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name
STARKEY, Robert Royalty Sr - Date of
birth
October 1925 -
Age
19 - Place of
birth
Louisville, Jefferson County, Kentucky -
Hometown
Louisville, Jefferson County, Kentucky
Personal info
Military service
- Service
number
O-715840 -
Rank
First Lieutenant -
Function
Pilot -
Unit
599th Bombardment Squadron,
397th Bombardment Group, Medium
-
Awards
Purple Heart,
Air Medal with 3 Oak Leaf Clusters
Death
-
Status
Killed in Action - Date of
death
8 April 1945 - Place of
death
Peine, Germany
Grave
-
Cemetery
American War Cemetery Margraten
| Plot | Row | Grave |
|---|---|---|
| N | 21 | 16 |
Immediate family
-
Members
Gary Starkey (father)
Lucille R. Starkey (mother)
Patrick Starkey (brother)
David Starkey (brother)
Gary B. Starkey (brother)
Lulu R. Starkey (wife)
Robert R. Starkey Jr. (son)
William L. Starkey (son)
Plane data
- Serial
number
44-68148 -
Data
Type: B-26
Destination: Nienhagen, Germany
Mission: Bombing of the oil refinery
MACR: 14263
More information
1st Lt Starkey graduated from du Pont Manuel Training High School and worked in a paint company.The aircraft suffered a direct hit by heavy flak in the bomb bay. At the same time, it blew off the left wing and engine and about twelve feet of the tail was blown clear of the aircraft.
Two crew members survived and were taken prisoner, four were killed.
According to S/Sgt Doane, the pilot, Lt Starkey, was desperately trying to regain control of the aircraft after it was hit. S/Sgt Doane's last communication with Lt Starkey was when the pilot instructed him to go to the bomb bay and remove the safety pins from their bomb load.
Source of information: Peter Schouteten, Brik Starkey, Raf Dyckmans, www.wwiimemorial.com, www.archives.gov, www.ancestry.com - Headstone and Interment Record, www.newspapers.com - The Courier-Journal
Photo source: Peter Schouteten, Starkey Family, Arie-Jan van Hees, Pilot Class Book 44-C, Frederick AAF, Oklahoma, Majors Field, Greenville, Texas, www.newspapers.com - The Courier-Journal