Cecil Willard Biggs

1917 - 1945  (28 years)

• Name	Cecil Willard Biggs  [1, 2]
  Birth	13 Jun 1917	Freestone, Freestone, Texas   [1, 2]
  Gender	Male
  Death	22 Sep 1945	Holland, , Noord-Brabant, Netherlands   [1, 2]
  	Cause: War - Pilot - shot down.
  Burial	9 Jun 2007	Teague, Freestone, Texas   [1, 2]
  Notes	(Medical):Cecil Biggs was the Only Son of Benjamin French Biggs and Mary Ann Rife. He Married Mary Nan Manning on 5 Feb 1942 in Teague Tx. Together they Had one son, Cecil William Biggs on 23 Dec 1942. He Loved flying and worked as a crop duster for his future father-in-law in Mexia Tx. He went to Texas Tech in 1939 to pursue a career as an electrical engineer. However that all changed after Pearl Harbor. Cecil desperatly wanted to join the Air Corps. Being the only son he had to have written permission from one of his parents. His father was very, very protective of him and would not sign for him. He finally convinced his mother to sign after many attempts. His father never forgave her for that. He Joined the Air Corps in 1942 and became aid to General Mark Clark. Cecil died near Arnheim Holland during Operation Market Garden on 21 Sep 1944 when the plane he was piloting was shot down. Small group remains of his and his four crew members where recoverd and eventually buried in Zachery Taylor National Cemetary in Louisville Kentucky in 1952. These remains where never identified because of the lack of technology in that day. Larger Individual remains where not recoverd until September of 1994 and later identified through DNA testing in Jan 2007. His long awaited interment in Salem Cemetary was on June 9, 2007 next to his father. All of his crew members were identified through DNA testing and one through process of elimination. They all where given military funerals. One was buried in Zachery Taylor and the other three in Arlington National Cemetery. Cecil was the only with imediate family and other family members that knew him.
  Person ID	I21446	McKenzie Genealogy
  Last Modified	16 Oct 2011

  
  

  Father	Benjamin French Biggs,   b. 15 May 1892, Teague, Freestone, Texas d. 25 Nov 1951, Mexia, Limestone, Texas (Age 59 years)
  Relationship	natural
  Mother	Mary Ann Rife,   b. 14 Aug 1891, Ellis, Ellis, Texas d. 12 Feb 1986, Freestone, Freestone, Texas (Age 94 years)
  Relationship	natural
  Marriage	5 Nov 1911	Freestone, Texas   [2, 3]
  Family ID	F09838	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	Mary Nan Manning,   b. 13 Nov 1921, Bryan, Brazos, Texas d. 6 Apr 1979, Denton, Denton, Texas (Age 57 years)
  Marriage	5 Feb 1942	Teague, Freestone, Texas   [2, 3]
  Children	1. Cecil William Biggs,   b. 23 Dec 1942, Teague, Freestone, Texas d. 23 Dec 1942, Teague, Freestone, Texas (Age 0 years)  [Father: natural]  [Mother: natural]
  Family ID	F09840	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	6 Aug 2011

  
  

• Sources

  [S010656] Salem Baptist Cemetery Records, (http://www.cemeteries-of-tx.com/Etx/Freestone/cemetery/Salem%20Baptist.htm). [S006057] FindAGrave.com. [S004013] nicolebiggs_1, Biggsyoung, (May 2000, Ancestry.com).