Roy Roberts Cappe Jr.

Staff Sergeant Roy Roberts Cappe Jr. (13041696) served in 3rd Combat Crew Replacement Center, 8th United States Army Air Force during the Second World War. Born on 20th August 1917, he was the son of Mrs. Gerzie Cappe of Mout Lebanon, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, U.S.A.

In civilian life, Roy was a graduate of Lebanon High School and Allegheny College. He worked as an accountant and auditor at the East Pittsburgh Works of the Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Company before enlisting in the Army Air Corps on 10th January 1942 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.A. Roy had an older brother who served in the Second World War. Airborne Cryptographer William Rheinhart Cappe was involved in the famous taking of Guadalcanal.

Staff Sergeant Cappe died on 10th April 1944 while serving as an engineer on B-26B #41-18150 “Winnie Dee”. He was 26 years old, the oldest member of the crew and records suggest he was not a regular member of Osborne’s crew. Cappe was attached to 364th Service Squadron, 39th Service Group, U.S.A.A.F. The plane crashed on Chimney Rock Mountain in The Mourne Mountains near Newcastle, Co. Down. The crew was on a gunnery training flight from Toome Airfield, Co. Antrim, and flying at a low level in cloud when the incident took place. All 5 crew members died as a result. Two other Marauder aircraft on the same non-operational flight returned safely.

Burial first took place at Plot B, Row 2, Grave 6 of Lisnabreeny American Military Cemetery, Belfast on 20th April 1944. Exhumation from Lisnabreeny took place on 11th November 1947. On 24th July 1948, Cappe was repatriated to Section 28, Lot 378, Grave 3, a family plot at Allegheny Cemetery, Pennsylvania, U.S.A.