 into his grave marker. Courtesy Cynthia Mullens |
Remember...Charles Obey Frame
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Charles Obey Frame was born to Oscar Byrne Frame and Ida May Rogers Frame on November 20, 1922, in Nicholas County, West Virginia. The 1930 Federal Census taker recorded the family as living near Richwood in the Beaver District. In the household were Mr. and Mrs. Frame with children Clarence, Ruth, Charles, Nellie, James, and Carl. Mr. Frame was a laborer in a tannery, and Ruth and Nellie were recorded as being "new workers." In 1940, the census taker found the family in La Frank, near Richwood. Clarence wasn't in the household, but in the preceding decade, Ruben, Bobby, Edward, and Emma were born and present in the household.
In the area of Richwood, there were several businesses that boasted large employment figures, including a tannery and clothespin factory, which was the largest in the world in the early 1900s. Mr. Frame was, in 1940, working in the clothespin factory.
In 1940, Charles Frame seemed to be enjoying his senior year at Richwood High School. He was a member of the Chemistry Club, acted the role of Paw in the play Moonshine and Honeysuckle, and was a member of the team that created and published the yearbook, The Woodsman.
On a yearbook page for student prophecies, the prophesy for Charles Frame was that he'd be "president of the Ramp Club. As you know it is a very distinguished organization and we're mighty glad to know that one of the ole class made good." About Charles Obey Frame, it was written in The Woodsman: "Charlie: A big heart always wishing to do right and be friends with everybody. Annual staff. Chemistry Club. Moonshine and Honeysuckle." On a page for senior "bequeaths" to other students, it was written: "Charles Frame left his acting abilities as Paw to another classmate, saying that 'you have to grow up sometime.'" He was also listed with students for yearbook staff.
In August 1940, Charles Frame enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps in Fort Hayes, Columbus, Ohio. In the enlistment records, his occupation was described as a farm hand. He served at Napier Field, Dothan, Alabama. He was eventually placed with the 378th Bombardier Squad, 309th Bombardier Group, and underwent training in Fort Jackson in South Carolina. On July 23, 1942, the Nicholas County Republican published a set of photos with brief sketches of local men who were serving in the U.S. military. The Frame article noted that he had the distinction of being the youngest sergeant in the U.S. Army Air Corps.
On September 13, 1942, the plane in which Staff Sergeant Charles Frame was flying crashed. The newspaper article that reported the event described the flight as a routine training mission. The plane went down on approach to the base, one mile away. All but one aboard died at the scene of impact.
| S/Sgt. Frame was awarded the Purple Heart. Charles Frame is interred in Richwood Cemetery, Richwood, West Virginia. |  Courtesy Cynthia Mullens |
Article prepared by Cynthia Mullens
November 2020
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.
