HOME SEARCH 1923 Louis William Finch Born: May 8, 1923 at Deposit (or Walton), New York Died: October 1944 in Italy (World War II) Buried: His father was Unknown. His mother was Florence (family name unknown). He was a graduate of Deposit Central High School; the year is not known for certain but may have been as early as 1940; I found a school photo in the H.S. yearbook for 1940 showing Louis. He was a member of the Glee Club, Band, Orchestra, Press Club, Track, and the "Aggies". His nickname was "Louie". His yearbook inscription reads: "An easy-minded soul and always was." Louis was married to 1923 Doris Gladys Sherman. They had no children. I have only this information about Louis, gleaned from a newspaper article in the Bainbridge News & Republican, dated November 16, 1944: Staff Sergeant Louis W. Finch, of Bainbridge R.D. 2 [Chenango County, NY], a top turret gunner on a B-24 Bomber, is reported missing in action in the Italian Theatre of War since Oct. 23, according to word received by his wife, Doris Sherman Finch, from the War Department. Staff Sergeant Finch entered the service on January 29, 1943. He received his training at Buckley Field Armory School, Colorado, and the Harlingen Gunnery School, Texas. The young sergeant had participated in major attacks on such strategic targets as the Ploesti Oil refineries, the Herman Goering Tank Works, the Szolnoh Railroad, Hungary, the Szeged Railroad, Hungary, and other important targets in Hungary, Germany, France and Italy. He had just been awarded the Air Medal and Oak-Leaf Cluster. After graduation from Deposit Central High School, he was employed as a machinist at the Casein Company, Bainbridge. Below is a photo of the graduating class of Deposit Central High School, class of 1940; Louis is at center of the back row: