First Lieutenant Edwin Hurlbut Bicksler was born on 26 February 1920. Our picture source claims that he was born in Geetingsville, Indiana, USA, and this location is supported by two separate family trees on ancestry.co.uk. However the American Air Museum in Britain website claims he was born in Jackson County, Ohio, USA. Using the information on the public family trees we learn that he was the second of the four children of Harry Edward Bicksler (1887-1966) and Margie Bicksler née Hurlbut (1889-1979).
In 1940 he was training as a service pilot at the Spartan College of Aeronautics in Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA and later that year joined the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve in Canada. He was assigned to No.133 Squadron at RAF Biggin Hill, Kent, as a Pilot Officer. In 1942 when the squadron was disbanded and became the 336th Fighter Squadron of the United States Army Air Force he transferred to the new squadron. As a First Lieutenant he was attached on 8 March 1943 to the 57th Fighter Group, and subsequently to both the 314th Fighter Squadron and the 324th Fighter Group.
He was killed, aged 24 years, on 19 April 1944 when flying a Curtiss P-40 Warhawk aeroplane during an attack on German transport aeroplanes. As he has no known grave he commemorated on The Memorial to the Missing at the North Africa American Cemetery, 553 rue Roosevelt, Site archéologique de Carthage 2016, Tunisia.
He was posthumously awarded the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal, the Purple Heart with 1 oak leaf cluster and the World War II Victory Medal.
2024: We received an interesting request from Jennifer Wilson: “I work as a liaison at a retirement facility in Lancaster Pennsylvania USA. An elderly resident here, Mr Wolf, has asked me to try to locate a booklet about Edwin Hurlbut Bicksler. Written by Edwin’s grandfather, Reverend Daniel Bicksler (b.1854), this was self-published in 1943-44 and titled ‘Bix’. The cover featured a photo of Edwin Bicksler in his flying suit, standing in front of a P-40 Mustang fighter plane. Shortly after publication the Rev. gave a copy to his wife's nephew, Mr. Wolf, but it’s now lost. Mr. Wolf would dearly love to see this booklet again.”
Jennifer has allowed us to publish her email address here so you can contact her direct with any information: mjwdwilson@comcast.net .
Credit for this entry to: Andrew Behan.
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