John Welch Tunnell
First Lieutenant John W. Tunnell was a Marine aviator who flew with VMTB-143 during the Solomon Islands campaign.
His aircraft was shot down over Kahili airfield, Bougainville, on 4 November 1943.
Branch
Marine Corps Reserve
Service Number O-18749
Current Status
Remains not recovered
Pursuit Category
The DPAA has not publicized this information.
Capsule History
Pre-War Life
Birth
February 26, 1920
in Philadelphia, PA
Parents
Frederick Harold Tunnell
Alice I. (Megargree) Tunnell (d. 1923)
Education
Penn Charter School (1938)
Cornell University (1942)
Occupation & Employer
Recent graduate
Service Life
Entered Service
June 1, 1942 (enlisted)
February 12, 1943 (commission)
Home Of Record
5925 Wayne Avenue
Philadelphia, PA
Next Of Kin
Father, Mr. Frederick H. Tunnell
Military Specialty
Pilot
Individual Decorations
Air Medal
Purple Heart
Loss And Burial
Personal History
John Tunnell was born on 26 February 1920, to Alice and Frederic H. Tunnell of Philadelphia. He was the family’s third son but only the second surviving child – a brother, Irwin, died in 1915 – and Alice passed away in 1923, at the young age of 34. The three remaining Tunnells (Frederic Senior, Frederic Junior, and John) lived in a large home on Wayne Avenue in Germantown. As president of a fertilizer company, the senior Tunnell could pay for a small domestic staff. In the late 1920s, Frederic remarried, and the boys gained a stepmother and a stepsister, both named Josephine.
The Tunnells spared no expense for their children’s education. John attended the Penn Charter School and went on to study at Cornell University, where he was a notable fencer and member of the Pershing Rifles drill team. He graduated with a degree in Arts & Sciences in the class of 1942.Just weeks after graduating from Cornell, John joined the Navy Reserve hoping to become a pilot. After completing his initial training in Florida, he was sent to Naval Air Station Corpus Christi to develop more advanced skills. He earned his wings and a commission as a Marine second lieutenant on 12 February 1943.
Tunnell spent several months on duty in California, continuing to sharpen his skills with a base defense air wing and earning a promotion to First Lieutenant. In October 1943, he deployed overseas to Marine Air Group 11 and officially joined VMTB-143 on the twelfth of that month. The forward echelon of VMTB-143 was stationed at Munda Airfield, and Lieutenant Tunnell was soon flying combat missions over the northern Solomon Islands. His TBF Avenger crew consisted of Sgt. Felix Gabaccia on the radio and PFC Billy M. Black on the turret guns.
Circumstances Of Loss
On 4 November 1943, VMTB-143 participated in a strike against Kahili airfield on the island of Bougainville. Tunnell, Gabaccia, and Black were aboard TBF-1 #24195, which bore squadron number 15.
Over the target, #15 was seen to smoke and catch fire. Other aviators watched as Tunnell yanked the big plane out of its dive, straining to gain a few thousand feet of altitude. Three small figures jumped from the Avenger, and three parachutes were seen to open before the plane slammed into the water and disappeared.
Tunnell, Gabaccia, and Black were reported as missing in action and carried as such until the war ended. Repeated searches failed to uncover any clues as to their ultimate fates, and they were declared dead on 11 January 1946. Tunnell was posthumously promoted to the rank of captain.
Burial Information or Disposition
None; remains not recovered.
Next Of Kin Address
Address of father, Mr. Frederick Tunnell
Location Of Loss
Approximate location of the old Kahili airfield, Bougainville.
