Wortham Starr Ashcroft
First Lieutenant Wortham S. Ashcroft served as a pilot and temporary commander of VMSB-141 during the Guadalcanal campaign.
He failed to return from a routine search over Santa Isabel Island on 8 November 1942.
Branch
Marine Corps Reserve
Service Number O-7077
Current Status
Remains Not Recovered
Pursuit Category
The DPAA has not publicized this information
Capsule History
Pre-War Life
Birth
July 11, 1919
at Weatherford, TX
Parents
William Starr Ashcroft
Annie (Pearson) Ashcroft (d. 1940)
Education
Weatherford High School (1936)
Weatherford College
University of Texas (1939)
Occupation & Employer
Unknown oil pipline company
Service Life
Entered Service
May 29, 1940 (enlisted)
September 15, 1941 (officer)
Home Of Record
637 Arenas Street
La Jolla, CA
Next Of Kin
Wife, Mrs. Margaret Frances (Corbett) Ashcroft
Military Specialty
Pilot
Squadron Leader (acting)
Primary Unit
VMSB-141
Campaigns Served
Solomon Islands / Guadalcanal
Individual Decorations
Distinguished Flying Cross
Purple Heart
Additional Service Details
—
Loss And Burial
Biography
Wortham Ashcroft was born in Weatherford, Texas on 11 July 1919. He was the second youngest child in a large family headed by William and Annie (Pearson) Ashcroft, and spent his entire youth in his hometown. “W. S.” graduated from Weatherford High in 1936 and went on to attend Weatherford College and the University of Texas Austin, graduating with the class of 1939. That summer, he took an entrance exam for the Coast Guard academy, but for reasons unknown did not wind up wearing the uniform. Instead, he found work with an oil company in his hometown.
Instead of becoming a Coast Guardsman, Wortham joined the Marine Corps Reserve on 29 May 1940. He wanted to fly, and was assigned to an aviation unit based in Kansas City. After completing ground school and elimination training at Long Beach, California, Ashcroft joined a group of hopeful pilots bound for flight training in Florida. One of Wortham’s classmates, R. Bruce Porter, recalled the Texan as “a big, robust young man” with “incredible strength and calm demeanor.” These qualities saved Wortham’s life when his F3F went into an inverted spin on a training flight – he “wrestled the controls to a standstill” then jumped clear with barely enough altitude for his parachute to deploy. Three of his fellow cadets died in similar crashes.
On 15 September 1941, Ashcroft received his wings and a commission as a Marine Corps second lieutenant. He was assigned to VMSB-132, a scout bomber squadron with whom he would serve for the first several months of the war. He married Margaret while stationed in California; the two made their home in La Jolla.
Ashcroft went overseas as a pilot with VMSB-141 in the summer of 1942. He served with distinction in the Guadalcanal campaign, flying missions out of Henderson Field with the “Cactus Air Force.” A talented and trusted officer, he became the acting CO of his squadron when Major Gordon Bell was killed on 14 October 1942. The following day, Ashcroft led an attack on Japanese shipping and was credited with sinking a transport. For these exploits he was recommended for the Distinguished Flying Cross.
Circumstances of Loss
As the patrol neared Santa Isabel, a bad storm blew in and quickly enveloped the planes, reducing visibility to zero and compelling the pilots to fly on instruments alone. When the bombers emerged into clear sky, Ashcroft’s SBD was missing. Despite repeated searches, no trace of Ashcroft or his gunner (Corporal Samuel O. Preston, Jr.) was ever found.
Burial Information or Disposition
None; remains not recovered. Ashcroft and Preston were officially declared dead on 19 February 1945.
Wortham Ashcroft was posthumously promoted to the rank of Captain.
Next Of Kin Address
Address of wife, Mrs. Margaret F. Ashcroft
Location Of Loss
SBD-3 #06678 was lost in a storm in the vicinity of Santa Isabel Island
