WALTER L. DOUGLAS, JR., LCDR, USN
Walter Douglas, Jr. '39
Lucky Bag
From the 1939 Lucky Bag:
WALTER LAWRENCE DOUGLAS, JR.
Somerville, Massachusetts
Punchy, Junior
With two years pre-med study at Boston College at his back and a Harvard accent on his lips, Doug arrived with a Hey—Bud—when-do-we-start?" attitude and has never lost that aggressiveness. Since he put on the gloves with the academic departments he has taken a count of nine, but came up scrapping and won the decision. He can hold his own on any field of sport and is especially apt with the rifle. Neat in all things and habitually well groomed, Doug is as much at home in the ballroom as on the ball field. He has a knack for making friends, a record of never having lost one, and, we confidently prophesy, a strong likelihood of continuing with similar success his associations in the Fleet.
Golf 2, 1; Water Polo 4, 3; Battalion Football 4, 3, 2, 1; Rifle 4, 3; Battalion Boxing 2, 1; Hop Committee 1; 1 P.O.
WALTER LAWRENCE DOUGLAS, JR.
Somerville, Massachusetts
Punchy, Junior
With two years pre-med study at Boston College at his back and a Harvard accent on his lips, Doug arrived with a Hey—Bud—when-do-we-start?" attitude and has never lost that aggressiveness. Since he put on the gloves with the academic departments he has taken a count of nine, but came up scrapping and won the decision. He can hold his own on any field of sport and is especially apt with the rifle. Neat in all things and habitually well groomed, Doug is as much at home in the ballroom as on the ball field. He has a knack for making friends, a record of never having lost one, and, we confidently prophesy, a strong likelihood of continuing with similar success his associations in the Fleet.
Golf 2, 1; Water Polo 4, 3; Battalion Football 4, 3, 2, 1; Rifle 4, 3; Battalion Boxing 2, 1; Hop Committee 1; 1 P.O.
Loss
Walter was lost on November 19, 1944 while piloting a Curtiss SB2C Helldiver in the vicinity of Leyte Gulf. He was a member of Bombing Squadron (VB) 81 "Hell Razors" operating from USS Wasp (CV 18).
The squadron history doesn't include this time period, and Wasp's war diary gives information on two strikes launched but mentions no losses of aircraft.
Other Information
From researcher Kathy Franz:
Walter graduated from Somerville High School in 1933. Football. The mind is like a mechanical instrument that plays a great variety of tunes, but it must play them in succession. After two years at Boston College, he was appointed to the Naval Academy by Congressman Arthur D. Healey of the 8th Congressional District.
He was an instructor at Pensacola in December 1943. In September 1944, he was appointed executive officer of a bomber squadron.
A pro-burial solemn requiem high mass was sung for Douglas at St. Catherine’s Church in Somerville on his 29th birthday anniversary, February 17, 1945.
His wife was Florence (McGrath), children Leon and Mary. His parents were Walter and Mary; three brothers Dr. Robert E. of the Navy, J. Murray of the Army, and Paul; and sister Mary.
His wife was listed as next of kin.
Walter is remembered at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial.
Photographs
From The Boston Globe on June 12, 1935.
From his high school yearbook.
From the Lucky Bag
From The Boston Globe on February 14, 1945.
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.
June 1940
November 1940
April 1941
Memorial Hall Error?
Walter is not listed on the killed in action panel in the front of Memorial Hall. While not an obvious error, inclusion on the panel for crashes like this—which seems to be incidental to a combat flight—has been inconsistent across WWII, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War.
The "category" links below lead to lists of related Honorees; use them to explore further the service and sacrifice of alumni in Memorial Hall.
