Cecil Biggs was the Only Son of Benjamin French Biggs and Mary Ann Rife. He Married Mary Nan Manning on 5 Feb 1942 in Teague Tx. Together they Had one son, Cecil William Biggs on 23 Dec 1942. He Loved flying and worked as a crop duster for his future father-in-law in Mexia Tx. He went to Texas Tech in 1939 to pursue a career as an electrical engineer. However that all changed after Pearl Harbor. Cecil desperatly wanted to join the Air Corps. Being the only son he had to have written permission from one of his parents. His father was very, very protective of him and would not sign for him. He finally convinced his mother to sign after many attempts. His father never forgave her for that. He Joined the Air Corps in 1942 and became aid to General Mark Clark. Cecil died near Arnheim Holland during Operation Market Garden on 21 Sep 1944 when the plane he was piloting was shot down. Small group remains of his and his four crew members where recoverd and eventually buried in Zachery Taylor National Cemetary in Louisville Kentucky in 1952. These remains where never identified because of the lack of technology in that day. Larger Individual remains where not recoverd until September of 1994 and later identified through DNA testing in Jan 2007. His long awaited interment in Salem Cemetary was on June 9, 2007 next to his father. All of his crew members were identified through DNA testing and one through process of elimination. They all where given military funerals. One was buried in Zachery Taylor and the other three in Arlington National Cemetery. Cecil was the only with imediate family and other family members that knew him.
Cecil Biggs was the Only Son of Benjamin French Biggs and Mary Ann Rife. He Married Mary Nan Manning on 5 Feb 1942 in Teague Tx. Together they Had one son, Cecil William Biggs on 23 Dec 1942. He Loved flying and worked as a crop duster for his future father-in-law in Mexia Tx. He went to Texas Tech in 1939 to pursue a career as an electrical engineer. However that all changed after Pearl Harbor. Cecil desperatly wanted to join the Air Corps. Being the only son he had to have written permission from one of his parents. His father was very, very protective of him and would not sign for him. He finally convinced his mother to sign after many attempts. His father never forgave her for that. He Joined the Air Corps in 1942 and became aid to General Mark Clark. Cecil died near Arnheim Holland during Operation Market Garden on 21 Sep 1944 when the plane he was piloting was shot down. Small group remains of his and his four crew members where recoverd and eventually buried in Zachery Taylor National Cemetary in Louisville Kentucky in 1952. These remains where never identified because of the lack of technology in that day. Larger Individual remains where not recoverd until September of 1994 and later identified through DNA testing in Jan 2007. His long awaited interment in Salem Cemetary was on June 9, 2007 next to his father. All of his crew members were identified through DNA testing and one through process of elimination. They all where given military funerals. One was buried in Zachery Taylor and the other three in Arlington National Cemetery. Cecil was the only with imediate family and other family members that knew him.
Inscription
CECIL WILLARD
JUNE 13, 1917
SEPT. 21, 1944
IN THE SERVICE OF HIS COUNTRY
Family Members
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
Advertisement
