This small collection primarily contains a series of letters between various individuals and Anna C. Cole, mother of Lloyd R. Cole. Dated between 1940 and 1946, these letters largely detail the difficulties Capt. Lloyd R. Cole experienced throughout his service during World War II through his death in 1943 while prisoner of war (POW). In addition, the collection features several photographs of Capt. Lloyd R. Cole during the war, in addition to a photograph taken on his wedding day with his wife, Mary May. Of particular note, Cole's pins and Selective Service medal are included in the collection.
Capt. Lloyd R. Cole was born in Winchester, Kentucky in 1919 and graduated from Washington and Lee University in 1940. During his tenure at Washington and Lee University, Cole was the president of Phi Delta Theta fraternity and a member of the Ring-tum Phi newspaper. Not long after graduating, Cole married and enlisted in the United States Army Air Forces. In 1942, he was assigned as pilot of "S-for-Sugar" aircraft at Gowen Field, Boise, Idaho. In October of 1942, Capt. Cole arrived in Molesworth, UK as pilot of "Memphis Tot," the last aircraft he would fly. Throughout his service, he participated in eight operations, four of which were aborted for a variety of complications. On February 4, 1943, "Memphis Tot" was shot down in Germany after the crew reported their guns did not work and attempted to turn back. Captain Cole crash landed in Waddenzee, Holland. As a result of the accident, Capt. Cole suffered a severe hip injury that would eventually result in amputation. Following the accident, he was captured as prisoner of the Germans and died of wounds in the Wilhelmina Hospital in Amsterdam. Capt. Cole was awarded an Air Medal and a Purple Heart Award for his service and is now buried in Ardennes American Cemetery in Belgium.
[Identification of item], Lloyd R. Cole Collection (WLU Coll. 0679), Special Collections and Archives, James G. Leyburn Library, Washington and Lee University, Lexington, Va.
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