Image Credit: Rosanna Price/ Cotswold Archaeology

Archaeologists Recover Wreck of US Pilot Lost in Essex WWII Crash

Archaeologists in Essex are excavating the crash site of 2nd Lt Lester Lowry, a 23-year-old US pilot who went missing in 1944 when his P-47 Thunderbolt, ironically named Lucky Boy, went down during a training flight.
The recovery is being led by the US Department of Defense’s POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA), with support from the UK Ministry of Defence and Cotswold Archaeology. Excavations have uncovered thousands of aircraft fragments, including engine parts, wing sections, and machine-gun components, along with cockpit controls and Lowry’s parachute harness clips.
The personal finds, experts say, are especially poignant: they connect directly to the pilot’s final moments. Eyewitnesses suggest Lowry may have deliberately avoided crashing into a nearby school, making him a hero as well as a victim.
Lowry, orphaned at nine and raised by an aunt in Pennsylvania, had logged only 47 training hours before his death. His story will feature in Hidden Wonders on More 4, airing November 4.
Finds from the dig will be studied in Nebraska before being shared between UK and US museums, ensuring both nations preserve his memory. About 72,000 WWII service members remain missing worldwide.

Published on: 27-10-2025

Source: The Guardian