Foster Lee Lemly II
First Lieutenant Foster L. “Flee” Lemly II was a Marine Corps fighter pilot who flew with VMF-441.
He died in a non-combat crash near Funafuti, Ellice Islands (Tuvalu), on 18 August 1943.
Branch
Marine Corps Reserve
Service Number O-14438
Current Status
Remains Not Recovered
Pursuit Category
The DPAA has not publicized this information.
Capsule History
Pre-War Life
Birth
July 28, 1921
at Waco, TX
Parents
Dr. Foster Lee Lemly
Suzette Louise (Bushnell) Lemly
Education
Adamson High School (1938)
Texas A&M (1942)
Occupation & Employer
College student
Service Life
Entered Service
November 6, 1941 (enlisted)
October 30, 1942 (officer
Home Of Record
180 North Bishop
Dallas, TX
Next Of Kin
Wife, Mrs. Margaret Lemly
of California
Military Specialty
Pilot
Primary Unit
VMF-441
Campaigns Served
—
Individual Decorations
—
Additional Service Details
—
Loss And Burial
Circumstances Of Loss
“Flee” Lemly enlisted in the United States Navy in November 1941, during his senior year at Texas A&M. Called to active duty shortly after graduation, Lee attended flight school at Corpus Christi, and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Marine Corps on 30 October 1942. After several months of stateside service with VMO-155 – during which time he married Margaret Grace Edwards – Lemly deployed overseas as a pilot with VMF-441.
On 8 September 1943, 1Lt. Lemly was piloting an F4F-4 Wildcat (Bureau Number 11943) on a routine flight over the island of Funafuti. The aircraft developed mechanical trouble, and Lemly bailed out at an altitude of 5,000 feet. As the parachute drifted down, the Wildcat crashed and sank about 400 yards off the Funafuti reef.
A crash boat was sent to the scene, and recovered Lt. Lemly’s empty parachute. No trace of the pilot was found, and it was presumed that he had drowned.
Burial Information or Disposition
None; remains not recovered.
Next Of Kin Address
Address of wife, Mrs. Margaret Lemly.
Location Of Loss
Lieutenant Lemly crashed somewhere in the vicinity of Funafuti.
