Herbert R. Beebe
Herbert R. Beebe of Collingswood, NJ.
Rank: Aviation Cadet (posthumously commissioned Second Lieutenant), U.S. Army Air Forces
Serial Number: 32364571
Unit: 2144th Base Unit, Moody Field, Valdosta, Georgia
Hometown: Collingswood, New Jersey
Died: , training accident, Moody Field, Valdosta, Georgia
Herbert Raymond Beebe was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Herbert Beebe. He was born in Philadelphia, PA in 1918. His father was an optician. The family moved to New Jersey between 1922 and 1925, and at the time of the 1930 census they were renting a home at 2268 Hillcrest Avenue in Pennsauken Township. Besides Herbert, there were three younger brothers, Robert, Edward, and Charles. Herbert Beebe graduated from Collingswood High School in 1936.
After being inducted into the United States Army, Herbert Beebe completed training with the Signal Corps on July 21, 1942. He had qualified for flight training, and was training as a pilot on a U.S. Army Air Corps AT-10 (Advanced Trainer) #42-35179 at Moody Field in Valdosta, GA, when he was killed in a night flight training exercise on August 23, 1944. He had received prior pilot training at Miami, FL; Burlington, VT; Maxwell Field, AL; and Lakeland, FL.
The Army’s report states that the plane was still missing and the crash site was unknown. As of this writing it is unknown if the wreck site was ever located or if Herbert Beebe’s body was ever recovered. As the AT-10 had a range of 770 miles, the plane most likely went down within 385 miles of Valdosta.
Aviation Cadet Herbert Beebe was two weeks short of graduation when he was killed, and was posthumously commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Army Air Forces. His name appears on the World War II War Memorial at Knight’s Park in Collingswood, NJ.