LYON COUNTY GENEALOGY
Bob Dickinson Dies
Ca. 1941 – 1945
Mrs. J. W. Dickinson has received a letter from the Lee Gillis’ of Omaha, informing her of the death of their son, Bob, in the Southwest Pacific.
Mr. Gillis was superintendent of the Rock Rapids schools in the early 1920’s, coming here to succeed Lester Ary. Bob was born just before Gillis took charge of the local schools and he more or less got his start in life in Rock Rapids. They left here in 1926.
In the letter, Mr. Gillis said that the government had notified him Bob was missing in action, but that a buddy from Omaha, in the same outfit, had written home. According to this flyer, “Bob was returning from a rather long bombing mission, when an oil leak developed He was ordered to the closest field, but could not make it. He made a water landing with his usual competence and go into his raft. Within a short time the rescue PBY which accompanied such missions located him. They flew over him at a height of 20 feet and dropped smoke bombs and turned immediately to land, but in that short time Bob and his boat had disappeared.