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Show American Flyer No Longer "Unknown" NEARLY five years ago an airplane carrying two American officers swept over the German position northwest north-west of Stenay on the Meuse river in France, and crashed to earth behind the enemy lines, both officers being killed. They were burled by the Germans. Ger-mans. After the armistice their graves were found, one marked with the name of Lieut Dana E. Coates, the other with the legend "Unknown." The graves were opened that these two might sleep with honored comrades com-rades In France, and the laundry mark "L. It. T." was the only possibility possi-bility of Identification found on the "Unknown," aside from the label on his uniform, showing It to have been made by a Rochester, N. Y, firm. Through that slender clue, the War department has announced the unknown un-known had been positively Identified as Lieut. I R. .Thrall, who was trained In the flying school at Austin, Texas. The problem of Identification was solved In this way: Application was made to the Rochester firm. Yes, It had made the uniform. But It had made thousands Just like It and sold them to S00 re-tall re-tall dealers over the country during the war. Each of tLese was asked by the graves registration service to search Its records for a sale to an oflicer with the Initials "L. R. T." Finally a dealer In Austin, Tex reported that Lieut L. R. Thrall had purchased such a uniform February 8, 1018. Back to France led the clue. The records of the first air depot In France were searched. They revealed the fact that the oflicer had been attached at-tached to the Eleventh aero squadron. Then It was comparatively easy to establish es-tablish the fact that he had been killed by the enemy while In flight with Lieutenant Coates and had been burled by the enemy. So now Lieut L. R. Thrall, "Unknown," "Un-known," no longer sleeps with his comrades in France. |
