Field E KINDLEY (VETERAN WWI) (FAMOUS)

CAPTAIN US Army
94th Aero Squadron
World War I
March 13, 1896 - February 1, 1920

*Obituary
Benton County Record
Friday, February 6, 1920

KINDLEY, Field E. - When an aviator is wending his way homeward through the evening dusk after a day's flight, Veery flares are used to light up the landing place so that the flyer may return home to his aerodrome. So has Capt. Field Kindley, present leading ace in the American army answered to the call and gone home. After one of the most eventful careers in the history of flying, Kindley was laid to rest at the Gravette cemetery Thursday afternoon. Capt. Field Kindley, premier American ace now in service, and flight commander of the 94th Aero Squadron, stationed at Kelly Field, San Antonio, was instantly killed Sunday afternoon when his plane fell and burned. Kindley had charge of maneuvers in target practice in preparation for a practice drill to be held at Pershing's visit there Tuesday. A crowd of people had gathered at the target, where the aviators were to have trained their machine guns, and thinking to warn them away, Kindley flew close to the ground toward them when his machine fell some fifty feet and he was entangled in the wreckage, the body being crushed and burned. Capt. Clayton Bissell, former comrade of Capt. Kindley, who has been with him ever since his first days at the flying field in Champaign, Ill., was on the ground at the time of Kindley's death and accompanied the remains to his old home at Gravette where interment was made Thursday. Field Kindley was a Benton county boy. He was born at Pea Ridge in 1896 and at the death of his mother at a tender age, he was cared for at the home of his aunts, Mrs. Robbins, near Bentonville, and Mrs. Esther Kindley, at Gravette. A few years later he joined his father and accompanied him to the Philippine Islands where the elder Kindley was a superintendent of education in Manila, returning to Gravette when he was about ten years old. For the next ten years he made his home with his aunt, Mrs. A.E. Kindley, and was educated in Gravette schools. In 1917 he went to Kansas and was engaged in the motion picture business in Coffeyville when the war broke out. Early in May Kindley entered an officers training school at Ft. Riley and was transferred to the air service, sent to Champaign, Ill. and went to England in September to finish his flying course. After training near London some months he went into active service on the Somme front where Americans and British were fighting side by side. Later he was transferred to the American front in the Meuse-Argonne where he commanded squadron A. Capt. Kindley probably received more decorations for his daring than any other aviator in the American forces. He wore five Bronze stars, showing participation in five major combats and was four times cited. He received the American D.S.C. and cluster for gallant work on the Meuse-Argonne front and was recommended for another cluster after his sacrifice on Long Island field. He was awarded the British D.S.C. for bravery with the Royal Air Forces on the Somme front. Recently, while in New York, he was given a special award for bravery by the Prince of Wales on the battleship Renown. Kindley is now credited with thirteen Boche planes and ranked as second American ace. At one time he engaged as many as three German planes in the air and came out victorious. He returned to the U.S. a first lieutenant, but was promoted to captain soon after landing here. A short time ago he visited his old home at Gravette and later returned to Hazelhurst Field, Mineola, L.I. and here saved the lives of a number of persons by wrecking his plane rather than run into a crowd at the races. He was slightly injured and recommended a D.S.C. cluster for the sacrifice here. Later he was called to Washington where he met with members of the House Investigation Committee and was consulted about the plan to form an aviation department. Then came the assignment to Kelly Field after he had tried to enter the aerial service in the Philippines and failed when the War Dept. decided not to send any planes to the Islands. Three weeks ago he passed through Gravette enroute to San Antonio and visited relatives a short time, stating that he planned to send for his father that all might be at home here. While at Gravette he was presented with a handsome gold watch by the citizens of Gravette as an expression of their esteem. He had only been at Kelly Field about two weeks when he was called to the last great home of all flyers.

*Obituary
Gravette News-Herald
Friday, February 6, 1920

While leading his squadron in maneuvers preparatory to review by Gen. Pershing at San Antonio, Tex. last Sunday, Capt. Field E. Kindley, 2nd American Ace, was killed instantly when his plane dashed 50 feet to earth. Report of this deplorable accident was received as an appalling shock by relatives and friends of our unfortunate hero. Capt. Kindley of Gravette was the leading ace of American aviators to remain in the service and second among all flyers who participated in the American Expeditionary Forces, being officially accredited with downing 12 Boche planes and unofficially with many more. The News Herald will record a historical obituary in its next issue, dealing at length with his life and achievements. The body of Capt. Kindley arrived yesterday morning, accompanied by Capt. C. Bissell, brother aviator of Field in action, and taken to the home of his aunt, Mrs. A.E. Kindley. This Thursday morning a civil funeral ceremony was conducted on the lawn of the Kindley home after which former service men took charge in the performance of a military ceremony with services conducted by Chaplain Hoy of Bentonville. Body was buried in the Kindley plot of I.O.O.F. cemetery. The community of Gravette unanimously voice their sympathy for the relatives and, with deepest regret, join in paying their last respects to our departed Captain hero.

*Obituary
Gravette News-Herald
Friday, February 13, 1920

By far the most ostentatious funeral ceremony in the history of Northwest Arkansas was enacted last Thursday in honor and respect of Captain Field E. Kindley, 2d American Ace, whose name is inscribed in indelible letters across the hearts of his fellowmen, not alone in the pride of his home community but throughout the nation he so valorously served and defended in her last emergency. During the short life he lived he has achieved enough to place him in the class of the great and establish his name upon the pages of living history. The big press of the country blazed forth announcing the news of the unfortunate accident on Kelly Field, Tex. Sunday Feb. 1, 1920 which sent our hero to untimely death. Very few lives are as eventful as has been that of Field Kindley and volumes would be required to chronicle his intensely interesting career. He was born at Pea Ridge, Ark. 24 years ago next March 13, the only child of George C. and Ella S. Kindley. His mother died when he was two and one-half years old. In 1903 his father was appointed Educational Supervisor in the Philippine Islands, leaving Field with his grandmother Kindley and two aunts of Bentonville until he was seven years old when he joined his father in Manila. After five years he returned to the United States and made his home here with his uncle, the late A.E. Kindley, and family until he finished school. In 1908 when a lad of twelve years, he accepted Christ as his Savior and united with the Presbyterian church. After completing his schooling at Gravette he accepted a position as traveling salesman out of Kansas City and later opened a motion picture theatre at Coffeyville, Kans. At the outbreak of the war he entered the Officers' Training Corps at Ft. Riley, Kans. and was transferred to the Aviation service Champaign, Ill. where he was trained until September. He then was sent to England and after finishing a course in flight near London was commissioned 1st-Lieutenant in March 1918. He was first assigned to the Italian front however the order was countermanded and he joined the Royal Flying Corps in Scotland. Here he quickly demonstrated his ability and was ordered to the Western front in France and placed in Squadron A, U.S.A. From the first he was in the thick of battle and remained until the end of the war. During most of the time he served as Flight Commander, leading his comrades over the enemy lines. Space forbids us to do justice in recording the momentous and exciting battle engagements occurring during the weeks that followed. Information gained from personal letters and official reports lend us some conception however of the Captain's vigorous part in the late war, Field entered the field of action on the Somme sector in June 1918 and for many days engaged the Hun planes relentlessly until the 26th when he was officially credited with his first Fokker, one of the first dozen German machines to be brought down by American pilots. The squadron soon commanded the admiration of the British government, having destroyed 60 Boche planes in two months time. Upon one occasion when 9 American aviators engaged 25 of the Prussians best pilots, our men were forced to retreat and three of our men were shot down. Kindley was cut off from his squadron and forced to fight his way out. After bringing one of the Hun planes down he got back across the line with 36 holes thru his buss and one thru his goggles, 1/4 inch from his temple. He then became Flight Commander of 25 aviators, with 101/2 Huns officially to his credit. At the end of six months he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross of Great Britain. The last fight of Lieut. Kindley's squadron proved to be the best of the war, occurring as Field led his men into the enemy lines against seven German machines and drew them into a cleverly devised trap. Dividing his squadron into three flights he directed two of them to ascend into the clouds above the Fokker planes. Then leading his flight directly below them he drew the Boche into attack. They had only opened fire when the top flights descended. Then with 14 planes crowded into a small space ensued the most terrific air battle of the war. The seven Huns were quickly crashed to earth without the loss of an American plane. After this feat Lieut. Kindley was recommended for the Distinguished Service Cross of the U.S. Government, which decoration was later conferred upon him together with the bronze oak leaf for extra-ordinary heroism. On Sept. 27, 1918, while flying at a low altitude, the Lieutenant bombed the railway at Morcoing, France, drove down an enemy balloon, attacked German troops single handed, silenced a hostile machine gun and shot down an enemy plane which attacked him. He was then in command of the 141st aero squadron and remained until the end of the war. In addition to the above decorations he received the French Croix de Guerre and was thrice cited for bravery. He engaged in 27 decisive battles from the start in Flanders. He also fought at Cambrai and Amiens and in a single battle at the Canal du Nord sent 5 enemy planes to doom in less than seven minutes. He emerged from this combat with 47 shrapnel holes in his machine. The last official report gives him 12 victories over enemy airplanes and unofficially he is accredited with many others. Among American aces he ranked second and first among those to remain in the service. He bore the distinction of being the only aviator to become an ace in a single battle. Field bore his honor with modesty and always placed a low valuation upon his merits and abilities, contending that he did no more than another would have done in his position and with the same opportunity. Since the Captain's death many letters of appreciation have been received from high authority, War Department, Major General, etc. Also the state has awarded a Certificate of Honor in appreciation of his brilliant service. At the end of the war he was promoted to Captain and returned to the States, discharging his squadron, after which he was stationed at Hazelhurst Field, L.I. About three weeks ago he was transferred to Kelly Field, Texas as Commanding Officer of the 94th Aero Squadron. At the time of his death he was leading his squad in aerial maneuver in practice formation preparatory to an exhibition in honor of General Pershing, scheduled for the following day. At the target, which was the objective of the aviator's guns, people had assembled to observe the drill and Capt. Kindley, realizing their danger, directed his machine close to earth intending to warn them and while flying at 125 miles per hour at a height of 75 feet, due the consensus of opinion of aviators present indicates, to breaking of a control wire and under strain to right his reeling machine, crashed to earth and his body was crushed and burned. Thus in an effort to save the lives of others he gave his own. He is survived by his father and aged grandmother in Long Beach, California, and relatives in different states. He often remarked that his aunt, Mrs. A.E. Kindley, was always a mother to him and his cousins as brothers and sisters. Only a few days ago he expressed the fond hope of bringing his father back to the U.S. so that they might live together. His nature was generous, loving and appreciative. He was brave, daring and courageous and adored and respected by his men and fellow officers.

*Obituary
Benton County Record
Friday, February 13, 1920

E.E. Kindley of Coffeyville, Kans., who came down to attend the funeral of his cousin, Capt. Kindley, was the guest Thursday night of his cousin, Charles Robbins.

*Obituary
Gravette News-Herald
Friday, July 20, 1920

Relatives of the late Field E. Kindley received a communication from Capt. Bissell at Washington, D.C. last week informing them that the U.S. Aviation Field of the Philippine Islands had been named in honor of Captain Kindley.

Contributed on 1/29/15 by wfields55
Email This Contributor

Suggest a Correction

Record #: 1059740

Don't Follow