According to Marianne Verges, author of the book, On Silver Wings: The Women Airforce Service Pilots of World War II 1942-1944, Gertrude had been married to an American who flew with the British Air Force. He was declared Missing in Action in 1942, and was declared dead by the US State Department in 1944.
Gertrude married again to Hollywood producer Henry Silver shortly before she went missing.
The flight of P-51 Mustangs that she was assigned left Los Angeles on the morning of 26 October 1944 for the Europeaan embarcation point at Newark, New Jersey, but her plane had a faulty cockpit latch, and Gertrude (or "Tommy" as she was called) was delayed in departing until four int he afternoon while it was repaired.
In the meanwhile, the weather turned sour and she took off in instrument conditions with strong winds and a layer of haze extending to 2,500 feet. The tower lost contact with her almost immediately. She was not reported missing for several days because no individual flight plan had been recorded, and a foul-up in paperwork sent to the tower had omitted her ship's number from the forty five aircraft that cleared the airfield that afternoon.
Ms. Verges states in her book that in 1985, two hunters, in a remote spot in the California mountains came across the wreckage of a World War II P-51 Mustang. The skeletal remains of the pilot wore a large diamond ring and wedding band on the left hand, and the dog tags were those of Gertrude "Tommy" Tompkins Silver. However, other sources state that she remains missing.
Gertrude Vreeland “Tommy” Tompkins Silver
BIRTH 16 Oct 1912
Jersey City, Hudson County, New Jersey, USA
DEATH 26 Oct 1944 (aged 32)
California, USA
BURIAL Buried or Lost at Sea, Specifically: Remains never found
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Gertrude Vreeland “Tommy” Tompkins Silver...
