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<em>William Henry Birrell</em> was born December 9, 1918, in Kinsman, Ohio, the first son of George Henry Birrell and Mary Ann Birrell. Oldest of three sons, he was destined to follow as a career the work in which his father had contributed his share in the First World War, that of a pilot.</p>
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William, better known as “Bill” to all of his classmates and other close associates, grew up and spent most of his life in Warren, Ohio, and his nearby birthplace, Kinsman.</p>
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He learned early from his parents’ example the qualities of perseverance, self-discipline, and integrity. His scholastic record, as soon as he entered school, reflected his aptitude for learning and an earnest application to his studies. He continued throughout High School to equip himself with the mental background that in the future was to make him so often envied by his associates. A love of literature and history established for him an exceptionally well-founded cultural background which helped to make his personality such an interesting and well-rounded one.</p>
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He graduated first in his class at Warren High School, and a few short weeks later proceeded to West Point to report as a Cadet, after having successfully passed the entrance examinations under the appointment of Congressman John G. Cooper.</p>
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Starting in “Beast Barracks” Bill began to impress his classmates as well as upperclassmen and Tactical Officers with his earnestness and sincerity. Shortly after our first week there I can remember thinking that, of all the men in our class, I’d rather have Bill as my roommate than any other. And I know many others of us thought the same thing. It was so willed ultimately that we were to be roommates for four years, a period of my life which I’ll never forget. I learned more of earnestness, sincerity, and perseverance from Bill in those four years than I had acquired in all my life before then. He was a constant inspiration to me, as well as to those others of his classmates who knew him well.</p>
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He was an idealist at heart, and his deep-rooted beliefs in the best precepts of life made him outstanding among all his associates. He stood out, almost alone, in his practice of what he knew was right—always—whether it was something pertaining to himself or others. Self-discipline was one of his most outstanding characteristics. During his last year at West Point he tempered his idealism with a sufficient amount of realism to make him extremely well-qualified for the world he was to face when he graduated. Before he graduated, he left behind him an enviable scholastic, athletic, and extra-curricular record (e.g., playing “guard” on our only hockey team ever to defeat the Royal Military Academy at Ontario, Canada). His numerous activities brought him in close contact with an unusually large number of his classmates, all of whom respected and admired his versatility as much as they did his ability.</p>
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At graduation Bill returned to Warren to start graduation leave, only to have his furlough cut short five weeks later, because of the emergency, with orders to report to Ontario, California, to commence primary phase flight training.</p>
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He progressed from there to basic phase training school at Moffett Field, California, finally graduating from advanced training school at Stockton, California, and receiving his wings on March 14, 1941, with the class of 41-B. He was retained as an instructor there until May, 1941, pending receipt of orders sending him to Selfridge Field, Michigan, where he was assigned to the 52nd Pursuit Group.</p>
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He soon established an enviable record for himself at Selfridge, both on and off the flying line, and was subsequently appointed leader of the 1st Flight in his squadron. He acted as Operations Officer and was elected to the Board of Governors of the Officers’ Club.</p>
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On October 18, 1941, eight days after his promotion to 1st lieutenant, and after engaging in the first interceptor practice over New England flying a P-40 pursuit he was ordered to participate in a flight of twenty-five planes traveling from Windsor Locks, Conn., to McChord Field, Wash., under command of Major C. E. Hughes. About noon on October 24th, after arriving at March Field, Cal., from Phoenix, nineteen of the original flight left for McClelland Field at Sacramento, Cal., six others having dropped behind because of motor trouble along the route.</p>
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A series of unfortunate incidents plagued the flight from this point, resulting in the death of four of the pilots and the destruction of eight of the planes. While traveling along and above the high Sierra Mountains, the flight soon encountered continuous fog and low visibility, resulting in the separation of several of the planes from the main flight. Birrell’s element of three planes was soon on its own. One of its planes caught on fire, the pilot bailing out. Another had engine trouble and its pilot bailed out also. Another which had advanced to take the vacant place disappeared in the fog and has not yet been found. Birrell, left alone, continued, flying on instruments, toward Sacramento. About 2:00 p. m., near Bass Lake on the lower border of Yosemite Park, a plane motor was heard to stop momentarily and then start again, as though it were running out of gas. Almost immediately thereafter a crash followed. The identification tag found later at the scene by a searching party identified the pilot as Birrell.</p>
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He had died, carrying on under the most adverse flying conditions possible, trying to finish the job he had started. Others had given up, bailed out. He continued on, to the last, as he had always done, doing what he knew was right.</p>
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Bill was buried, where he was born, at Kinsman, Ohio, on October 31, 1941, with military honors. His passing left all who knew him well, deeply hurt. To us his loss can never be repaired. He had done much for us all, and we knew that he was to do a great deal for the Army and his country in the future.</p>
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He was one of the most courteous gentlemen I have ever known, one of the Army’s most promising officers—and the best friend a man ever had.</p>
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<em>—D. D.</em></p>
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