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name
NURSALL, Laurence Harry - Date of
birth
1 April 1915 -
Age
29 - Place of
birth
Nottingham, Great Britain -
Hometown
Los Angeles County, California
Personal info
Military service
- Service
number
39549573 -
Rank
Staff Sergeant -
Function
Radio Operator -
Unit
858th Bombardment Squadron,
492nd Bombardment Group, Heavy
-
Awards
Purple Heart,
Air Medal
Death
-
Status
Killed in Action - Date of
death
19 May 1944 - Place of
death
1 km south of Erichshagen, Germany
Grave
-
Cemetery
American War Cemetery Margraten -
Walls of the Missing
* This soldier has been accounted for. A rosette has been placed next to his name.
Immediate family
-
Members
George A. Nursall (father)
Sarah A. (Taylor) Nursall (mother)
George A. Nursall (brother)
John F. Nursall (brother)
Genevieve W. (Murdock) Nursall (wife)
John L. Nursall (son)
Kathryn Nursall (daughter)
Plane data
- Serial
number
44-110153 -
Data
Type: B-24J
Destination: Brunswick, Germany
Mission: Bombing of the MIAG Wilhelmitor Aviation Industry
MACR: 5240
More information
S/Sgt Laurence H. Nursall graduated from James A Garfield High School. He was employed as a fireman for the Los Angeles County Forestry Department.The aircraft was attacked by approximately 50 enemy aircraft, ME-109's and FW-190's, in the vicinity of Hannover. The plane dropped out of formation and it was seen to go down through the undercast, still under control. In contrast with the testimony that eight parachutes were seen, the entire crew was lost in the crash.
The bodies of George F. Guy, Vincent Kalata, Marshall W. Johnson, Laurence H. Nursall (this is probably wrong, because his body was later recovered at the crash site, it is most likely that this is Louis W. Brooks) and one unidentified body were buried at the Jewish Cemetery of Hoya/Weser on 21 May 1944.
After the war the bodies of Kalata and Joe C. Powell Jr. (probably the unidentified body) were reburied at Ardennes American Military Cemetery.
The bodies of Lloyd H. Herbert, William L. Covington, Harold M. Bachman, Timothy N. Tarpey and Laurence H. Nursall were found 58 years later by the German businessman Enrico Schwartz and his partner Swetlana Reimer of the Missing Allied Air Crew Research Team. The discovered crewmen were returned to the United States and reburied at Arlington National Cemetery on 18 November 2002.
Source of information: Raf Dyckmans, Peter Schouteten, www.wwiimemorial.com, www.ancestry.com - Family Trees / 1950 US Census
Photo source: www.492ndbombgroup.com, Peter Schouteten, www.ancestry.com - OMGSEY, www.findagrave.com