Charles Bluford Selvey
Second Lieutenant Charles B. Selvey was a pilot with HQ Squadron, Marine Air Group (MAG) 12.
He was reported missing on an operational flight out of Quoin Hill, Efate, on 3 February 1944.
Branch
Marine Corps Regular
Service Number O-29836
Current Status
Remains Not Recovered
Pursuit Category
The DPAA has not publicized this information.
Capsule History
Pre-War Life
Birth
August 23, 1919
at Lookout, WV
Parents
Perry Highman Selvey
Lida Ellen (Amick) Selvey
Education
Fayetteville High School
Occupation & Employer
Professional Marine
Service Life
Entered Service
January 27, 1940 (enlisted)
December 3, 1943 (officer)
Home Of Record
Fayetteville, WV
Next Of Kin
Mother, Mrs. Lida E. Selvey
Military Specialty
Pilot
Air Group fighter pool
Primary Unit
MAG-12 (HQ Squadron)
Campaigns Served
—
Individual Decorations
—
Additional Service Details
Selvey served nearly four years as an enlisted man before receiving his commission (a “mustang”).
Loss And Burial
Circumstances Of Loss
Second Lieutenant Selvey was assigned to the fighter pilot pool of Marine Air Group Twelve (MAG-12) while awaiting assignment to a combat squadron.
At 0426 hours on 3 January 1944, took off from Quoin Hill airfield on Efate for a routine operational flight. His Corsair, F4U-1 #03840, was reported “believed to have crashed at sea between 0420 and 0425.” No specific location or cause for the crash was noted. Another MAG-12 pilot, 2Lt. Donald B. Pollom, took off shortly before Selvey and was also reported missing; the two pilots may have collided in midair, but there is no hard evidence.
Selvey was reported as “missing while on active duty,” and ultimately declared dead on 4 February 1945.
While Chapin was probably remembering Platoon Sergeant Zigmund J. Sienkaniec of K/3/24, he noted that a similar fate befell PFC Carl Wheelock, who was also manning one of the LVT’s machine guns.
Burial Information or Disposition
None; remains not recovered.
Memorials
Honolulu Memorial, Courts of the Missing
Huse Memorial Park, Fayetteville, West Virginia
Next Of Kin Address
The Selveys lived in Fayetteville; their street address is not known.
Location Of Loss
Selvey was last seen taking off from Quoin Hill airfield, Efate.
