Robert Arden Jefferies, Jr.
Second Lieutenant Robert A. “Jeff” Jefferies, Jr. was a Marine pilot who flew with VMF-224 during the Guadalcanal campaign.
He was shot down while strafing barges near Visale, Guadalcanal on 5 September 1942.
Branch
Marine Corps Reserve
Service Number O-9929
Current Status
Remains Not Recovered
Pursuit Category
The DPAA has not publicized this information.
Capsule History
Pre-War Life
Birth
November 7, 1919
at Amarillo, TX
Parents
Robert “R. A.” & Vernie Jefferies
Education
Plainview High School 1937
New Mexico Military Institute 1939
Texas Tech 1941
Occupation
Entered Marine Corps Reserve after graduation
Other
Earned civilian pilot license while at Texas Tech.
Married Emalu O’Neal in May 1942.
Service Life
Entered Service
May 31, 1941 (enlisted)
April 23, 1942 (officer)
Home Of Record
5705 Vanderbilt Avenue
Dallas, TX
Next Of Kin
Wife, Mrs. Emalu O’Neal Jefferies
Specialty
Pilot
Primary Unit
VMF-224
Campaigns Served
Solomon Islands
Individual Decorations
Distinguished Flying Cross
Purple Heart
Additional Service Details
—
Loss And Burial
Circumstances Of Loss
Second Lieutenant Jefferies was a pilot flying with VMF-224, part of the Cactus Air Force based out of Henderson Field, Guadalcanal. He arrived on station at the end of August, 1942.
On the morning of 5 September, “Jeff” participated in an eight-plane strafing mission against Japanese barges landing infantry reinforcements near Visale. The Japanese returned fire with rifles and small arms. Jefferies’ Wildcat (F4F-4 BuNo 5047) did not pull out of its dive and plowed into the water, exploding on impact.
Several members of the squadron witnessed the crash, and reported no sign of parachutes or a life raft. They surmised that the Japanese soldiers had scored a lucky hit on the Wildcat’s engine or controls, which prevented the pilot from recovering. Jefferies was “presumed definitely lost” upon the flight’s return to Henderson Field; despite this assertion, he was carried as “missing in action” for a year and a day, and ultimately declared dead on 6 September 1943.
Jefferies was posthumously promoted to the rank of captain.
Burial Information or Disposition
Not recovered. No known wreck site is associated with this incident.
Memorials
Next Of Kin Address
Address of wife, Mrs. Emalu Jefferies.
Location Of Loss
Lieutenant Jefferies was shot down in the vicinity of Visale, Guadalcanal.
