TSGT Mark Douglas Rollins (WWII)


Remembering TSGT Mark Douglas Rollins (Fairmont)

December 24, 1916 - November 11, 1944

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TSGT Mark Douglas Rollins (Service #15171212) was born in Fairmont, WV on December 24, 1916, the son of Mark Hannah Rollins & Helen (Fleming) Rollins. At the time of Mark Douglas' birth, their family resided at 217 Albert Court (Fairmont West Virginian, December 26, 1916). 

Mark Hannah worked for the Fairmont Motor Car Company on the corner of 5th Street and Fairmont Avenue as a mechanic, while their family lived at 915 Field Street off of Locust Avenue (1918 WWI Draft Card).

By 1920, their family was living at 310 Pennsylvania Avenue (1920 Census) while Mark Hannah worked as a mechanic. In 1927, Mark and Helen divorced and both remarried. The 1930 census shows 13-year-old Mark Douglas Rollins living with his father and step-mother at 219 Madison Street. Mark Hannah was still a mechanic.

On November 25, 1936, Mark Douglas married Margaret Elizabeth Rowan at First Presbyterian Church in Morgantown, WV (W.E. Brooks officiating). At the time of their marriage, he was a student, and she was a court stenographer. They had one child, Mark Douglas Rollins, Jr, born around 1943 (1950 census).

Military Service:

Mark Douglas Rollins entered the draft on October 16, 1940. He was 5'7" and 130 lbs, with brown hair, brown eyes, and light skin. He enlisted on June 8, 1942. His enlistment information states that he attended college for two years, and worked as a clerk.

Mark was a member of the 744th Bomber Squadron, 456th Bomber Group, Heavy. 

On November 11, 1944, TSGT Mark Douglas Rollins was aboard B-24J #42-51979 "Lock's Luckies" as a left waist gunner when it went down over the Adriatic Sea. The had been on a mission to Lynz, Austria, when the mission was scrubbed due to inclement weather and the crews recalled. The crew of "Lock's Luckies," piloted by 1LT Harvey Lock, was never recovered. Two other aircraft were lost the same day, also due to inclement weather, for a total loss of 33 servicemen. 

1LT Charles V. Earley gave a statement in Missing Air Crew Report (MACR) 9691:

"On 11 November 1944, I was pilot of plane #039 in Charlie 2 position. At approximately 0820 we started out on course. At approximately 0825 we encountered a cloud bank at 2,500 feet extending up to 27,000 feet. The group formation started to turn back, each box turning in a different direction. Charlie box started to turn to the left. The turn grew steeper as we progressed going almost to the vertical. At this point I decided that it was not safe to continue in this bank so I leveled off and climbed straight ahead breaking through the overcast at 21,500 feet. Just as we leveled off from this turn I saw plane #979, flying Charlie 1 position in a 90 degree bank continue on over on its back and then go into a steep dive at a high rate of speed. He immediately disappeared into the clouds. The ship was not spinning and I did not see any parachutes. The coordinates at the time was 42/15N-15/46E at 0835 hours."

Crew of the Lock's Luckies
The Crew of "Lock's Luckies"

Front row, left to right: 1LT Leonard E. Davis (Navigator), 2LT Julius Glickman (Bombardier), 2LT Leo W. Rice (co-pilot), 1LT Harvey L. Lock (pilot)

Back row: SSGT William L. Ginn (Gunner), SSGT Stanley Kramarich (Ball Turret Gunner), SSGT Louis A. Avellanet (Tail Gunner), SSGT Clarence L. Cooper (Gunner), TSGT Louis Nagalski (Right Waist Gunner), TSGT Mark D. Rollins (Left Waist Gunner)

Survivors and Legacy:

TSGT Mark Douglas Rollins was survived by his wife of almost 8 years, Margaret, and their son Mark, in addition to his mother, father, sister, and step-parents.

Mark is honored at the  West Virginia Veterans Memorial in Charleston, WV. As his remains were never recovered, he is also honored on the Tablets of the Missing at the Florence American Cemetery and Memorial. There is also a cenotaph for TSGT Mark Douglas Rollins at the Fleming Cemetery (also known as Fleming Cemetery #2) on Mt. Vernon Avenue in Fairmont, WV.

Note: I unfortunately haven't been able to find much information on Margaret and Mark, Jr. A 1955 Fairmont City Directory shows Margaret, yet to remarry, as a stenographer, living at Peacock Park in Fairmont. Family tree information from Ancestry suggests that Mark, Jr. married Judy Ann Swanson in 1964 in California and remained there until his death in 2015, but I haven't been able to find an obituary.

Sources and More Information:

Comments

  1. Linda Stewart Couture Designs, Education DivisionNovember 12, 2024 at 6:17 AM

    Thank you for this Jessica. Although Mark D died before I was born, I grew up knowing about him. I do have a picture of him somewhere with the plane and crew that went down that day. I am trying to locate his grandchildren to let them see this. You are doing a great service, and I thank you from all my family. Linda Stewart

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Jessica BattenNovember 12, 2024 at 10:09 AM

      Hi Linda! I found the photo as well, and shared it on our Facebook page-- it's hard to share a lot of photos with captions and their sources on Blogger. I've been searching for his grandkids as well. Thank you for your kind words!

      Delete
    2. Jessica BattenNovember 12, 2024 at 10:21 AM

      Ended up adding that photo and the caption too!

      Delete

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