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SSGT Hiram Donald Dunham

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Birth	:	9 Dec 1925 Yankton, Yankton County, South Dakota, USA
Death	:	20 Feb 1945 Nuremberg, Stadtkreis Nürnberg, Bavaria (Bayern), Germany
Burial	:	Yankton City Cemetery, Yankton, Yankton County, USA
Coordinate	:	42.8985200, -97.3941800
Plot	:	Block 243, Lot 5, Grave 4
Inscription	:	HIRAM D DUNHAM SOUTH DAKOTA S SGT 487 AAF BOMB GP WORLD WAR II DEC 9 1925 FEB 20 1945
Description	:	Staff Sergeant Hiram Donald Dunham (called Donald and Donnie), Army serial number 37490373, was born at Yankton, South Dakota on December 9, 1925. He was the youngest of ten children of Hiram Eugene Dunham (10 Aug 1876 – 28 Jul 1955), who was born in Dakota Territory; and Gertrude Lilly 'Gertie' (Kendall) Dunham (5 Oct 1884 – 23 Nov 1967), who was born at Hartland, Waukesha County, Wisconsin. His parents married in 1902. His father was a farmer. He registered for the draft at Yankton on his eighteenth birthday, December 9, 1943. He was 5 feet 8 inches tall,... Read More	Staff Sergeant Hiram Donald Dunham (called Donald and Donnie), Army serial number 37490373, was born at Yankton, South Dakota on December 9, 1925. He was the youngest of ten children of Hiram Eugene Dunham (10 Aug 1876 – 28 Jul 1955), who was born in Dakota Territory; and Gertrude Lilly 'Gertie' (Kendall) Dunham (5 Oct 1884 – 23 Nov 1967), who was born at Hartland, Waukesha County, Wisconsin. His parents married in 1902. His father was a farmer. He registered for the draft at Yankton on his eighteenth birthday, December 9, 1943. He was 5 feet 8 inches tall, weighed 124 pounds, and had brown eyes and brown hair. He graduated from Yankton High School in 1944. His senior class photo in the school's 1944 yearbook is accompanied by this entry: ------------ Donald Dunham "A good scout and a good friend." ------------ He enlisted in the U.S. Army and trained at Las Vegas, Nevada and Tampa, Florida. He completed Army Air Forces aerial gunnery training and was assigned as ball turret gunner on the heavy bomber crew of Lt Floyd W. McCullough. The McCullough crew completed crew training in the States and departed Hunter Field, Georgia on November 26, 1944, bound for England via the North Atlantic ferry route. The crew was assigned to the 837th Bomb Squadron, 487th Bomb Group, at Army Air Forces Station 137 near Lavenham, Suffolk, England. They arrived in England by December 7, 1944, and became part of the 8th U.S. Army Air Force in Europe. Here is Lt McCullough's crew roster on February 20, 1945: B-17G 43-38596 – 837th Bomb Squadron • McCullough, Floyd W – 2/Lt – Pilot – POW • Elam, Paul J – 2/Lt – Copilot – POW • Whyte, Thomas C – F/O – Navigator – KIA • Lehmkuhl, Donald J – 2/Lt – Bombardier – POW • Taft, Kay S – T/Sgt – Engineer – POW • Mitchell, Robert E – T/Sgt – Radio Operator – KIA • Brotherton, Wayne C – Sgt – Spot Jammer – KIA • Dunham, Hiram D – S/Sgt – Ball Turret Gunner – KIA • Raffel, William P – S/Sgt – Waist Gunner – KIA • Hyatt, Gilbert E – S/Sgt – Tail Gunner – POW S/Sgt Dunham and four of his crewmates were killed in action on February 20, 1945 when their aircraft, B-17G 43-38596, was shot down by flak after bombs away over Nuremberg, Germany. The aircraft took a direct hit during the turn away from the target, the railroad station at Nuremberg, and exploded within 30 seconds. S/Sgt Dunham's crewmate, S/Sgt Raffel, was trying to help him exit the ball turret when the aircraft exploded. The Germans reported that the aircraft crashed at Röthenbach an der Pegnitz, 10 kilometers east of Nuremberg, between 1300 and 1400 hours. The dead were buried at the cemetery in Fürth, Germany, just west of Nuremberg. S/Sgt Dunham's remains were returned to the United States and interred at Yankton Municipal Cemetery, Yankton, South Dakota in 1950. He is buried in Block 243, Lot 5, Grave 4. Sources: 1. 487th Bomb Group Association 2. 1880 US Census; Dakota Territory; Yankton County; Township 94; Range 56. Dunham, Hiram. 8 Jun 1880 (Hiram A. Dunham, his father's father) 3. 1900 US Census; South Dakota; Yankton County; Township 94; Range 56. Dunham, Hiram. 12 Jun 1900 (Hiram A. Dunham, his father's father) 4. 1920 US Census; South Dakota; Yankton County; Utica Township. Dunham, Hiram E. 28 Jan 1920 (his father) 5. 1925 South Dakota Census; Clay County; Pleasant Valley Township. Dunham, Hiram (his father) 6. 1935 South Dakota Census; Yankton County; Township 93; Range 57. Dunham, Hiram (his father) 7. 1940 US Census; South Dakota; Yankton County; Utica Township. Dunham, Hiram. 11 Apr 1940 (his father) 8. Cemetery records of Yankton Municipal Cemetery, 2500 Douglas Ave, Yankton, SD 57078 9. de Jong, Ivo. The History of the 487th Bomb Group (H). Paducah KY: Turner Publishing, Oct 2004 10. Social Security Death Index 11. South Dakota Death Index, 1905-1955 12. South Dakota World War II Memorial: Fallen Sons and Daughters. Profile of Hiram Donald Dunham (now offline) 13. U.S. Army Air Forces Missing Air Crew Report 12550 14. U.S. Department of the Army, Adjutant General Office, Technical Records Section. Individual Deceased Personnel File of William P. Raffel, 16107076 (aka '293 File') (his crewmate) 15. U.S. Headstone Applications for Military Veterans, 1925-1970 (ancestry.com) 16. U.S. National World War II Memorial Registry. World War II Honoree Hiram Donald Dunham (honored by a niece) 17. U.S. School Yearbooks, 1900–1999 (ancestry.com): Arickara [yearbook]. Yankton SD: Yankton High School, 1944 18. U.S. War Department. World War II Honor List of Dead and Missing Army and Army Air Forces Personnel. Washington, D.C., June 1946 19. U.S. World War II Draft Cards, Young Men, 1940–1947 (ancestry.com) 20. World War I Draft Registration of Hiram Eugene Dunham. 12 Sep 1918 (his father) Research by: Paul Webber Secretary, 487th Bomb Group Association Find A Grave member ID 47577572

frequently asked questions (FAQ):

Where is SSGT Hiram Donald Dunham's memorial?
SSGT Hiram Donald Dunham's memorial is located at: Yankton City Cemetery, Yankton, Yankton County, USA.
When did SSGT Hiram Donald Dunham death?
SSGT Hiram Donald Dunham death on 20 Feb 1945 in Nuremberg, Stadtkreis Nürnberg, Bavaria (Bayern), Germany
Where are the coordinates of the SSGT Hiram Donald Dunham's memorial?
Latitude: 42.8985200
Longitude: -97.3941800

Family Members:

Parent

Hiram Eugene Dunham

(1876 - 1955)

Gertie Lilly Kendall Dunham

(1884 - 1967)

Siblings

Richard Hiram Dunham

(1903 - 1957)

Raymond E Dunham

(1904 - 1904)

Ethel Lilly Dunham Huber

(1905 - 1969)

Jason Charles Dunham

(1907 - 1965)

Beulah Gertie Dunham Hespe

(1908 - 2002)

Evelyn Elizabeth Dunham Schmelzel

(1910 - 2002)

Lester Eugene Dunham

(1913 - 1994)

Leo George Dunham

(1918 - 1982)

Sylvia Marie Dunham Ryken

(1921 - 2012)

Flowers:

Nearby Cemetories:

1. Yankton City Cemetery
Yankton, Yankton County, USA
Coordinate: 42.8985200, -97.3941800

2. Sacred Heart Cemetery
Yankton, Yankton County, USA
Coordinate: 42.9007988, -97.3927994

3. Garden of Memories Cemetery
Yankton, Yankton County, USA
Coordinate: 42.9043999, -97.3927994

4. State Hospital Cemetery
Yankton, Yankton County, USA
Coordinate: 42.9101000, -97.4004900

5. Benedictine Convent Cemetery
Yankton, Yankton County, USA
Coordinate: 42.8734900, -97.4135900

6. Pierre Dorion Memorial
Yankton, Yankton County, USA
Coordinate: 42.8685000, -97.4000400

7. Aten Cemetery
Cedar County, USA
Coordinate: 42.8377991, -97.4533005

8. Mission Hill Congregational Cemetery
Mission Hill, Yankton County, USA
Coordinate: 42.9247900, -97.2795370

9. Vangen Church Cemetery
Mission Hill, Yankton County, USA
Coordinate: 42.9260120, -97.2650100

10. Rosenberg Cemetery
Mission Hill, Yankton County, USA
Coordinate: 42.9501090, -97.2596880

11. Saint Boniface Cemetery
Menominee, Cedar County, USA
Coordinate: 42.7857500, -97.3756300

12. Martinus Cemetery
Utica, Yankton County, USA
Coordinate: 43.0111008, -97.4293976

13. Beaver Creek Cemetery
Crofton, Knox County, USA
Coordinate: 42.7999992, -97.4850006

14. Rahn Cemetery
Utica, Yankton County, USA
Coordinate: 43.0182000, -97.4113400

15. Nedved Cemetery
Yankton County, USA
Coordinate: 42.9303017, -97.5550003

16. Walshtown Catholic Cemetery
Mission Hill, Yankton County, USA
Coordinate: 43.0105500, -97.3208300

17. Lakeport Cemetery
Lakeport, Yankton County, USA
Coordinate: 42.9150009, -97.5824966

18. Sigel Cemetery
Utica, Yankton County, USA
Coordinate: 43.0390400, -97.4216000

19. Cesko Narodni Hrbitov
Yankton County, USA
Coordinate: 42.9786970, -97.5558270

20. Saint Marys Catholic Cemetery
Saint Helena, Cedar County, USA
Coordinate: 42.7866000, -97.2681500

21. Saint Helena Cemetery
Saint Helena, Cedar County, USA
Coordinate: 42.8121986, -97.2347031

22. Frankfort Cemetery
Knox County, USA
Coordinate: 42.8018990, -97.5428009

23. Klasi Cemetery
Utica, Yankton County, USA
Coordinate: 43.0242004, -97.5149994

24. Walshtown Cemetery
Yankton County, USA
Coordinate: 43.0393982, -97.3094025