Noyes McLennan
Second Lieutenant Noyes “Scotty” McLennan was a Marine pilot who flew with VMF-223 in the Solomon Islands campaign.
He failed to return from a combat mission over Guadalcanal on 13 September 1942.
Branch
Marine Corps Reserve
Service Number O-10613
Current Status
Remains Not Recovered
Pursuit Category
The DPAA has not publicized this information.
Capsule History
Pre-War Life
Birth
January 5, 1919
at Lake Forest, IL
as George Noyes McLennan
Parents
Donald Roderick McLennan (d. 1944)
Katherine Cole (Noyes) McLennan
Education
The Hotchkiss School (1937)
Yale (1941)
Occupation & Employer
Student
Service Life
Entered Service
June 12, 1941 (enlisted)
May 20, 1942 (officer)
Home Of Record
1345 North Lake Road
Lake Forest, IL
Next Of Kin
From Casualty Card
Military Specialty
If known
Primary Unit
Mainly Served With
Campaigns Served
Solomon Islands / Guadalcanal
Individual Decorations
Navy Cross
Purple Heart
Additional Service Details
Lieutenant McLennan was credited with four and one-half kills.
Loss And Burial
Circumstances Of Loss
Second Lieutenant Noyes “Scotty” McLennan was a fighter pilot assigned to VMF-223, part of the Cactus Air Force operating out of Guadalcanal. He was one of the squadron’s rising stars, with four confirmed kills, plus one shared, to his credit.
On 13 September 1942, McLennan’s squadron scrambled to intercept a raiding force of Japanese aircraft. “Scotty” survived the fight, but as he formed up with a buddy to return to base, McLennan’s Wildcat suddenly fell off on one wing and dropped towards the jungle below. Neither plane nor pilot ever returned to Henderson Field.
The cause of the crash was never determined, but the two pilots lost on 13 September – McLennan and Second Lieutenant Richard D. Haring – were both flying newly-arrived aircraft. The Wildcat’s oxygen system was known to be faulty (and was blamed for Haring’s crash) and may have contributed to McLennan’s “inexplicable” loss of control.
Burial Information or Disposition
None; remains not recovered.
On 2 October 1942, Major John L. Smith was forced to land his shot-up Wildcat in a clearing several miles from Henderson Field. While making his way back alone, he “found a wrecked Grumman on a hillside. It was Scotty McLennan’s plane, smashed to splinters,” according to LIFE Magazine. “Smith knelt down, said a little prayer over the wreck, and went on.” Later, Smith led a search party to find another wreck; it is not known if any further attempts were made to find McLennan’s aircraft.
Next Of Kin Address
Address of wife, Mrs. Margretta Fitzgerald McLennan.
Location Of Loss
McLennan was last seen on his way back to Henderson Field.
