Lieutenant Stephen Henry Crowe, was born on 3 February 1920 in Bellaire, Belmont County, Ohio, USA, the son of Steven Henry Crowe (1895-1954) and Antonia H. Crowe née Hasel (1899-1970). His father was a Corporal in Company K, 330th Infantry Regiment, 83rd Division, United States Army.
According to the American Air Museum in Britain website he joined the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, flying Hawker Hurricane aeroplanes with No.257 Squadron and undertook his first combat operation in November 1941. Along with other Americans he was then posted as a Pilot Officer to join No.133 (Eagle) Squadron, flying Supermarine Spitfires, transferring in September 1942 as a Lieutenant into the United States Army Air Force's 336th Fighter Squadron. He flew over 70 combat missions in both the European and Mediterranean theatres of operations, being awarded both the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal and the World War II Victory Medal.
Ship manifests show that he arrived on 4 June 1941 in Liverpool, Lancashire, having travelled from Montreal, Canada on board the M/S Olaf Fostines of the Cunard White Star Limited steamship line with eight other pilots: Lance Cleo Wade (1918-1944), Donald Allen Tedford (1913-1942), Edward Earl Streets (1921-1942), Edward Elmer Steel (1913-1941), Albert William Strauel (1917-1943), Hugh Harrison McCall (1917-1941), Sidney Nicholas Muhart (1914-1941) and Howard Coffin (1913-1986). He left Liverpool for Montreal on 22 April 1942 aboard the Jean Jadot of the Cunard White Star Limited steamship line.
On 17 September 1947 he married Eula May Bell (1927-1999) in Maricopa, Pinal County, Arizona, USA and they had three children. He died, aged 89 years, on 4 August 2009 in Newhall, Santa Clarita, Los Angeles, California, USA.
Credit for this entry to: Andrew Behan.
