Roy Major Alexander Ruddell
Second Lieutenant Roy M. A. Ruddell was a Marine fighter pilot with VMF-121.
He was reported missing in action at Guadalcanal on 11 November 1942.
Branch
Marine Corps Reserve
Service Number O-9408
Current Status
Remains Not Recovered
Pursuit Category
The DPAA has not publicized this information
Capsule History
Pre-War Life
Birth
March 26, 1918
at Plymouth, England
Parents
Robert James Ruddell
Nellie Florence (Cains) Ruddell
Education
New Castle Chrysler High School (1936)
University of Colorado, Boulder (1941)
Occupation & Employer
Recent graduate
Service Life
Entered Service
July 15, 1941 (enlisted)
March 20, 1942 (officer)
Home Of Record
New Castle, IN
Next Of Kin
Wife, Mrs. Grace (Van Riper) Ruddell
Military Specialty
Pilot
Primary Unit
VMF-121
Campaigns Served
Solomon Islands / Guadalcanal
Individual Decorations
Distinguished Flying Cross
Purple Heart
Additional Service Details
Roy’s older brother, Captain Cyril Daniel Edward Ruddell, died in an accident while flying with the 74th Fighter Squardon, 15th Fighter Group, US Army Air Corps.
Loss And Burial
Circumstances Of Loss
British-born Roy Ruddell enlisted in the Navy Reserve in the summer of 1941; in March 1942, he earned his pilot’s wings and a Marine Corps commission at NATC Miami. After additional stateside training, he deployed overseas as a member of Marine Fighting Squadron (VMF) 121, and arrived at Guadalcanal on 9 October 1942. For the next two months, Ruddell flew combat missions out of Henderson Field as a member of the “Cactus Air Force.” He was part of Captain Joe Foss‘ famous “Flying Circus,” and was credited with at least one (possibly as many as three) kills in air-to-air combat.
At 0930 on 11 November 1942, twenty-one Wildcats took off from Henderson Field to intercept a strike force of Japanese dive bombers and fighters. Thick cloud cover worked to the attacker’s advantage, and in the ensuing dogfight six Wildcats went down. Lieutenant Thomas Mann made a water landing near Tulagi and swam ashore, while Technical Sergeant Joe Palko’s body was found and buried on the island. Second Lieutenants Robert F. Simpson, Joseph L. Narr, and Roy Ruddell (piloting F4F-4 BuNo 03533) failed to return and were never seen again.
(The sixth pilot, Staff Sergeant William H. Coahran, Jr., of VMF-112 bailed out over Japanese territory and never returned.)
Burial Information or Disposition
None; remains not recovered. Ruddell was officially declared dead on 19 February 1945.
Roy Ruddell was posthumously promoted to the rank of captain.
On 18 June 1943, Captain Cyril D. E. Ruddell died in an accident while flying with the 47th Fighter Squadron at Haleiwa Field, Hawaii. Like Roy, his body was never recovered.
Memorials
Next Of Kin Address
Address of wife, Mrs. Grace W. (Van Riper) Ruddell.
Their son, also named Roy, was born in 1943.
Location Of Loss
Lieutenant Ruddell was shot down over Guadalcanal; exact location unknown.
![Ruddell in 1936 at New Castle Chrysler High School. "A newcomer to our school, was elected captain of our [football] team," reads his yearbook. "Roy was one of the most aggressive tackles in the state."](https://i0.wp.com/missingmarines.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/ruddell_rma_highschool_comp.jpg?fit=1872%2C1118&ssl=1){kind=link}
