Richard Ewing Findley
Born: August 17, 1922
Death: August 10, 2001
Missouri State Veterans Cemetery
Higginsville, Missouri
World War II
US Army Air Forces

Early Life
Richard Ewing Findley was born to Russell and Ira Findley on August 17, 1922, in Greybull, Wyoming.1 His parents briefly moved to Wyoming following their marriage in 1916.2 His father was a member of the Missouri National Guard and his mother worked as a school teacher.3 They moved back to the state of Missouri by 1930 and lived in Blue Township, now an area of Independence.4 Richard had two siblings, Loretta and Max.

Military Career
Richard was living in Independence, Missouri, when he joined the U.S. Army Air Forces at age nineteen on December 31, 1941, soon after the attack Pearl Harbor.5 He was a Staff Sergeant in the U.S. Army Air Forces and was stationed in Earls Colne, England.6 Richard met his first wife, Olive, of Essex, England, while stationed there, and they married on November 6, 1943.7 Richard flew on a B-26 Marauder in the 453rd Bomber Squadron and the 323rd Bomber Group and served as the aerial photographer. On D-Day, June 6, 1944, Richard and his bomber squadron were sent on a mission to Caen, France, that failed to return. Flak hit the plane in the bomb bay and the wing which led to the order to bail as the plane crashed. Richard survived along with several other members of the crew as they parachuted to the ground, but they quickly captured by the Germans.8 Richard was sent to Stalag Luft IV, a prisoner-of-war (POW) camp in Tychowo, Poland. Richard was there for over a year until he escaped in 1945 after killing a guard and dog with his bare hands.9 Richard was awarded an Air Medal with 1 Oak Leaf Cluster, a Purple Heart with 1 Oak Leaf Cluster, and a Prisoner of War Medal.10 He returned home on June 2, 1945, where he was reunited with his family in Cass County, Missouri.11

Post-Military Career
Richard brought his wife, Olive to the United States and soon after on November 10, 1946, their son Russell Ewing Findley was born in Warrensburg, Missouri.12 They lived briefly in Audrain County, Missouri, while Richard followed in his mother’s footsteps and became an educator at Mexico High School.13 The family moved to Wichita, Kansas, where Richard pursued a master’s degree in education at Wichita State University.14 He continued to work as a teacher and as an administrator in multiple school districts throughout Kansas until his retirement.15 He was a member of the Ex-POW Association throughout his life.16 Richard and his first wife divorced, and on December 17, 1983, he  married Helen Guymon in Otterville. Helen served in the U.S. Air Force from 1956-1959 as a communication center specialist. They lived in Sedalia where she worked as a typesetter/printer for Parkhurst Manufacturing.17 Helen is buried with Richard at Missouri Veterans Cemetery in Higginsville.

This biography was written by University of Central Missouri (UCM) MA in history student Kayla Gorrell under the direction of Dr. Jon E. Taylor, Professor of History at UCM as part of the 2023-2024 Veterans Legacy Memorial Grant Program. 

1 Year: 1930; Census Place: Blue, Jackson, Missouri; Page: 24B; Enumeration District: 0260; FHL microfilm: 2340927.
2 Missouri State Archives; Jefferson City, MO, USA; Missouri Marriage Records [Microfilm].
The Cass County Democrat-Missourian, December 17, 1936, Page 12. via Newspapers.com (https://newscomwc.newspapers.com/article/the-cass-county-democrat-missourian/150378289/ : accessed June 30, 2024). 3 Missouri, U.S. Pre-World War II Adjutant General Enlistment Contracts, 1900-1941 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2020.
4 Year: 1930; Census Place: Blue, Jackson, Missouri; Page: 24B; Enumeration District: 0260; FHL microfilm: 2340927.
5 National Archives at St. Louis; St. Louis, Missouri; Wwii Draft Registration Cards For Missouri, 10/16/1940-03/31/1947; Record Group: Records of the Selective Service System, 147; Box: 102.
6 “Richard Ewing Findley.” American Air Museum. Accessed June 30, 2024. https://www.americanairmuseum.com/archive/person/richard-ewing-findley.
7 National Archives at Kansas City; Kansas City, Mo; Petitions For Naturalization, 3/17/1909-9/25/1991; NAI Number: 650185; Record Group Title: Records of District Courts of the United States, 1685-2009; Record Group Number: Rg 21.
8 “Richard Ewing Findley.” American Air Museum. Accessed June 30, 2024. https://www.americanairmuseum.com/archive/person/richard-ewing-findley.
9 Sedalia Democrat Newspaper, August 14, 2001, Page 2. via Newspaper Archives (https://newspaperarchive-com.mcpl.idm.oclc.org/).
10 National Cemetery Administration; U.S. Veterans' Gravesites.
11 The Cass County Democrat-Missourian, June 28, 1945, Page 4. via Newspapers.com (https://newscomwc.newspapers.com).
12 National Archives at Kansas City; Kansas City, Mo; Petitions For Naturalization, 3/17/1909-9/25/1991; NAI Number: 650185; Record Group Title: Records of District Courts of the United States, 1685-2009; Record Group Number: Rg 21.
13 National Archives at Washington, DC; Washington, D.C.; Seventeenth Census of the United States, 1950; Year: 1950; Census Place:
Laddonia, Audrain, Missouri; Roll: 3280; Page: 26; Enumeration District: 4-8
14 Sedalia Democrat Newspaper, August 14, 2001, Page 2. via Newspaper Archives (https://newspaperarchive-com.mcpl.idm.oclc.org/).
15 Ancestry.com. U.S., City Directories, 1822-1995 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011.
16 Sedalia Democrat Newspaper, August 14, 2001, Page 2. via Newspaper Archives (https://newspaperarchive-com.mcpl.idm.oclc.org/).
17 “Helen Findley Obituary (1938-2013).” Legacy.com, June 10, 2013. https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/sedaliademocrat/name/helen-findley-obituary?id=24554379.


RICHARD EWING FINDLEY

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