Rhode Island, and therefore won’t be found in any history books about the war.  It might never have come to light had it not been for cards and letters saved by John and Marjorie Emin; owners of a farm once located where Bryant University stands today.  

John was a pilot, and like most pilots, he wanted to own an airplane.  In July of 1931 he purchased a two-seater Curtis Pusher aircraft which he kept at What Cheer Airport in Pawtucket about twelve miles from his farm.  Twelve miles may not seem like much of a distance today, but automobiles and roads in those days made getting from Smithfield to Pawtucket a bit of an effort.  Therefore, John fancied the idea of an airport closer to home.

The following year while on a visit to Massachusetts, Emin happened upon an airplane hangar for sale and bought it.  It was dismantled and brought to his farm where he reassembled it himself.  When he was finished he painted “Smithfield Airport” across the front in large letters.  After clearing a nearby cornfield for use as a runway, Smithfield had its first airport.  (The Bryant University football stadium now occupies the area were airplanes once landed, and a maintenance building has replaced the original hangar.) 

In December of 1932, William G. Benn of Coudersport, Pennsylvania, was a 2nd Lieutenant with the 103rd Observation Squadron of the Pennsylvania National Guard. Three days before Christmas that year he and his observer, Private John G. Mallon, left Boston for Philadelphia in a Douglas O-38, bi-plane. 

The weather of course was cold, as is typical for New England in December. Snow flurries were already falling as the plane lifted into an overcast sky, and within an hour the flurries turned to snow.  As winter winds buffeted the plane, ice began forming on the wings causing a loss in airspeed and altitude.  Before long, Benn was struggling to keep his ship in the air.

The men knew they were in trouble, but finding a place to set down presented a problem, for the plane lacked a radio and they were over unfamiliar countryside.   Checking a Department of Commerce map, Mallon discovered that the nearest airport was already several miles behind them in Woonsocket, Rhode Island.  (The Woonsocket Airport no longer exists.) By this time the plane was barely one-hundred feet in the air and in danger of stalling for lack of airspeed.  With no other choice, Benn took a heading for Woonsocket, when suddenly below them appeared a small airport that wasn’t on their map for it had only opened a few weeks earlier.  Thanking God for their deliverance, Benn set the plane down on the snowy field and coasted to a stop. The name on the hangar told him they had landed at the “Smithfield Airport”, but neither of the airmen had any idea where Smithfield was.  

As Benn and Mallon climbed from their airplane they were met by John Emin who had seen their emergency landing from his farmhouse.  (The farmhouse stood where the dome of Bryant’s “Unistructure” is located today.)  After brief introductions, Benn asked to use a telephone to notify his superiors that he had landed safely and hadn’t crashed in the storm, but John explained that he didn’t have one.  The nearest phone was at a general store about a mile down the road in the village of Stillwater, and John graciously allowed the airmen the use of his car to get to it.

In March of 1935, Benn published his recollections of this day in an article he wrote for the Pennsylvania Guardsman, in which he described the store in Stillwater as “the original country store”, with a pot-bellied stove in the center and shelves lined with tobacco, groceries, shoes, clothing, toys, and “notions”.  Benn described how he and Mallon ate bananas while waiting for their call to be put through, and noted the attention they were getting from several card-playing locals who stopped their game long enough to give them a thorough once-over while a dog stood at their feet begging for a handout. 

When their business was complete, they returned to the airport where John and Marjorie invited them to stay until the weather cleared.  The flyers graciously accepted, but having lived in a large city like Philadelphia, they were surprised to learn that country living meant doing without certain “luxuries” such as indoor plumbing and electric lights.  In his article Benn recalled how they spent an enjoyable evening with their hosts and slept soundly in an antique featherbed.  The following day the weather in Rhode Island had cleared enough where they decided to try for home.

The young men didn’t forget the kindness shown to them and wrote thank you notes.  These letters and other correspondence have survived, and are still in the possession of the Emin family.    

In his letter Lieutenant Benn wrote:

Dear John and Margy:

May this note of appreciation find you snugly returned from a very Merry Christmas in New Bedford.

The trip down to Philadelphia was none too pleasant.  The snow lasted down to New Haven with haze and mist from there into this city.  Landed here at 2 in the afternoon so it did not take very long.  Found that all of this area was closed in with clouds and rain Saturday so am all the more glad that we were honored by your hospitality.

Would like to have put on a little more show for you but trust that you will believe me when I say that it takes but a small amount of ice formation on a wingfoil to change the flying characteristics of the airplane.  She flew right wing heavy all the way down to Trenton where the warm air into which we were flying, melted most of the ice away.

Might call to your attention the fact that upon landing, we asked if they had any trouble in finding Smithfield.  The answer was no because they had a late edition of the Department of Commerce map of that area and that it was well marked.  I trust that you will not be swamped with transient pilots who, after hearing of our wonderful experience with you, would like to duplicate.  We both wish to assure you that we had a most enjoyable time and were truthfully reluctant to depart.

We thank you sincerely and hope that we may have the good fortune to call upon you again.

With every best wish for the New Year, truly,

                                                             W.G. Benn
                                                            2nd Lt. A.C. (P.N.G.)

 

Private Mallon related in part, “I have related the experience to many other people over the holiday and all agree what a delightful couple we must have visited.”

What followed was a pen-pal relationship between the Emin’s and William Benn that lasted into World War II.

Benn sent the Emin’s a copy of the Pennsylvania Guardsman magazine containing the story of his unexpected visit, along with a letter describing how his mother liked the informal account he had sent to her, rather than the formal version that appeared in print.  To this Benn wrote: “But after all, I do not pretend to be any sort of writer – to the contrary, just a good pilot, and to that end, my story is going to remain. However, I did so hope that some others would have the pleasure of enjoying our trip with us.  I believe that many of the boys have and therein, the purpose fulfilled.

Benn had taken courses in archeology hoping for a career in that field of science, but by the late 1930s it seemed apparent that the United States would be drawn into war so he elected to stay in the military.  All the while he kept up his correspondence with the Emin’s through cards and letters.  In March of 1941 Benn wrote that he and his wife Dorothy were the proud parents of a daughter, Bonnie. The following Christmas the United States was at war.  

The Emin’s mailed Benn a Christmas card that season of 1941, but he waited nearly four months to respond. It’s understandable due to what was going on at the time for all military personnel. 

In his letter dated April 26, 1942, he wrote in part:

“Christmas & New Years wasn’t much – constant alert, and probably will not be much for several years to come.  In the meantime, many are the times that I reflect back to Pennsylvania & New England – to places & people like you – to things done and odd experiences, people met and liked.  It is true enjoyment in a busy life.”

At the time Benn wrote that letter he was assigned to the U.S. 4th Air Force, commanded by General George Kenney, based in San Francisco, California. 

Kenney had been in the army since World War I, and was held in high regard for his innovative ideas in the use of aircraft serving in combat roles. In the spring of 1942 he took command of the 5th Air Force which was ordered to Australia to fight the Japanese.  He brought with him fifty hand-picked pilots who had served under him in the 4th Air Force, one of them being William Benn, who was assigned as the General’s aide. 

Part of the mission of the 5th Air Force was to support allied ground troops and attack Japanese supply ships re-enforcing enemy positions. The initial strategy had been to use high altitude bombers to bomb enemy ships, but bombing from high altitudes allowed targets ample time to scatter and avoid being hit. The obvious answer was to conduct the bombing at lower altitudes, but this carried higher risks for the aircrews, and early in the war the United States didn’t have the airplanes to spare.  

William Benn, who by this time had been promoted to Major, pondered the problem and came up with the idea to attack the enemy ships from the side rather than from above. In August of 1942, he went to General Kenney with an idea he called “skip bombing”.  Benn proposed using conventional bombs which could be “skipped” across the water like a stone across a pond into the side of a ship. The bombs would be equipped with delayed fuses to give them a few seconds to sink below the hull waterline before exploding, thereby producing maximum damage.   

The plan of attack was to send in two groups of high-level bombers as a diversion to attract enemy anti-aircraft fire, while a third group would come in low, about 300 feet above the water’s surface, and release their bombs.

The idea was simple enough in theory, and Kenney was intrigued with its possibilities.  Benn was given command of the 43rd Bombing Group with authorization to develop and perfect the technique. Testing began at Port Moresby, Australia, in September of 1942, where B-25 Mitchell bombers made trial runs at the hulk of an old barge.  (The B-25 was a twin-engine light bomber used by the allies throughout the war.)

B-25 Mitchell bomber. U.S. Air Force Museum photo.

B-25 Mitchell bomber.
U.S. Air Force Museum photo.

One obstacle to overcome was the fact that conventional bombsights were designed for dropping bombs from high altitudes, not low-level attack runs.

Benn solved this problem by making cross hairs out of electrical tape on the Plexiglass nose of the aircraft where the bombardier sat, thus using the plane itself to aim the bomb. 

By the autumn of 1942, Benn’s squadron was ready to try his skip bombing technique in actual combat.  On October 22nd, Benn led a night mission against Japanese ships at Rabual with limited success.  Although some vessels were hit, none were actually sunk.  A second raid was conducted on October 30th with similar results.  

Even though initial success was limited, Major Benn had proven the idea had merit and set the course for others to follow.  Major Paul Gunn later expanded on Benn’s idea by using modified B-25s equipped with forward firing guns with good results.

Prior to the implementation of skip bombing, the allied success rate for bombing enemy shipping in the Pacific was less than five percent, but with skip bombing the success rate rose to over seventy percent.  This no doubt changed the course of battles, saved American lives, and helped shorten the war. For his efforts Major Benn was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, an award second only to the Medal of Honor.   

Benn’s success attracted the attention of Time Magazine, which featured him in an article about skip bombing that appeared in the January 18, 1943 issue.  The article mentioned that Benn’s skip bombing technique was now the standard mode of attack used by General Kenney’s 5th Air Force.  Unfortunately, Benn never saw the article, for on the day the magazine hit the newsstands, he took off from Jackson’s Drome airstrip on what was to be a routine reconnaissance mission and disappeared.

The aircraft he was piloting was a B-25 Mitchell bomber with tail number 41-12485.  There were six others aboard the lone aircraft when it vanished; Major Donn Young, Lt. Col. Dan Searcy, Sgt. Wilfred Coyer, Sgt. Herman Elsner, Cpl. LaVerne Van Dyke, and S/Sgt. Michael Ewas.

No distress calls were ever received, and it was surmised that whatever happened had been sudden and quick.  Search planes flew along the missing B-25’s estimated route, but found nothing.  Speculation as to what happened was brief.  There was a war on, and planes and men were lost everyday.

Back in Smithfield, John and Marjorie Emin wondered why their friend Bill had stopped writing, and hoped it was because he was too busy. Then the day came when a newspaper clipping arrived in the mail stating that Benn was missing. Naturally they prayed for the best, but they never learned anything more.

On March 2, 1943, what became known as the Battle of the Bismarck Sea began in the Pacific.  The Japanese had sent sixteen warships to reinforce their troops in New Guinea, and the 5th Air Force was charged with stopping them. The battle raged for two days, during which the Allies used Benn’s skip bombing technique against enemy ships.   When it was over the Japanese were the clear losers, and as a result, this was the last time they attempted to use large vessels to reinforce their positions.  Even though he wasn’t there to see it, Major Benn’s skip bombing technique was credited for the American victory.   

World War II ended in August of 1945, and the troops went home to resume their lives.  Those who had been lost faded into the recesses of history, remembered primarily by those they left behind.  John and Marjorie Emin passed away without ever learning the fate of William Benn. 

Benn’s aircraft was just one of thousands declared “missing” during the war, however the mystery of what happened to him was solved in 1957 when an Australian survey team happened upon the wreckage of a World War II aircraft in a wooded valley in New Guinea.  The tail numbers matched those of Major Benn’s long lost B-25.  U.S. authorities were notified, and the remains of the servicemen were recovered. 

Investigators determined that the aircraft had not gone down due to hostile action, but had most likely entered fog when it flew into the valley, and the crew never saw the mountain looming ahead.  Death had been instantaneous. 

One has to wonder if history would be different if John Emin hadn’t built his airport.  Would Bill Benn have made it to Woonsocket?  If he hadn’t survived, would someone else have developed the skip bombing technique?  The world will never know, but it can be argued that because Bill Benn found safe haven that long ago Christmas many allied troops survived the war and were able to go home to live out the rest of their lives in peace.

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