Eleanor Roosevelt WWII South Pacific Tour 9/13-18, 1943
Excerpt copied without permission from the excellent VB-104 book by VAdm Sears, p.116:
[For the flight from Espiritu Santo to Guadalcanal, Admiral Halsey] thought of his heavily-gunned Navy Liberators (PB4Y-1s) and Sears, CO of VB-104 and the Navy Search Group operating out of Carney Field.
Sears had flown the Admiral several times in Car Div Two and at Anacostia, so Halsey’s next choice was simple. Send Sears and his crew to Espiritu Santo and fly the ladies to Guadalcanal. Make it at night to arrive just before dawn. This was the safest procedure; however, Henderson airfield was severely bombed the next day!
On 13 September, Sears flew down to Espiritu in routine fashion, having negotiated the 625 nautical miles several times before. He was flying John Alley’s plane, 32075, because Searls had earlier crashed the skipper’s own plane into spare parts. Lymenstull recalls that the skipper selected 32075 because it had a Jap flag painted on it for a Mavis shot down and three bombs painted on it for three high altitude bombing raids.
We prepared the plane as best we could to accommodate our distinguished guests. The painting of the beautiful lady on the nose of 32075 was left for all to see, but the plane’s name was judged indelicate and was painted over.
For comfort during flight, a plywood cargo liner was installed in the bomb-bay upon which two passenger type seats were securely fastened. Flight jackets and several thick Navy blankets completed the accoutrements.
On 16 September, Sears flew 32075 on two check flights. Nothing must go wrong when Mrs. Roosevelt was aboard. On the morning of 17 September, Mrs. Roosevelt and her companion, Miss Ryan, boarded Sears’ plane and made the flight from Espiritu to Henderson Field, Guadalcanal in 3.9 uneventful hours. Our crews usually dozed on our flight between Espiritu and Guadalcanal but on this special flight Sears’ gunners were alert and he even had a fighter escort.
Mrs. Roosevelt’s stay on Guadalcanal was short. On 18 September, one day after her arrival, Mrs. Roosevelt boarded Sears’ plane and flew to Espiritu. Sears’ flight log has the remark, “Mrs. R. co-pilot for 2 hrs and on landing!” That shows how important we co-pilots were—even the President’s wife could do our job!
Whit Wright, his crew, and his plane, 32081 “Whit’s Shits,” played a minor and little known role in the “Mrs. Roosevelt” caper but close enough to Mr. Roosevelt that “Whit’s Shits” was temporarily covered by some washable brown paint. Whit flew to Espiritu when Sears did on the 13th. PATSU crews gave his plane the necessary service and Whit then provided his CENSORED “Whit’s Shits” as standby plane for Sears on the day he flew Mrs. Roosevelt to Guadalcanal. On the morning of the 18th, Whit shuttled his plane to Henderson Field, so it could again serve as the standby plane, this time for the Sears/Roosevelt flight from Henderson back to Espiritu.
More Info & Links:
The Eleanor Roosevelt Papers Project
“When FDR suggested in 1943 that ER go on a goodwill tour of Australia and New Zealand she readily agreed. Ever since her return from Great Britain in 1942, ER had wanted to go to the South Pacific both to see US servicemen there and to observe the homefront in Australia and New Zealand. She particularly wanted to visit Guadalcanal… The night before Mrs. Roosevelt arrived on Guadalcanal the Japanese bombed the island, and there was an air raid warning while she was there. They bombed it again the night after she left… Her trip to Guadalcanal was rough, flying lights out at night to prevent detection by the Japanese in an unheated military transport. She had been traveling non-stop for a month. She was exhausted and had lost thirty pounds.”
Eleanor Roosevelt: American Ambassador to the S. Pacific
“The night before her trip to Guadalcanal, the First Lady had but two hours of sleep as she had to catch a plane at 1:39 am to make a cold night flight to the island, which was still being bombed by the enemy. On Guadalcanal the men were not told of her coming, but the night before her arrival they were told that they were not to walk around without wearing pants and shirts, as they often did. The men on Guadalcanal were completely surprised to see the First Lady. One astonished Marine exclaimed, “Gosh, there’s Eleanor!” Her escorting general was disturbed by the familiarity, but Eleanor was amused. She made the rounds of hospitals, kitchens, a cemetery, workstations, and tent dwellings of the men. Her driver on Guadalcanal was Air Corps Sergeant Joe Lash whom she had known before the war and had requested to see while she was on the island.”
Eleanor Roosevelt’s South Pacific travel diary.
“One of the things which I shall never forget on Guadalcanal is my visit to the cemetery. The little church there was built by the natives and given to the sliders; they even made an altar and the altar vessels, carving them beautifully and decorating the church with symbols which have special meanings for them—fishes of various kind which mean long life, eternity, etc. it was very moving to walk among the graves and realize how united these boys had been in spite of differences in religion and background.”
American Realities
“The First Lady arrived in the early morning and breakfasted with General Nathan Twining. Eleanor told the general that she wanted to see a Sergeant Lash, and soon the soldier and the First Lady met, upsetting military protocol with a warm embrace. Joseph Lash accompanied Eleanor as her driver during much of her island tour… The chapel had been built of wood by the natives and given to the Americans. Its steep, thatch roof sloped almost to the ground. A thatch-covered cupola rose above and was topped by a cross… Admiral Nimitz’s flag officers came in from their various posts “singing her praises and reporting on the beneficial effect she had had on the morale of the men.” In the South Pacific she acquired almost legendary status.”
Mrs. Roosevelt’s Tour (FDR Library)
(silent film – Guadalcanal segment apparently at 17:50)
VPB-104 PB4Y Squadron 