Lieutenant Barrett Corneille

Lt. Barrett Corneille, 22, of the Army Air Corps was killed December 22, 1944, when the B-24 Liberator bomber he was piloting crashed into the peak of Mt. Sterling, near Los Angeles taking the lives of the young lieutenant and all nine members of his crew. Barrett was a graduate of Hall Township High School with the Class of 1940 and attended LaSalle-Peru-Oglesby Junior College and Illinois State University. He was employed at the Miller Jones shoe store in Princeton prior to his enlistment on January 30, 1943. His widow, Dorothy, who was living on the west coast with her husband, refused to return home until her husband’s body was located, and she could travel with him.

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Yearbook photo of Lieutenant Barrett Corneille

HALL GRAD IS KILLED IN PLANE CRASH Lt. Barrett Corneille, Pilot Of B-24 Bomber, Dies In Accident 2nd Lt. Barrett Corneille, 21, son of Mr. and Mrs. J. D. Corneille, of near Hollowayville, and husband of the former Miss Dorothy Montcrief, Oglesby, was one of 10 men killed Thursday night or Friday morning in the crash of a B-24 bomber into the side of a mountain. Lt. Corneille, graduate of Hall Township High and Vocational School was pilot of the plane. His father, J. D. Corneille, was formerly employed at the Burl F. George farm implement store in Spring Valley. Lt. and Mrs. Corneille had observ-ed Christmas Wednesday when they had dinner with Mr. and Mrs. Spur-geon Maus, Burbank, Calif., former La Salle residents and old friends of the family. Burbank is about 20 miles from Los Angeles, where the Corneilles had been residing. Thurs-day morning, when Lt. Corneille left for Muroc Air Field, he told his wife that he was to make an all night flight over the mountains and expec-ted to return at 6. a. m. Friday. Lt. Corneille was born near Hol-lowayville, Feb. 8, 1923. He was a graduate of Hall Township High school, Spring Valley, and L-P-O Junior college, and also attended Ill-inois State Normal University, Nor-mal. Before entering the service he was employed at the Miller-Jones Shoe store in Princeton. He enlisted in Peoria and left for Miami, Fla., Jan. 30, 1943. He re-ceived further training at San An-tonio, Tex.; El Reno, Tex.; Mustang Field, Enid, Okla., and received his commission as a second lieutenant and his silver wings as a pilot in the Army Air Forces at Altus, Okla., last April 15. He was married while on leave April 22, and his wife had been with him since then. After his leave he reported at Liberal, Kans., May 4. for further training and on July 26 was transferred to Muroc Field. He expected to complete his training there in January, when his wife planned to return home. Surviving in addition to his wife and his parents are a sister. Miss Helen Corneille, and a younger bro-ther, Robert, both at home.

LOCAL PILOT IS KILLED IN CRASH IN CALIFORNIA Lt. Delmage Corneille Of Prince-ton And All Of His Bomber Crew Die When Plane Crash-es Into Mountain. Word was received Friday night by Mr. and Mrs. Delmage Coracille who live cast of the city, that their son. Lt. Barrett Cornciile, 22. of the Army Air Corps, was killed in a crash near Los Angeles, Friday. He was the pilot of Liberator bomber making his let flight be fore going across seas when the latal crash occurred. According to facts revealed, the condition of the air was foggy, obscuring vision, and the plane crashed into a mountain peak killing all of the crew. Mr. Corneille will accompany the body home for burial. Lt. Corneille was born Feb. S. 1923. in Princeton and graduated in June, 1941 from LaSalle- Peru-Ozlesby junior college. Prior to his entrance into the service he worked as a clerk in the local Miller Jone. shoe store. On April 16. 1944, he received his wings at was promot-ed to second lieutenant at Altus Field, Okla. On April 5. 1944, he was married to Dorothy Moncrief of Oglesby, and she was in California at the time of Lt. Corneille's death. Besides his widow, he leaves his parents and one sister, Helen, and one brother. Robert, both living at home.

Born: February 8, 1923

Died: December 22, 1944

According to the 1939 Edition of the Hall Light, Barrett Corneille’s “Theme Song for the Juniors” (p. 29) is “Sissy”

“Barrett Corneille has worries like us girls, / If he gets caught in the rain, what will happen to his curls” (Junior Alphabet in the Hall Light p. 66)

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