Finding aid for the Thelbert H. Thomas Collection

Biography of Thelbert H. Thomas

Thelbert "Dick" H. Thomas (1918-1985), enlisted in the United States Army Signal Corps on October 16, 1941 and transferred to Aviation Cadet Training in April of 1943. He became a B-26 Marauder pilot in the European Theater of Operations during World War II. When shipped overseas 2nd Lt. Thomas was originally assigned to the 391st Bombardment Group (BG), 572nd Bombardment Squadron (BS), stationed at Matching, England in 1944. He was placed with Crew #10 consisting of 2nd Lt. William R. White, 2nd Lt. Cloyd H. Singhass, Cpl. Virgil W. Ritchie, Sgt. Samuel T. Tate, and Cpl. Kenneth L. Taplin. They flew on the Martin B-26 Marauder nicknamed "The Three Bears."

Thomas was reassigned to the 323rd BG on April 15, 1945 and to the 454th BS on April 27, 1945 and then to the 457th BS on June 8, 1945. On July 10, 1945, he was assigned to the WP casual pool, 70th Reinforcement Depot Station 385. On October 20, 1945, Thomas was discharged at the Santa Ana Army Air Base in Costa Mesa, California.

Scope and Content

The Thelbert H. Thomas Collection covers the years 1943-2017 with the bulk of the material dating from 1943-1945. The collection consists primarily of military orders, but there is also correspondence that details Thomas's army career, photocopies of photographic prints from his service, and other war-time documents like a graduation list and certificates.

Statement of Arrangement

Restrictions on Use

This image may be protected by copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code). Copyright to this image may lie with The University of Akron which makes it available for personal use for private study, scholarship, or research. Any other use of this image including publications, exhibitions, or productions may be prohibited without written permission of The University of Akron Archival Services. Please contact Archival Services at archives@uakron.edu for more information.

Restrictions on Access

No restrictions on access; except not available through interlibrary loan. Copyright restrictions may apply. Permission to reproduce or publish materials in this collection must be secured in writing from Archival Services, University Libraries, The University of Akron.

391st Bomb Group Association Collection

Indexing Terms

The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.

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Preferred Citation

[Identification of Item], Thelbert H. Thomas Collection, Archival Services, University Libraries, The University of Akron, Akron, Ohio

Processing Information

This collection was processed by Ellen Mitchell in 2017.

Detailed Description of The Collection