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Remember...Harry Kee Blackhurst
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Harry Kee Blackhurst was born at Cass, Pocahontas County, West Virginia, May 12, 1919, the second child and only son of Allen Jabez Blackhurst (1894-1977) and Bessie Alice Kee Blackhurst (1889-1949). His sisters were May Elizabeth (married name: Freeland; 1917-2009), Catherine A. (married name: Fauley; 1920-2008), Beatrice Bessie (married name: Sheets; 1923-1992), and Ruth McCollam (married name: McCutcheon; 1925-2010). 1920 and 1930 census documents show the family to be living in Cass and then Green Bank in Pocahontas County. (The latter is now known internationally for the Green Bank Telescope, the world's largest fully steerable radio telescope, but it was not in existence during Harry's formative years.) Growing up in Pocahontas County, Harry graduated from high school there, but by 1940 he was living in Malden, Kanawha County, in the household of his uncle and aunt, Henry and Mary Blackhurst. The 1940 Federal Census indicates that Harry had completed one year of college and was a bookkeeper engaged in private work. (Family information from 1920, 1930, and 1940 Federal Census documents; Harry K. Blackhurst's Find A Grave page; and the Robert Meyer Family Tree: Blackhurst/McVey.) Somewhere along the line, Harry acquired the nickname "Buzz." It's not clear whether this was a childhood moniker or came about because of his World War II history as a pilot.
When he registered for the World War II draft on October 16, 1940, Harry stated that his father Allen of Cass was the person who would always know his address. But he also indicated that his employer was the Belle Works of the DuPont Corporation. A year and a half later (March 30, 1942), Harry enlisted in the Army Air Corps at Charleston, West Virginia. His enlistment record notes that he is single; has completed four years of high school; and his civil occupation is as a plumber, gas fitter, or steam fitter. This is somewhat at odds with census information.
The Robert Meyer Family Tree: Blackhurst/McVey on Ancestry.com provides some detail on his World War II career, although it's unclear whether he saw service overseas. Suffice it to say that his military service in WWII began with basic training at Santa Ana, California, on May 14, 1942. On February 6, 1943, he completed flight training at Luke Air Force Base in Maricopa, Arizona, where he remained for at least the next year. There, Buzz was a Training Group Instructor. What is clear is that he became known as an ace pilot. On April 12, 1945, he participated in the fly-over at President Harry Truman's inauguration in Washington, D.C.
World War II was a turbulent time for young American men and women. While at Luke AFB, he met Betty Jane McVey (1918-2009), with whom he had a son (May 31, 1944). We can only infer that Harry did not marry Betty Jane as she placed the son for adoption. The child is referred to as "Baby Boy McVey" in family trees on Ancestry.com. On October 9, 1945, Harry married Robbie Lucille Fleming (later, Morrison; 1926-2010) in Meridian, Mississippi. 1946 and 1948 Charleston city directories indicate he was living in the city with Robbie and was a millwright/electrician; however, Robbie apparently returned to Mississippi after his death.
| Harry's skills as a pilot would be in demand in 1950 as the Korean War loomed. Consequently, on April 8, 1951, Harry was in the Air Force again and aboard the C-47 Skytrain that crashed near the Charleston [Kanawha] Airport. All 21 members of the 123rd Fighter Bomber Wing, 167th Fighter Squadron, perished, although Harry was one of two immediate survivors. He lived for one day after the crash. The squadron, which was training at Godman Air Force Base in Kentucky, was headed for Charleston to attend the funeral of Major Woodford Sutherland, who had been killed in an airplane accident in Florida three days previous. |  |
Much has been written locally about the crash and its aftermath—the Charleston Gazette and Daily Mail offered timely coverage of the event and its aftermath, and other newspapers around the state followed suit. In a practice no longer familiar, newspapers often published an "extra," which allowed for frequent updates on breaking news. The following account, however, is excerpted from the actual accident report:
After reporting over the Charleston Radio Range at 5000 feet on an IFR flight from Godman Air Force Base, Kentucky to Charleston, West Virginia, the pilot was cleared by Charleston Approach Control to descent to 3500 feet, pending approach clearance. . . . [The pilot then indicated a turn procedure.] The procedure turn report was the last radio contact with the aircraft.The C-47 crashed into a hill approximately 1150 feet high located 4.6 miles from the approach end of runway 23 at Kanawha County Airport and 1.07 miles West Northwest of the Outer Marker beacon. Both wings of the aircraft were sheared off on impact by trees. The fuselage came to rest approximately 125 yards from the point of impact and was almost completely consumed by the fire which apparently was instantaneous with collision. . . .
One of the two survivors of the crash was a rated pilot riding as passenger who succumbed to burn injuries within less than 24 hours. The other survivor lived for approximately one week after the crash. The statements of the survivors indicate that they were positioned further aft in the plane than any of the other passengers and it is worthy of note that one of the survivors stated that to the best of his knowledge all the rest of the passengers who suffered fatal injuries had their safety belts fastened. . . .
[Here the report provides numerous technical details regarding the approach pattern and describes the condition of the aircraft on impact, concluding that the damage made the cause of the crash difficulty to determine.]
The report continues:
The fact that both survivors reported seeing the airport a short time before the crash lends credence to the belief that the pilot misread the altimeter and was actually flying at 1300 feet indicated when he reported being at 2300 outbound over the inner locator at 1132C. This altitude would put the aircraft below the 1000 foot overcast and above the 500 foot broken ceiling which would enable the passengers to get a glimpse of the airport through the broken cloud layer.
A memorial to the crash victims sits at the entrance to what is now Yeager Airport in Charleston. Courtesy of Diana Scott Cobbs The time lapse of only 2 minutes from the position over the inner located outbound until the procedure report further suggests the actions of this pilot in setting up his approach were distinctly hurried. One wrist watch found in the wreckage was stopped at 1136C, so the time of the accident is assumed as between 1135C and 1136. While the failure of the ILS equipment might be considered as conducive to the accident, the pilot was aware of the malfunction and planned to make his approach independently of this system. It does not appear therefore that this failure should be considered as a direct cause factor. (Report of AF Aircraft Accident, West Virginia State Archives.)
While most families held individual private services for their lost loved ones, the entire community rallied to their support when a joint service for all was held at the Charleston Municipal Auditorium on April 10. Local newspapers reported that more than 4,000 attended the joint memorial service, with standing room only for more than 500. One day later, Captain Harry Kee Blackhurst was laid to rest in Arbovale Cemetery in Pocahontas County, where other members of his family also are interred.
Find A Grave photo courtesy of Doug Boyer
Article prepared by Patricia Richards McClure, who gratefully acknowledges the assistance of Syd Edwards, historian who has extensively written about the C-47 crash
September 2024
Honor...
West Virginia Archives and History welcomes any additional information that can be provided about these veterans, including photographs, family names, letters and other relevant personal history.
