1LT Frank Kinsey Evans (WWII)


Remembering 1LT Frank Kinsey Evans (Fairmont)

April 28, 1916 to May 13, 1944

"He is a gentleman in whom we place absolute trust." - 1934 FSHS Yearbook

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1LT Frank Kinsey Evans was born in Fairmont, WV on April 28, 1916 to William and Ora (Kinsey) Evans. William was the Chief Clerk for a local coal company. The family lived in a variety of locations in Fairmont, all on West Side:

  • 1910 Census: 416 Madison Street
  • 1920 Census: 224 Spring Street
  • 1930 Census: 724 Mt. Vernon Avenue
  • 1940 Census: 414 Gaston Avenue

Education

Frank graduated from Fairmont Senior High School in 1934. The 1933 yearbook states that Frank's ambition was to become an engineer, while his classmates said of him in the 1934 Maple Leaves "He is a gentleman in whom we place absolute trust." While at Fairmont Senior, he participated in Hi-Y and French Club.

Next, Frank enrolled at Fairmont State Teachers College (now Fairmont State University). Frank was the student manager of the Fighting Teachers' basketball team. 

The 1936 Fairmont State yearbook is the last to mention Frank, his junior year. It lists his activities as: Assistant Football Manager '33; Basketball Manager '34, '35; Athletic Council. He also a member of the TBI fraternity and Lambda Alpha Sigma, which was Fairmont State's letterman fraternity for participation in in athletics. Another gentleman from our list of Marion County residents who died in WWII, Angelo Crescenzi, was in Lambda Alpha Sigma at the same time as Frank. Frank's military enrollment records show that he completed four years of college, but that information is not reflected by the 1937 yearbook, though the 1938 Fairmont City Directory lists Frank's occupation as student.

Life after Graduation

In 1939, Frank was working as a messenger for the Fairmont Machinery Company (1939 Fairmont City Directory). The 1940 Census lists him as being an insurance adjuster. He entered the draft on October 16, 1940, during which time he was working for the John C. Wyckoff Company at the Deveny Building on Monroe Street. At that time he was 5'10" and 175 lbs with gray eyes and brown hair.

Military Service:

Frank K. Evans enlisted as an Aviation Cadet on January 7, 1942 in Morgantown, WV. He began serving with the 597th Bomb Squad, 397th Bomb Group (M).

On May 13, 1944, 1LT Frank Kinsey Evans was on board the B-26 Marauder 42-96137 and serving as navigator when he was killed by a flak burst over enemy territory. The B-26 crash landed due to battle damage at Royal Air Force  West Malling while attempting to return to base. Frank was the only casualty.

According to the Army Air Corps Museum, the 397th Bomb Group helped prepare for the Normandy invasion "by attacking V-weapon sites, bridges, coastal defenses, marshalling yards, and airfields, Apr-Jun 1944." (AAC Museum)

He is buried at the Cambridge American Cemetery in England. Frank was awarded the Air Cross and a Purple Heart for his service, and is honored at the Marion County Veterans KIA Memorial at Veterans Square in Fairmont, WV. You can also find his name on the WV State Veterans Memorial in Charleston, WV.

Sources and More Information:


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