Corporal (documented November 1944) · 4th Troop Carrier Squadron, 62nd Troop Carrier Group
Army Air Forces · Service no. 13 179 867
Service Number
13 179 867
Documented rank
Corporal (documented November 1944)
Last documented unit
4th Troop Carrier Squadron, 62nd Troop Carrier Group
Military job
955 — Airborne Radar Mechanic
Theater
Mediterranean Theater of Operations
This history follows William from his life before the war,
through his documented Army service, to his return to civilian life.
Surviving Army records identify him by service number. Each entry cites
its evidence; squadron history is distinguished from his personal record.
Map of Service
Documented service locations. Connecting lines show their sequence; they do not establish the roads, ports, ship, or travel dates.
Service stops
Richmond, Va.joined the Army, Dec 1942
Miami Beach, Fla.Army Air Forces training, Sep 1943
Camp Murphy, Fla.radar school, Dec 1943
Robins Field, Ga.Jun 1944
Greensboro, N.C.prepared for overseas duty, Jun-Jul 1944
Malignano, near Siena4th Troop Carrier Squadron, Nov 1944
Route notes
1 → 2Began active duty, Sep 1943
2 → 3Dec 1943
3 → 41944
4 → 5Jun 1944
5 → 6Documented in Greensboro in Jul and Italy in Sep 1944; travel route not recorded
6 → 7Sep 1944
7 → 8Documented at Galera in Sep and Malignano in Nov 1944
How to read this service timeline
This page brings together records created for different purposes. The labels below tell you what kind of evidence supports each entry; open either guide when a record or military term is unfamiliar.
?
Confirmed — Service record
A personal military record supports the entry.
Confirmed — Unit record
A record created by his unit names him or documents the unit’s activity.
Context
Helpful background, clearly separated from personal evidence.
Newly discovered
Information recovered during this research, rather than supplied at the start.
How to read a Morning Report
Morning Reports were daily administrative records prepared by individual Army and Army Air Forces units. They generally recorded changes—such as arrivals, transfers, promotions, illness, or return to duty—not a complete list of everyone present.
MORNING REPORT · SAMPLE
1Organization Company A, 123rd Infantry
2Station or location Camp Example, Virginia
3Date 14 September 1944
4Section Personnel changes
5Pvt Smith, John A., 35123456 6asgd fr Hq Co per SO 187, Hq 123d Inf
In plain English
Private John A. Smith, identified by Army Serial Number 35123456, was assigned to Company A from Headquarters Company under Special Orders No. 187.
1Organization: the company, hospital, squadron, or other unit filing the report.
2Station or location: where that unit reported from on that date.
3Report date: the date of the report, which may differ from the effective date of a change.
4Section: the part of the form containing personnel changes or the unit’s record of events.
5Soldier entry: usually rank, name, and Army Serial Number.
6Change and authority: what happened and the order authorizing it.
asgd
assigned
atchd
attached
trfd
transferred
fr
from
aptd
appointed
EM
enlisted men
SO
Special Orders
GO
General Orders
orgn
organization
sta
station
Common military and research terms
Army Serial Number (ASN)
The unique service number used to distinguish one soldier from others with similar names.
Discharge or separation paper
The document issued when a service member left active service. For many WWII Army enlisted soldiers, this is WD AGO Form 53-55. It summarizes service but is not a day-by-day history.
Morning Report
An Army unit’s daily administrative report. It usually lists people whose status changed, not every person in the unit.
Unit record
A document created by a military organization. It may name the soldier directly or provide context about his unit; the timeline states which applies.
OMPF or “201 file”
The service member’s Official Military Personnel File. Many Army and Air Force files were damaged or destroyed in the 1973 National Personnel Records Center fire.
Unit and final unit
A unit is the organization in which someone served. The final unit is the organization shown at separation; it may not be the only unit in the service history.
Rank or grade
The service member’s level in the military hierarchy. A timeline may show changes in rank over time.
MOS
Military Occupational Specialty—the Army’s classification for a soldier’s primary military job.
Assigned and attached
Assigned means formally placed in a unit. Attached usually means serving with a unit temporarily while belonging administratively elsewhere.
Special Orders and General Orders
Official directives used to authorize personnel actions, awards, organizational changes, and other decisions.
Campaign credit
Official recognition for service connected with a named campaign. It does not, by itself, describe a service member’s individual actions.
Station or location
The place from which a unit filed a report. It does not automatically prove that every member was physically present there.
Source citation
The note beneath a timeline entry identifying the record or records that support it.
Service Timeline
10 min
Confirmed — Record
March 19, 1924
Born in Lynchburg, Virginia
William Wooldridge Jr. was born in Lynchburg, Virginia. His parents were William Abbitt Wooldridge and Virginia Kyle Wooldridge.
William registered for the draft on June 30, 1942, with Local Board No. 1 in Warren County, Virginia. He was 18, lived on Randolph Avenue in Front Royal, and worked for the A&P Tea Company on South Royal Avenue. The registrar described him as 5 feet 8½ inches tall and 130 pounds, with gray eyes and brown hair. William signed the card "W. A. Wooldridge, Jr." His draft-board serial was N-158. He received a separate Army serial number when he enlisted in December.
Front of William's draft card, dated June 30, 1942. Image courtesy of Fold3.Back of the card: the registrar's description of William and the Warren County draft board stamp. Image courtesy of Fold3.
At age 18, William enlisted in the Army's reserve program in Richmond. His enlistment record says he lived in Warren County, Virginia, whose county seat is Front Royal. The Army gave him serial number 13 179 867. That same number identifies him in the records that follow.
Orders issued at Camp Lee, Virginia, sent William to Army Air Forces basic training in Miami Beach, Florida. He arrived at 1 p.m. on September 30 with a large group of Signal Corps reservists. The Signal Corps handled military communications and radar. The order attached William to Flight X-A of the 407th Training Group. He appears as number 85: "WOOLDRIDGE, William A. Jr. 13179867." A Morning Report was the Army's daily record of personnel changes.
The Army order recording William's arrival in Miami Beach. His name is line 85, at the bottom of the left column. The yellow is ours — it identifies his entry on the sheet.View additional personnel pages and archived copiesAnother archived copy of the October 1 order recording arrival on September 30, 1943. William is entry 85. National Archives document 453238264, image 2452. The yellow is ours — it identifies his entry on the sheet.
Source: Morning Report — Headquarters, Basic Training Center No. 4, Army Air Forces Eastern Technical Training Command, Miami Beach, Fla. — National Archives Catalog document 453238264, image 2360; Roll 379 (Special Order 274, October 1, 1943) National Archives Catalog document 453238264, image 2452. Supporting pages and archived copies are included in the expandable section above.
Confirmed — Unit record
December 24, 1943
Radar school at Camp Murphy, Florida
An Army order dated December 23 sent William with a group of enlisted men from Miami Beach to Camp Murphy, Florida. On December 24, the Army attached him to Company P of the 801st Signal Training Regiment for a radar maintenance course. The order says the students had received clearance for classified instruction. It lists "William A. Wooldridge, Jr. 13179867" under Company P. His February and March records also name him at Camp Murphy.
The December 24 order assigning the men to the radar maintenance course. William is near the bottom of the left column, under Company P. The yellow is ours — it identifies his entry on the sheet.The December 23 order sending men from Miami Beach to Camp Murphy. William is number 90. The yellow is ours — it identifies his entry on the sheet.An earlier Miami Beach order lists William on line h as a supernumerary, an additional man beyond the main roster, from the 407th Training Group. The yellow is ours — it identifies his entry on the sheet.View additional personnel pages and archived copiesAnother archived copy of the Miami Beach order; William is listed by name and Army serial number. National Archives document 457819929, image 2283. The yellow is ours — it identifies his entry on the sheet.Another archived copy of the Miami Beach order; William is listed by name and Army serial number. National Archives document 457819929, image 2332. The yellow is ours — it identifies his entry on the sheet.Another archived copy of Special Order 307, December 24, 1943. William appears under Company P. National Archives document 458938252, image 1372. The yellow is ours — it identifies his entry on the sheet.Another archived copy of Special Order 307, December 24, 1943. William appears under Company P. National Archives document 458938252, image 1536. The yellow is ours — it identifies his entry on the sheet.Another archived copy of Special Order 307, December 24, 1943. William appears under Company P. National Archives document 458938252, image 1581. The yellow is ours — it identifies his entry on the sheet.Another archived copy of Special Order 307, December 24, 1943. William appears under Company P. National Archives document 458938252, image 1673. The yellow is ours — it identifies his entry on the sheet.
Source: Morning Reports and attached orders: Basic Training Center No. 4, Miami Beach, Florida, National Archives Catalog document 457820410, Roll 51, images 747 and 780 (Special Orders 347 and 357, December 13 and 23, 1943); 801st Signal Training Regiment, Camp Murphy, Florida, document 458938252, Roll 416, image 1112 (Special Order 307, December 24, 1943). All three cited pages appear below. National Archives Catalog document 457819929, images 2283, 2332. Supporting pages and archived copies are included in the expandable section above. National Archives Catalog document 458938252, images 1372, 1536, 1581, 1673. Supporting pages and archived copies are included in the expandable section above.
Confirmed — Unit record
February 12, 1944
Training with Company P at Camp Murphy
Company P's daily personnel record lists Private William A. Wooldridge as a Signal Corps soldier serving with the Army Air Forces at Camp Murphy. On February 12 he was sent from duty to the post hospital. The February 22 report says he returned to duty at 2 p.m. A March 1 personnel list names him again and gives 629 as his military job code at that stage of training.
The February 12 Company P record lists William by name and Army serial number before noting his move to the post hospital. The yellow is ours — it identifies his entry on the sheet.The February 22 record says William returned from the post hospital to duty at 2 p.m. The yellow is ours — it identifies his entry on the sheet.A March 1 personnel list for the 801st Signal Training Regiment. William is the final name shown. The yellow is ours — it identifies his entry on the sheet.View additional personnel pages and archived copiesAnother archived copy of the March 1, 1944 personnel list. William appears near the bottom with Army serial number 13179867 and job code 629. National Archives document 465529547, image 1771. The yellow is ours — it identifies his entry on the sheet.Another archived copy of the March 1, 1944 personnel list. William appears near the bottom with Army serial number 13179867 and job code 629. National Archives document 465529547, image 1910. The yellow is ours — it identifies his entry on the sheet.Another archived copy of the March 1, 1944 personnel list. William appears near the bottom with Army serial number 13179867 and job code 629. National Archives document 465529547, image 1924. The yellow is ours — it identifies his entry on the sheet.Another archived copy of the March 1, 1944 personnel list. William appears near the bottom with Army serial number 13179867 and job code 629. National Archives document 465529547, image 1994. The yellow is ours — it identifies his entry on the sheet.
Source: Morning Reports: Company P, 801st Signal Training Regiment, Camp Murphy, Florida, National Archives Catalog document 462595088, Roll 10, images 26 and 40 (February 12 and 22, 1944); attached Memo 48, document 465529547, Roll 236, image 1306 (March 1, 1944). All three cited pages appear below. National Archives Catalog document 465529547, images 1771, 1910, 1924, 1994. Supporting pages and archived copies are included in the expandable section above.
Confirmed — Unit record
June 10–15, 1944
Promoted and assigned as a radar mechanic
At Robins Field, Georgia, the Army appointed William Technician Fifth Grade, a temporary specialist grade, on June 10. An order issued five days later gives his job code as 955, airborne radar mechanic, a technician who maintained radar equipment carried aboard aircraft. That order authorized an 11-day delay during his journey to his next station. Personnel pages preserved in the May and June report rolls also record a ten-day furlough, or authorized leave, and his return to duty. These pages do not give the exact leave dates.
The June 10 order granting William a temporary promotion to Technician Fifth Grade. The yellow is ours — it identifies his entry on the sheet.The June 15 order identifies William as a Technician Fifth Grade with job code 955 and authorizes an 11-day delay en route. The yellow is ours — it identifies his entry on the sheet.View additional personnel pages and archived copiesA personnel page retained in the May 1944 report roll lists William, serial 13179867, going from duty to ten days of authorized leave. This continuation page does not show the exact departure date. National Archives document 473299901, image 890. The yellow is ours — it identifies his entry on the sheet.A personnel page retained in the June 1944 report roll lists William, serial 13179867, returning from ten days of authorized leave. This page does not establish an exact date or whether this is a separate leave period. National Archives document 476451361, image 67. The yellow is ours — it identifies his entry on the sheet.Another archived copy of the June 15 Robins Field order. William is listed with job code 955 and eleven days of authorized delay during his journey. National Archives document 476458762, image 2450. The yellow is ours — it identifies his entry on the sheet.
Source: Attached special orders: Headquarters, Robins Field, Georgia, National Archives Catalog document 476451361, Roll 27, images 94 and 134 (Special Orders 140 and 144, June 10 and 15, 1944). Both cited pages appear below. National Archives Catalog document 473299901, image 890. Supporting pages and archived copies are included in the expandable section above. National Archives Catalog document 476451361, image 67. Supporting pages and archived copies are included in the expandable section above. National Archives Catalog document 476458762, image 2450. Supporting pages and archived copies are included in the expandable section above.
Confirmed — Unit record
June 27, 1944
Prepared for overseas service in Greensboro
On June 27, William reported to the Army Air Forces Overseas Replacement Depot in Greensboro, North Carolina. A replacement depot processed and organized troops before sending them overseas. He arrived with two other men from a radar and radio maintenance unit at Robins Field. On June 29, the Army appointed him corporal on a temporary basis.
The June 27 record shows William arriving in Greensboro from a radar and radio maintenance unit at Robins Field. The yellow is ours — it identifies his entry on the sheet.The June 29 record of William's temporary promotion to corporal. The yellow is ours — it identifies his entry on the sheet.View additional personnel pages and archived copiesAn additional June 1944 personnel list names William and his Army serial number. His former Technician Fifth Grade is crossed out and corporal written beside it. National Archives document 476460742, image 1185. The yellow is ours — it identifies his entry on the sheet.
Source: Morning Report — Section K, 3503d Army Air Forces Base Unit, Overseas Replacement Depot, Greensboro, N.C. — National Archives Catalog document 476459741, images 605 and 834; Roll 30 (June 27 and 29, 1944) National Archives Catalog document 476460742, image 1185. Supporting pages and archived copies are included in the expandable section above.
Confirmed — Unit record
July 19, 1944
Left Greensboro for overseas service
On July 19, William and a group of other men left the Greensboro replacement depot for overseas service. The Army tracked their group under the code Shipment AE-176-B. This was an administrative label for the group, not the name of a ship.
The July 19 departure list. William appears under Shipment AE-176-B as a corporal and airborne radar mechanic. The yellow is ours — it identifies his entry on the sheet.View additional personnel pages and archived copiesAn additional roster for Shipment AE-176-B lists William and his Army serial number. The shipment code identifies a group of men, not a ship. National Archives document 479527738, image 1556. The yellow is ours — it identifies his entry on the sheet.
Source: Transfer list: Headquarters, Section K, 1060th Army Air Forces Base Unit, Overseas Replacement Depot, Greensboro, North Carolina, National Archives Catalog document 479527738, Roll 202, image 1531 (July 19, 1944). The cited page appears below. National Archives Catalog document 479527738, image 1556. Supporting pages and archived copies are included in the expandable section above.
Confirmed — Unit record
August 14, 1944
Processed by the 19th Replacement Battalion
An August 14 roster from the 19th Replacement Battalion lists William in the group identified as Shipment AE-176-B. His entry gives his rank as corporal, Army serial number 13179867, and job code 955. Several radar specialists from the June Robins Field order appear on this roster too. The battalion used Army Post Office 528 as its military mail address; this page does not establish William's precise location or his date of arrival overseas.
The August 14 roster for William's overseas group. His name is seventh from the bottom. The yellow is ours — it identifies his entry on the sheet.
Source: Morning Report — Headquarters, 19th Replacement Battalion (Separate), Army Post Office 528 — National Archives Catalog document 565904710, image 71; Roll 468 (August 14, 1944)
Confirmed — Unit record
September 22, 1944
Transferred to a troop-carrier unit in Italy
At Marcianise, Italy, William completed his time in the replacement system. At 6 a.m. on September 22, the 285th Replacement Company transferred him and several other men to the 51st Troop Carrier Wing, the larger organization that supervised several troop-carrier groups.
The September 22 transfer record lists William by name and Army serial number among men sent to the 51st Troop Carrier Wing. The yellow is ours — it identifies his entry on the sheet.
The September 23 Morning Report records William joining the 4th Troop Carrier Squadron at Galera, Italy, under orders issued on September 22. He served as a corporal and airborne radar mechanic. The squadron belonged to the 62nd Troop Carrier Group. Its official history lists C-47 transport aircraft and wartime work carrying troops and supplies in the Mediterranean. This describes the squadron's work; the personnel report identifies William's assignment but does not name missions he supported.
The 4th Troop Carrier Squadron's record of William's arrival. It lists his Army serial number, rank of corporal, and job as airborne radar mechanic. The yellow is ours — it identifies his entry on the sheet.
Source: Morning Report: 4th Troop Carrier Squadron, 62nd Troop Carrier Group, Galera, Italy, National Archives Catalog document 569913603, Roll 627, image 539 (September 23, 1944; Special Order 175 dated September 22). The cited page appears below. Squadron aircraft and operations: Air Force Historical Research Agency, 4 Airlift Squadron (AMC), official squadron fact sheet
Context
October 3, 1944
The squadron moved to Malignano, Italy
On October 3, the 4th Troop Carrier Squadron moved from Galera to Malignano Airfield in Italy. The Air Force's official station history records this movement for the squadron. William's own personnel entries place him at Malignano in November.
The squadron's daily records place William at Malignano Airbase through the end of November. On November 27, he was excused from normal duty because he was ill but remained in his quarters rather than going to a hospital. The Army marked the illness as occurring in the line of duty. He returned to duty on November 30. The unit's entry for that day says only: "Usual foreign war-time camp duties."
The November 27 record says William was excused from duty because he was ill and remained in his quarters. The yellow is ours — it identifies his entry on the sheet.The November 30 record says William returned to duty. His name is at the top of the page. The yellow is ours — it identifies his entry on the sheet.
Source: Morning Report — 4th Troop Carrier Squadron, 62nd Troop Carrier Group, Malignano Airbase, Italy — National Archives Catalog document 576510531, images 1469 and 11; Roll 601 (November 27 and 30, 1944)
Context
1945
The squadron in 1945
The Air Force's official station history places the 4th Troop Carrier Squadron at Tarquinia from January 9 and Rosignano from May 26, 1945. These are squadron locations. William's surviving personal entries document his service at Malignano through November 30, 1944; they do not establish that he accompanied the squadron to its later stations.
The Department of Veterans Affairs service index records December 6, 1945, as the end of William's Army service, nearly three years after his reserve enlistment. His obituary describes his World War II service in Europe with the Army Air Corps. The Army reports document him as a corporal through November 30, 1944. This is his last documented rank in the records used here.View the veterans’ service-index entry
Selected-field transcription, BIRLS death-file record 4962388: William Abbitt Wooldridge; born March 19, 1924; died February 2, 2005; branch Army; entered December 15, 1942; released December 6, 1945. This is an index transcription, rather than a discharge certificate.
Source: Department of Veterans Affairs Beneficiary Identification Records Locator Subsystem (BIRLS) death file (branch Army; entered December 15, 1942; released December 6, 1945); obituary, The Pilot (Southern Pines, N.C.), February 4, 2005; BIRLS index record 4962388, transcribed below
Confirmed — Record
After World War II
Family life after the war
William and his wife, Dorothy Marie Hall Wooldridge, had a son, William R. Wooldridge, and a daughter, Patricia Wooldridge McMillan. Dorothy died before William.
After the war, William studied electrical engineering at George Washington University in Washington, D.C. The university's 1952 yearbook lists him as an Arlington, Virginia, student earning a Bachelor of Electrical Engineering degree. His entry names Sigma Tau and Theta Tau and lists him as chairman of the student branch of the American Institute of Electrical Engineers.
William’s senior entry in the 1952 George Washington University yearbook, printed page 204, lower right. The entry gives his name, Arlington residence, electrical engineering degree, and engineering organizations.
William worked for General Electric in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. He worked as an engineer, a program manager, and the manager of an engineering section. He retired in 1986 and later made his home in Pinehurst, North Carolina.
William died on February 2, 2005, at FirstHealth Moore Regional Hospital in Pinehurst. He was 80 years old. He is buried at Pinelawn Memorial Park in Southern Pines, North Carolina. His bronze grave marker bears the winged-star emblem of the Army Air Forces.
William’s grave marker at Pinelawn Memorial Park. Photograph retained from Find a Grave memorial 166833431; the marker gives his name and life years.
