LTCOL ERNEST E. POLLOCK, USMC
Lucky Bag Yearbook
From the 1928 Lucky Bag:
ERNEST EDWIN POLLOCK
Class Football (4); Crew Squad (3, 2, 1), Plebe Varsity (4), Class Numerals (3), Navy Numerals (4); Class Track (2); Class Bowling (3); Log Staff (3, 2), Exchange Editor (1); Trident Staff (2, 1), Editor-in-Chief (1), Trident Society (2, 1), President (1); Reef Points (3, 2); Gymkhana Cast (4, 3, 2, 1); Musical Club, Director Manager (1), Assistant Director (2); Jazz Band (3, 2, 1), Assistant Leader (2); Glee Club (4, 3, 2); Choir (4, 3, 2, 1); Two Stripes.
“MR. Pollock, what are all those horns doing in here?” “Well, sir, some belong to the orchestra, some to the jazz band, and the other six are mine.” “Polly” always did have a burning passion for musical instruments.
Before entering the Academy, he studied the stars at Ohio Wesleyan, and later went into the Navy.
“EDDIE” isn’t a “Red Mike.” Far from it. Almost any week-end when he isn’t carrying a gun he is showing the sights to some fair one.
His chief delights are in caulking off and being late to formations. “EDDIE” has been active in athletics, literary societies, and the musical organization. “Busy” should be his middle name, and when he takes an interest in a thing, it goes or he dies in the attempt. He’s not dead yet!
Loss
Ernest was lost on May 19, 1944 when the PBY4-1 Liberator he was aboard crashed near Cherry Point, North Carolina. The rest of the crew were also killed. He was commanding officer of Marine Photographic Squadron (VMD) 354.
Other Information
The Colton (California) Courier reported on February 22, 1944 that he was “the new executive officer of the Marine Corps Air station at Cherry Point, N.C.”
Ernest was a pioneer in aircraft photography for the Marine Corps.
From researcher Kathy Franz:
Ernest came from a large family. His father Walter was a farmer in 1910 and became a real estate and insurance agent by 1920. His mother was Florence. His brothers were Otho and Walter, and his sisters were Louise, Caroline, and Clara. Ernest married Evelyn, and they had two sons Richard and Walter.
In July, 1932, Ernest sailed from Corinto, Nicaragua, to San Diego. His wife and sons were listed on the manifest but were crossed off.
Per a Marine Corps muster roll, Ernest “accepted commission as first lieutenant, ad interim, dated 13 Nov 1934 with rank fr 29 May 1934.” His residence was VO Squadron 8-M Aircraft Two FMF Naval Air Station, San Diego.
Per the Marion Star, Ohio, May 23, 1944: Ernest held the second Nicaraguan campaign medal, Nicaraguan Cruz de Valor, American Defense service medal and American and Asiatic-Pacific medals.
He is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.
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 1928
October 1928
January 1929
April 1929
July 1929
October 1929
January 1930
April 1930
October 1930
January 1931
April 1931
July 1931
October 1931
January 1932
April 1932
October 1932
January 1933
April 1933
July 1933
October 1933
April 1934
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
Ernest is one of 15 members of the Class of 1928 on Virtual Memorial Hall.
