9 December 1944
Mary Louise Webster,
Class 44-W-8
Last On-duty WASP's to Die.
(30 June 1919 – 9
December 1944)
Mary Webster and a two-man crew were flying
into a cold front with intermittent snow and rain and temperatures dropping.
Their UC-78 Bobcat, nicknamed “the bamboo bomber,” was taking them on a
cross-country training flight to Chicago
from Frederick Army Airfield in
southwestern Oklahoma. Following her graduation that October, Mary had reported
to Frederick for advanced training in B-24 Liberator bombers. With only 11 days
remaining until WASP deactivation, it should have seemed ridiculous to continue
training; yet, there she was, flying
between Tulsa and Claremore, Oklahoma
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| "Bamboo Bomber"- At-17 |
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| WASP Pilot Mary Louise Webster |
Born June 30, 1919, Mary was the seventh of eight children
and the second daughter.
Mary graduated from the Holy Names Academy, a private
Catholic all-girls high school in Seattle. After graduation, she studied for
two years at the Seattle Business College and earned her diploma. Although
believing business was her best career choice, Mary had always dreamed of
flying, and when Central Washington State College announced a Civilian Pilot
Training course in May 1940, Mary leaped at the chance. It wasn’t easy being
one of only three women accepted in the program. “I knew Mary and I liked her,”
a fellow student later told a reporter. “But there was a reluctant acceptance
about her being in the program with the men. There were jokes that she
… After graduation from Avenger on October 18, 1944, and
following her 10-day furlough, Mary reported to Frederick Army Airbase to begin
her advanced training. A month later she was riding in the Bobcat with
Lieutenant George Crowe at the controls. Crowe was from Wisconsin and had
turned 21 just a few days earlier. … Also with them was 22-year-old Sergeant
Melvin Clark, a married Oklahoma native who had been assigned to
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| WASP Mary Louise Webster |
An hour out from Frederick on December 9, the UC-78 was
flying at 9,000 feet above the clouds, when Crowe noticed ice forming on the
wings. He radioed the air controller and received permission to descend; hoping
warmer air would keep more ice from forming. Now, deep in the clouds, the
aircraft began to fall and Crowe lost control. The UC-78 fell straight down and
crashed, killing everyone aboard.
RIP
