HAPTONSTALL, Richard - Fountain County INGenWeb Project

Mrs. Ruby Haptonstall of West Lebanon ha received the details of the death of her son, Tch. Sgt. Richard Haptonstall on Sept 27, 1944 in a letter dated Nov 12th written by M/Sgt Stewart E Mohler of the 669th Bomber Squad, 416th Bomb Group somewhere in France, whose home is in Ft. Wayne, Ind.  Tch Sgt Haptonstall, brother of Mrs. Max Hulihan of Attica, last spring wrote his sister of the signal honor he had paid to her by naming a US bomber plane, “Claudene II.” Haptonstall was chief of the ground crew of a light bomber division.  The portion of the letter giving the particulars of the accidental death and burial follow (NOTE: he must have been returned as he has a tombstone at the West Lebanon Cemetery and don’t see one in the US Cemetery in France on FindAGrave):  The accident happened at about 11:30 in the morning when there were several men helping to unload this engine, which was packed in a large shipping box. The box was being lifted from the truck by means of a hoist, and the men were keeping it from swinging in the air and causing any damage to anyone when a clevis pin at the top of the hoist sheared off and the whole thing dropped.  Richard had lost his balance while trying to steady it and was thrown part way under it.  It was rolled off by the rest of the men and he was put in the truck and started for the hospital.  On the way they met an ambulance so they transferred him to that and before they got him to the hospital, it was too late.  The whole thing happened so quickly it just didn’t seem possible. The body was then taken into the town they mentioned to you and was left there over night.  One of the officers from the bast bought a French casket to bury him in and the body was left in a monastery over night; they were very nice about the whole thing as no one could speak much French to tell them of our appreciation for all they had done.  The following morning we went to town for the body to take it to the US cemetery for this district which is about 3 miles southwest of where the accident happened. The cemetery is out in the county on quite a high hill overlooking a peaceful valley. At that time there were three plots in the cemetery, one American, one Allie and one German. Up to that time he was the only one in the place that was buried in a casket.  There was no Chaplain available that day so there was no service held at the grave, but it was held here at our chapel on Sunday Oct 8 as that was the first opportunity they had of getting the Chaplain. There were four men from the squadron that went to the burial. Sgt Smith, the Pilot and Bombardier of Haps’ airplane and myself. The grave is marked same as all others, it just has the dogtag nailed on across and I know it is in the right place!”