Gertrude Tompkins Silver
Gertrude Tompkins Silver | |
|---|---|
 Gertrude Tompkins Silver WASP photo. | |
| Born | Gertrude Vreeland Tompkins[1] October 16, 1911 Jersey City, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Disappeared | October 26, 1944 (aged 33) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Status | Missing for 79 years, 7 months and 8 days |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Pilot |
| Era | World War II |
| Organization | Women Airforce Service Pilots |
| Spouse | Henry Silver |
| Notes | |
Graduated WASP Class 43-W-7[2] | |
Gertrude "Tommy" Tompkins Silver (October 16, 1911 – disappeared October 26, 1944) was the only Women Airforce Service Pilots member to go missing during World War II.[3]
Early life
Gertrude Vreeland Tompkins was born October 16, 1911, in Jersey City, New Jersey, the daughter of Vreeland Tompkins and Laura Tompkins (née Towar).[4]
Disappearance and search
She departed from Mines Field (Los Angeles International Airport) for Palm Springs, on October 26, 1944, flying a North American P-51D Mustang destined for New Jersey. She never arrived at Palm Springs and due to reporting errors a search wasn't started until three days later. Despite an extensive ground and water search no trace of Gertrude or the aircraft were found.[5]
Follow up and aftermath
In January 2010 search efforts to locate the possible crash site in Santa Monica Bay were unsuccessful.[4][6][7][8]
See also
References
- ^ "Gertrude Vreeland Tompkins Silver". www.militaryhallofhonor.com. Retrieved 28 January 2018.
- ^ "WASP Class 43-W-7 - Texas Woman's University". twu.edu.
- ^ Slater, Stefan (16 September 2014). "The Lost Wasp - Southbay". Southbay. Retrieved 28 January 2018.
- ^ a b Ure, James W. (2017). Seized by the Sun: The Life and Disappearance of World War II Pilot Gertrude Tompkins. Chicago Review Press. ISBN 978-1613735879.
- ^ Merl, Jean (14 September 1997). "Mystery in the Sky". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 28 January 2018.
- ^ Ongoing Search For Mrs. Gertrude Tompkins Silver. Aircraft Wrecks in the Mountains and Deserts of the American West.
- ^ "Search Underway for Missing Heroine of World War II and her P-51 Mustang | Scuba Diving Magazine". Scubadiving.com. Archived from the original on September 11, 2012. Retrieved July 10, 2010.
- ^ "The Last Missing WASP of WWII". Adventures in Rediscovery. 30 August 2013. Retrieved 28 January 2018.