Thomas C. Costello
Rank: Second Lieutenant, U.S. Army Air Forces
Serial: O-567759
Unit: 553rd Bomb Squadron, 386th Bomb Group, Medium
Entered service from: New Jersey
Died:
Buried at: Plot F, Row 4, Grave 78, Cambridge American Cemetery, Cambridge, England
Biography
Second Lieutenant Thomas C. Costello.
Second Lieutenant Thomas C. Costello was born in 1914 in New Jersey to William J. and Mary Costello. He was the second of three sons, bracketed by William Jr. and Edward. In 1920 the family lived at 303 New Jersey Road in the Morgan Village section of Camden County. By 1930 the family had purchased a home at 624 Hunter Street in Gloucester City, and the elder Costello was working as an invoice clerk at a department store.
A star baseball player in school and in the local Camden County Baseball League, Thomas Costello was a graduate of LaSalle Preparatory School and LaSalle College in Philadelphia, where he also played baseball and basketball. He played for the Gloucester and Collingswood teams in the Camden County Baseball League during the late 1930s and early 1940s. In 1938, while playing on the Collingswood team, he was a teammate of Jimmy Spillane and long-time Grover Wearshing. Thomas Costello was working as a shipping clerk before entering the Army in April of 1942.
Thomas Costello served initially at Fort Dix, New Jersey, then at Fort Riley, Kansas, and on to Fort Bliss, Texas, where he was chosen for flight officers’ candidate school. He was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant at Miami Beach, Florida, on December 9, 1942. He was initially assigned as a physical education director at the Air Force base in Tampa, Florida, before being sent overseas as a transportation officer with the 553rd Bomb Squadron, 386th Bomb Group, Medium.
Thomas Costello was killed in an accident while serving in England on June 7, 1943. He was 27 years old. He was survived by his parents and brothers. His brother Edward was then a Sergeant stationed in California with the United States Army.
Costello Awarded Army Commission
Camden Courier-Post —
Tom Costello, who formerly played baseball with Gloucester and Collingswood in the Camden County Baseball League, has been graduated from the Army Air Force officers’ candidate school, Miami Beach, Fla., and has been commissioned a second lieutenant. Costello has been assigned to the Air Force base at Tampa, Fla., where he is a physical training instructor. Tom was inducted last April. From Fort Dix he was sent to Fort Riley, Kans., then to Fort Bliss, Texas, where he was singled out for officership candidacy.
Costello is a graduate of La Salle Prep and College of Philadelphia, where he played basketball and baseball. Tom has a younger brother, Edward, who is a sergeant, stationed with the Army in California.
Gloucester Star of Baseball Killed
Camden Courier-Post —
Lieut. Thomas Costello, 27, former Gloucester baseball star, is dead as result of an accident in the European war theatre, a message from the War Department announced.
Lieutenant Costello, son of Mr. and Mrs. William Costello, of 624 Hunter street, Gloucester, was commissioned last December after graduating from an officer’s school in Miami Beach, Fla. He entered the service in April, 1942, and was first assigned to Fort Dix. Later he served at Fort Riley, Kan., and later at Fort Bliss, Texas, where he was chosen for officer training. Following receipt of his commission, Lieutenant Costello was assigned as a physical training director and recently went overseas as a transportation officer.
He formerly played with Gloucester and Collingswood in the Camden County Baseball League and was a graduate of La Salle preparatory school and college, where he also played baseball.
A telegram received by his father failed to specify the scene of the accident or give any details. It stated a letter from the War Department would follow. Lieutenant Costello’s brother, Edward, also is in the Army.
Photos
COUNTY CHASE TIGHTENS AS LEADERS ARE BEATEN
With Walt Cowan again covering himself with glory on the mound, Merrill Peacock’s Collingswood Independents tightened the race in the strong Camden County League last night when they handed Walt Murphy’s pacemaking Westmont nine an 8 to 1 shellacking, at Westmont.
The reverse was the second in six starts for Westmont and chops its advantage to a game and a half over the second-position Haddon Heights tossers. The victory for Collingswood was its third in seven starts, all three triumphs having been credited to Cowan.
Cowan limited the Westmont outfit to three bingles and was never in difficulty, giving up his only run in the last session. While he was holding the homesters well in check, his mates were peppering the delivery of Walt Friend and Johnny Sink for eight safeties.
“Colls” Hit Timely
Collingswood clouted the ball in timely fashion to produce one run in the second inning, four in the fifth and three in the eighth.
Tom Costello singled to start the rally in the second inning and he took second on a sacrifice by Richards to score when Reds Carr poked the ball into center for a single.
Neither team tallied for two innings and the “Colls” then went on a four-run spree in the fifth.
Jimmy Spillane touched off the fireworks when he was passed and took third when George Groff reached first on an error. Jim Davis connected for a single to send Spillane across the plate and Grover Wearshing was passed to fill the bases.
Sink Replaces Friend
Bob Fortune also was passed to force Groff across the plate and it was at this stage of the contest that Friend was relieved in favor of Sink. Sink worked well to retire Costello and Richards on pop outs and then walked Carr to send Davis home. Wearshing tallied the fourth run of the inning when Collins reached on an error. Spillane fanned to end the rally.
Hits by Davis, Wearshing, Fortune and Richards accounted for three more counters in the following frame.
Westmont’s only run of the game came in the last session when Peterson doubled and Bill Hyland singled.
COLLINGSWOOD
Spill’e, cf — ab 3, r 1, h 1, o 1, a 0 Groff, lf — ab 3, r 1, h 0, o 0, a 0 Davis, 2b — ab 4, r 2, h 2, o 1, a 2 Wears’g, 3b — ab 2, r 2, h 1, o 0, a 2 Fortune, ss — ab 2, r 1, h 1, o 4, a 2 Cost’lo, rf — ab 3, r 1, h 0, o 1, a 0 Rich’ds, 1b — ab 3, r 0, h 1, o 7, a 0 Carr, c — ab 3, r 0, h 1, o 2, a 0 Cowan, p — ab 3, r 0, h 0, o 2, a 1
Totals — ab 26, r 8, h 8, o 18, a 7
WESTMONT
Pet’on, 2b — ab 3, r 1, h 1, o 4, a 1 Elvert, ss — ab 2, r 0, h 0, o 5, a 0 Kirk, lf — ab 3, r 0, h 1, o 2, a 0 Hyland, 1b — ab 3, r 0, h 1, o 3, a 1 Bisb’g, cf — ab 2, r 0, h 0, o 0, a 0 Harle, rf — ab 2, r 0, h 0, o 1, a 0 Behnke, 3b — ab 2, r 0, h 0, o 1, a 1 Gasior, c — ab 2, r 0, h 0, o 2, a 1 Friend, p — ab 1, r 0, h 0, o 0, a 2 J. Sink, p — ab 1, r 0, h 0, o 0, a 0 Aydelotte — ab 0, r 0, h 0, o 0, a 0
Totals — ab 21, r 1, h 3, o 18, a 6
Collingswood — 0 1 0 0 4 3 — 8 Westmont — 0 0 0 0 0 1 — 1
Errors — Wearshing, Hyland, Behnke, Elvert. Two-base hits — Fortune, Peterson. Struck out — By Cowan, 2; Friend, 1; Sink, 1. Base on balls — Off Cowan, 2; Friend, 7; Sink, 1. Umpires — Reif and Hoffman.