In Charlestown, within Ninigret Park, is a memorial dedicated to pilots who lost their lives from the plane crashes over several years at the former Charlestown Auxiliary Landing Field which this park was made from.
To get to this memorial, from U.S. Route 1, travel to Route 1A, then travel on Route 1A to a sign on the right side. Take a right and follow the main road to the memorial on the left. If you reach the Frosty Drew Observatory you have gone too far.
The memorial is made of a light granite material and is about 5 ft high, about 10 ft wide, and a few inches thick. The front facing the road has the following text:
Top:
"Charlestown Naval Auxiliary Landing Field
-1943- "Charlietown" -1973-
In memory of those who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country in the recent wars of the United States"
[logo]
Middle:
[Years and Names]
Bottom:
"Thru these portals pass the hottest pilots in the world"
the names are grouped by years. The years are as follows: 1943, 1944, 1946, 1947, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1965. The year specified below is the first year listed.
The airfield was used through at least two wars: World War I and Korean War. Of many pilots who went through here, future President George Herbert Walker Bush is perhaps the most well known. The Ninigret Park Final Master Plan mentions that the memorial is now placed near one of the plane accidents that this memorial honors. A brochure from the U.S. FWS states,"At the air station, pilots trained for World War II night-flying missions in the South Pacific. In bad weather and fog, training could be as risky as combat. Here, more
than 60 brave pilots died in plane crashes."
Today, there is no physical evidence on the field for these crashes. The memorial is located near a plane crash - I couldn't find any specific stories of this crash or any crash on the field online.
There is a good site that relates the history of the air field as well as efforts to establish the monument - see below.
Also see the Waymark for the historical sign off the parking lot for the Ninigret National Wildlife Refuge at the end of the road. See link below.
Other Sources:
airfields-freeman.com (Charlestown):
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visit link)
Progressive-Charlestown.com (Memorial-Day-Feature-Charlestowns):
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visit link)
Waymarking.com (WMJXF6):
(
visit link)
Wikipedia (F6F Hellcat):
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visit link)