US Navy Aviation Machinist's Mate 2nd Class James Dewrell Dennis was born in Escambia County, Florida on April 7, 1905, the son of James Edna Dennis (1885-1962) and Rosa Lula Ardis (1892-1973). James Dewrell was the grandson of Private Samuel John Dennis (1844-1905), who enlisted on July 2, 1861 in Coosa County, Alabama in Company "H" of the Confederate 13th Alabama Infantry Regiment. The regiment fought with Lee's Army of Northern Virginia during the war and even took part in the infamous Pickett's charge at Gettysburg. His grandfather was born in Alabama and would relocate to Ward's Mill, Escambia County, Florida where he was working in a turpentine distillery in 1900. There, he would pass away in 1905 and was buried in the Big Pine Barren Cemetery in Davisville. He would be joined there by his wife Mary Sarah Josephine Grimlar (1854-1939) on January 15, 1872 in Escambia County, Florida.
As far as James Edna was concerned, he was raised in Ward's Mill before marrying Rosa in 1909 in Baldwin County, Alabama. She was originally from Conecuh County, Alabama and the two would set up housekeeping in various areas of the northern part of Escambia County, Florida. They would reside in such places as Walnut Hill, Reilly's Field (Davisville), and even in Atmore across the line. James would spend his whole life as a farmer and finally settle in the small community of "Pine Forest."
James Dewrell would enlist in the US Navy in 1941 and following his basic training he was assigned to the VB-110 Patrol Bombing Squadron flying out of England. The squadron had been established at NAS Norfolk, VA in the summer of 1943 and would transfer to NAS Elizabeth City, NC on August 1st. They were given six Army B-24 bombers plus three PB4Y-1's to start with with the latter equipped with radar, sonobuoys and modified to carry Mark-24 homing torpedoes. In October, the squadron departed for England to join squadrons VB-103 and VB-105.
On October 20, 1943, VB-110 and two other squadrons took over the Anti-Submarine Warfare role from the 19th USAAF squadron who had been transferred to the 8th Air Force. That very day, VB-110 had flown their first patrol over the Bay of Biscay but were forewarned to be on the lookout for German fighters who were specifically designated to search and destroy any of the Allied bombers attacking their U-boats.
And it was the squadron's mission was to hunt German submarines in the Bay of Biscay. Upon the capture of France by the German forces, they wasted no time in building impregnable submarine bunkers for their Atlantic fleet. These bunkers saved the German navy a 450-mile trip through the North Sea just to get to the Atlantic Ocean, which equated to ten days of travel. They selected the towns of Brest, Lorient, St. Nazaire, La Rochelle, and Bordeaux to construct these bunkers all ported on the Atlantic's Bay of Biscay.
And it was that very reason that Pensacolian James Dewrell Dennis was flying over the bay looking for German subs that were either coming back or departing on patrol. So, on November 9, 1943, Lt. William Edward Grumbles was busy flying his lone PB4Y-1 bomber out over the Bay of Biscay keeping a sharp eye for any telltale signs of enemy submarines. The year 1943 had been a pivotal time in the Battle of the Atlantic with thousands of Allied ships having been sunk by the underwater wolves. But the advent of patrolling Allied bombers together with the implementation of convoys rather than solitary sailings the tide had begun to turn. In May alone of that year, 40 German submarines were destroyed with the loss of 1,832 lives.
But Lt. Grumbles had a well-trained veteran crew comprised of co-pilot Ensign Alton Francis Wentworth, Navigator Ensign James Thomas Drinkwater, AMM2c James Dewrell Dennis, AMM3c Winfred Byrd Hay, ARM3c Radioman Charles Joseph Kavanagh, ARM3c Arlie Edward McKuin, AOM3c James Henry Cole, AMM2c Gerald Reinard Johnston, and Seaman 1c Carl Fred Kelly.
Suddenly, a radio message was picked up by another patrol plane from VB-105 indicated that Grumble's plane was under attack by enemy fighters. Shortly thereafter an SOS emergency transmission was received and then silence. No furhter communications was ever been received by the 19th Group R.A.F. Coastal Command or from any other aircraft or vessel in the area. When they failed to return, they were listed as "Missing In Action."
The aircraft had a crew of ten men with a maximum speed of 290-mph and a range of 2,100 miles. To defend themselves the plane carried ten .50 caliber M2 Browning machine guns located in the nose, top, rear and on each side. However, even with this armament, it was no match for the speed and firepower of the German fighters. No remains or debris were ever found of Grumbles' aircraft or its crew. Back home in Davisville the War Department notified James' family that he was missing in action and most likely would never be recovered. Today, his name is listed on the "Walls of the Missing" in the Cambridge American Cemetery, Cambridge, England.
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