Charles L. Stevenson

FIRST LIEUTENANT CHARLES L. STEVENSON was born in Pennsylvania on May 23, 1920 to Howard and Elinor Stevenson. His father, in 1930 was working as a draftsman in an electric shop. By the time Howard was three the family had moved to New Jersey, and at the time of the 1930 Federal census the family had moved to South Barrett Avenue in Audubon NJ. Besides Charles, there were two older brothers, Edwin R. and Howard Russell, and a younger sister, Eleanor. He graduated from Audubon High School and was attending the Drexel Institute School of Engineering in Philadelphia when he joined the Army Air Force in February of 1942.  Shortly before going overseas in July of 1943 he had married Grace Lohring of Clementon NJ, and his last stateside address was 327 Lake Avenue, in Clementon NJ. 

Assigned to the 306th Bomber Group, he was based in Thurleigh, England. Flying a B-17 Flying Fortress bomber, he was killed in action while serving with the 306th Bomber Group on January 11, 1944. On this date, without fighter escort and in the face of powerful opposition, the 306th completed an assault against aircraft factories in central Germany, being awarded a Distinguished Unit Citation for this mission. His death was reported in the February 12, 1944 edition of the Camden Courier-Post.

Charles Stevenson was brought home after the war ended. He was survived by his wife, Grace L. Stevenson, his parents, of 255 South Barrett Avenue, Audubon, his sister, and his brothers, who also were serving in the Army Air Force. He was buried at Beverly National Cemetery in Beverly NJ on July 16, 1948.

On September 2, 1949, his brother, Captain Edwin R. Stevenson was killed when the Army C-47 he was piloting crashed near Anchorage AK.

September 5, 1949

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