CDR WALKER ETHRIDGE, USN
Lucky Bag Yearbook
From the 1934 Lucky Bag:
WALKER ETHRIDGE
Orchestra 4. 2 P.O.
AFTER spending a year at Mississippi A’ and M, this true rebel of the South decided to drop anchor on the Severn and see what kind of a school Uncle Sam had for his spoiled and pampered pets. His first impression was a favorable one and ever since he has been Navy through and through.
Plebe Year he was bothered for a while with the Steam Department, but ever since then academics have been more or less a matter of course. Nowadays most of his boning is confined to the Cosmo and Red Book.
Athletics never bothered Walker very much, but he has always been an ardent supporter of the blue and gold. His smiling face can always be seen at any athletic event no matter what the time or place. And if you want to know anything about the latest sports just ask Walker — He’s right there with the dope.
Walker has always been more or less on intimate terms with the fair sex. Although he has at times dragged pretty steadily with “Miss Springfield” and talked much about the little girl back home, we believe that now there is a certain little Yankee girl that promises to stand one among all of them.
As a roommate Walker has been one of the best. Here’s a toast to you and your success whether it be in the Navy or on the U. S. S. Outside.
Loss
Walker was lost when his aircraft was shot down near Okinawa on March 20, 1945 while operating from USS Bataan (CVL 29). He was Commanding Officer of Fighting Squadron (VF) 471 at the time; he was also (acting?) commander of the air group, which included VF 47 and Torpedo Squadron (VT) 47.
Other Information
From researcher Kathy Franz:
Walker’s wife was the former Laura Pittard. They married on January 15, 1938, in the Christ Episcopal church in Pensacola, Florida. Walker’s brother George was best man, and George’s wife was the bride’s attendant. Laura’s brother was Lt. j.g. George Pittard. In the 1945 Florida census, Walker, Laura and her father lived together in Warrington.
Walker’s father George M., Sr., was a grocery merchant; mother Martha. Walker’s sister Martha enlisted in the WAVES in February, 1944. Brother George, Jr., was a Navy lieutenant and formerly a representative to the state legislature, and brother Felton was an Army sergeant stationed in India.
His wife was listed as next of kin. Walker has a memory marker in Mississippi and he is also listed at the Courts of the Missing in Hawaii.
Navy Cross
From Hall of Valor:
The President of the United States of America takes pride in presenting the Navy Cross (Posthumously) to Commander Walker Ethridge (NSN: 0-73557), United States Navy, for extraordinary heroism in operations against the enemy while serving as Pilot of a carrier-based Navy Fighter Plane and Commanding Officer of Fighting Squadron FORTY-SEVEN (VF-47), attached to the U.S.S. BATAAN (CVL-29), in action against the enemy Japanese forces off Kyushu, Japan, on 20 March 1945. Launched from his carrier to lead a flight on combat air patrol when he observed a hostile plane diving over the ships of his Task Force, Commander Ethridge unhesitatingly pursued the threatening enemy to blast him from the sky and prevent a damaging blow to our surface vessels, pressing home his attack against the Japanese aircraft in the face of intense, deadly fire and resolutely continuing his valiant efforts until his own plane burst into flames and glided into the sea. His great personal valor, indomitable fighting spirit, courageous determination and heroic defense of his Task Force were inspiring to those with whom he served and reflected the highest credit upon Commander Ethridge and the United States Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life for his country.
General Orders: Board Awards Serial 0247 (October 31, 1945) Action Date: 20-Mar-45
Rank: Commander
Company: Fighting Squadron 47 (VF-47)
Division: U.S.S. Bataan (CVL-29)
Navy Directories & Officer Registers
The "Register of Commissioned and Warrant Officers of the United States Navy and Marine Corps" was published annually from 1815 through at least the 1970s; it provided rank, command or station, and occasionally billet until the beginning of World War II when command/station was no longer included. Scanned copies were reviewed and data entered from the mid-1840s through 1922, when more-frequent Navy Directories were available.
The Navy Directory was a publication that provided information on the command, billet, and rank of every active and retired naval officer. Single editions have been found online from January 1915 and March 1918, and then from three to six editions per year from 1923 through 1940; the final edition is from April 1941.
The entries in both series of documents are sometimes cryptic and confusing. They are often inconsistent, even within an edition, with the name of commands; this is especially true for aviation squadrons in the 1920s and early 1930s.
Alumni listed at the same command may or may not have had significant interactions; they could have shared a stateroom or workspace, stood many hours of watch together, or, especially at the larger commands, they might not have known each other at all. The information provides the opportunity to draw connections that are otherwise invisible, though, and gives a fuller view of the professional experiences of these alumni in Memorial Hall.
July 1934
October 1934
January 1935
April 1935
October 1935
January 1936
April 1936
July 1936
January 1937
April 1937
September 1937
January 1938
July 1938
January 1939
October 1939
June 1940
November 1940
April 1941
References
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Previously accessible at http://www.wings-aviation.ch/25-Navy-Sqn/VF-Squadrons/VF-047.htm ↩︎
Walker is one of 40 members of the Class of 1934 on Virtual Memorial Hall.
