RICHARD FRANCIS HOY
b. Feb 7, 1921 Michigan d. Aug 22, 1944 Killed in Action
Les Infruts, France
2nd Lt O-820291
Army Air Force 111th Tactical Reconnaissance, 12th AF
Buried: Woodlawn Cemetery, Detroit
Parents: Richard F & Margaret (Lightbody)
Sibling: Margaret Helen, Zanella Catherine Spouse: Ruth Jean Bossardet
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| 16874 Lawton |
The Hoy family and either Richard in particular,
posed research problems. There is another prominent Richard Hoy family in the
area. I picked the one most fitting and this one has a great story of
remembrance and honor to those that died.
Richard Senior married Margaret in 1917 when he was
an advertising salesman for The Detroit News. They lived at 16874 Lawton along
with an 18 yr old live-in maid, Neva Galehouse. Richard worked at the paper
until his death by coronary thrombosis in Feb 1936. The Hoy family was fated
for many sorrows in the years to come. In 1930 their 2 month old child Zanella died of pneumonia.
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| Margaret Helen RHS |
Mother Margaret continued living in the Lawton
home; interesting is that she had completed 3 years of college, unique for her
generation. Richard graduated from Redford in June 1938 and soon married Ruth
Jean Bossardet and in 1940 they were in their own home. He registered for the
draft Feb 14, 1942 at 5’11” 145 lbs with brown eyes and hair; his complexion I
indicated as ‘dark’. He and Ruth had a child in 1942 who died at birth from
developmental problems. Meanwhile mother
Margaret had newlyweds with her in her home - daughter Margaret and husband
Jack Wendt.
On Tuesday Aug 22 1944 the invasion of southern
France had been ongoing for a week. At 1625 a two ship formation of P-51-F6A reconnaissance
fighters left the field at Borgo, Corsica. The flight was led by Lt. Roy
Simmons; his wing man was Lt. Richard Hoy#42-103428, in Europe only one month.
They flew to Saint-Giles where they found and strafed German truck traffic.
Then they proceeded to attack targets near Nimes and Arles. South of Millau
they found a German column on the Larzazc plateau fleeing from Rodez, a major
German garrison town. They attacked! At 1850 Lt. Hoy encountered light, intense
and accurate flak. His left wing exploded and he spun into the ground striking
a telegraph pole then exploding on contact. Hoy had no chance of surviving the
crash.
Nowadays if you are travelling in the southern part
of France near the village of Le Caylar you have to look fact not to miss the
sign on the right side of the highway that announces a place named ‘Memorial De
La Pecade’ with the admonition Remember.
If you search hard you can find a French military cemetery with 24 simple white
stone crosses; a French flags are chiseled into all the crosses except for one
which has an American flag. Above the large stone listing the names of 23
resistance fighters is a simple slab with this inscription in French: To the memory of Lt. Richard Francis Hoy, 111th
Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, 12th USAAF, shot down at Les
Infruts on 22 August 1944.
Richard was later reburied with the Hoy family at
Woodlawn Cemetery, Detroit. Ruth remarried in 1947.
End on a curious note: In researching news articles
I found an ad in 2007 The Detroit Free Press: Information wanted for next of
kin or descendants of 2nd Lt Richard Francis Hoy…died in aerial
combat at or near Les Infruts Aug 22, 1944. Pls respond to Don Bohler, Colonel USAF
(Ret).
Full story of the crash and later reburial:
www.ar15.com/archive/topic.html?b=1&f=5&t=1081509
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