{"id":8533,"date":"2023-10-24T11:54:45","date_gmt":"2023-10-24T17:54:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/parr-hooper.cmsmcq.com\/2OD\/?page_id=8533"},"modified":"2023-10-24T11:54:45","modified_gmt":"2023-10-24T17:54:45","slug":"andrew-joseph-shannon","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/parr-hooper.cmsmcq.com\/2OD\/the-biographies\/andrew-joseph-shannon\/","title":{"rendered":"Andrew Joseph Shannon"},"content":{"rendered":"
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(Cambridge, Massachusetts, December 25, 1895 \u2013 Waltham, Massachusetts, April 17, 1992).1<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/a>Oxford & Grantham<\/i><\/a>\u00a0\u272f\u00a0Training to Fly, C.D.P.\u00a0<\/i><\/a>\u272f\u00a0155th<\/sup>\u00a0Aero and afterwards<\/i><\/a><\/p>\n

Joseph Andrew Shannon\u2019s father, Patrick J. Shannon, emigrated in 1883 from County Clare in Ireland to Boston.2<\/a> There he met Honora Canavan, also Irish born, and they married in 1891, settling initially in Cambridge, where Andrew Joseph Shannon was born, the third of six children. Patrick J. Shannon worked initially as a laborer, but by 1910 had become a salesman for a wholesale oil and gas company; he bought a house in Waltham, where Joseph Andrew Shannon attended South Grammar School and presumably high school; he did not attend college.3<\/a> When he registered for the draft on June 5, 1917, Shannon indicated he was working as a clerk in Boston for Hornblower & Weeks, an investment banking and brokerage firm, and that he had had no military experience.4<\/a><\/p>\n

Shannon evidently applied to and was accepted by the Aviation Section of the Signal Corps. He attended ground school at the School of Military Aeronautics at M.I.T.; his name appears on graduation lists for both August 18, 1917, and September 1, 1917\u2014there seems to have been some confusion regarding the class lists at the M.I.T. S.M.A.5<\/a>\u00a0The September 1, 1917, class was a small one, and out of eight men, six, including Shannon, chose or were chosen to do their advanced training in Italy.<\/p>\n

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List of men who graduated from M.I.T. S.M.A. September 1, 1917. Ironically, the six who hoped to train in Italy did not, but Charles Thomas Buckley, who was not a member of the second Oxford detachment, did.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

These six were thus among the 150 men of the \u201cItalian\u201d or \u201csecond Oxford detachment\u201d who sailed to Europe on the\u00a0Carmania<\/i>. They left New York on September 18, 1917, heading initially for Halifax, where the\u00a0Carmania<\/i>\u00a0joined a convoy for the Atlantic crossing. The men travelled first class and had few obligations other than attending Italian lessons, conducted by Fiorello La Guardia, and, once the convoy entered dangerous waters, taking turns at submarine watch. The\u00a0Carmania<\/i>\u00a0arrived at Liverpool October 2, 1917; the expectation was that the men would cross the Channel and proceed to Italy.<\/p>\n

<\/a>Oxford and Grantham<\/i><\/a><\/h6>\n

On disembarking the men were informed that they were to remain in England and would attend ground school (again). They boarded a train for Oxford, where they were enrolled in the Royal Flying Corps\u2019s No. 2 School of Military Aeronautics at Oxford University (where another, smaller, group of American cadets, the \u201cfirst Oxford detachment,\u201d was already ensconced). Initially disappointed by the change of plans, the men soon became reconciled to it. Their British instructors, unlike the ones in the U.S., had had war flying experience, and this added considerable interest to the course work. Since the men had already covered much of the material, they did not have to study especially hard, and they enjoyed Oxford hospitality and explored the town and surrounding countryside.<\/p>\n

The men were eager to start flying training, but more disappointment was in store for most of them. Four weeks after their arrival at Oxford, twenty men from the detachment were posted to No. 1 Training Depot Station at Stamford to begin flying training, but the others, including Shannon, set out on November 3, 1917, for Harrowby Camp near Grantham in Lincolnshire to attend machine gunnery school. As Parr Hooper, also sent to Grantham, remarked: \u201cIt looks like we got sent here because there was no other place to send us to\u2014playing for time.\u201d6<\/a>\u00a0 Fifty men were sent to squadrons in mid-November, but, again, Shannon was not among them.<\/p>\n

<\/a>Training to fly, C.D.P.<\/i><\/a><\/h6>\n
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From Foss, \u201cCadets of Italian Detachment Posted Dec 3rd\u201d (in Foss, Papers)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Finally, on December 3, 1917, the remaining men were posted to flying squadrons, and Shannon, along with Albert Frank Everett, Joseph Raymond Payden, and Robert Brewster Porter, was assigned to No. 38 Squadron. 7<\/a> No. 38, which had its headquarters at Melton Mowbray in Leicestershire, was tasked with pilot training by day and air defense against Zeppelins by night.8<\/a> At the end of 1917, the squadron was flying F.E.2b\u2019s and F.E.2d\u2019s, two-seat fighter and bomber biplanes\u2014not suitable for primary flight training, but the cadets could certainly have gone up as passengers. The squadron\u2019s three flights operated out of Leadenham, Buckminster, and Stamford; the second Oxford detachment men probably spent most of their time at one of these sites.9<\/a><\/p>\n

According to Shannon\u2019s R.A.F. service record, he was posted on January 26, 1918, to Boscombe Down.10<\/a> This presumably meant that he was assigned to No. 6 Training Depot Station. The planes available at 6 T.D.S. included Avros, B.E.2c\u2019s, B.E.2e\u2019s, and DH6s\u2014all two seaters designed or now used for training\u2014and DH.4s, DH9s, and FK8s, two-seater operational aircraft used for reconnaissance and bombing.11<\/a><\/p>\n

In early April Shannon and many of his fellow second Oxford detachment members were recommended by Pershing for commissions\u2014but as \u201cFirst Lieutenants Aviation Reserve non flying.\u201d12<\/a> Earlier in the year it had been brought to Pershing\u2019s attention that many cadets had been held up in their progress towards commissions by the limited training facilities. On March 13, 1918, he had cabled to Washington requesting permission \u201cto immediately issue to all cadets now in Europe temporary or Reserve commissions in Aviation Section Signal Corps. . . .\u201d13<\/a> Washington approved the plan in a cable dated March 21, 1918, but stipulated that the commissioned men be \u201cput on non-flying status. Upon satisfactory completion of flying training they can be transferred as flying officers.\u201d14<\/a> Hence the \u201cnon-flying\u201d status attached to the commission recommendation for Shannon and others in the April 8, 1918, cablegram. It took over a month and some prodding, but finally, on May 13, 1918, Washington cabled back approval.15<\/a> Shannon was placed on active service May 30, 1918.16<\/a><\/p>\n

It may be that Shannon remained at Boscombe Down until July 15, 1918, when his R.A.F. service record notes his assignment to \u201c1 S of F&G,\u201d although it is also possible that the sketchy service record fails to note interim postings. In any case, Shannon would have proceeded to Turnberry and Ayr on the west coast of Scotland, where the No. 1 School of Fighting was located, to finish up his training with instruction in aerial fighting and gunnery.<\/p>\n

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From Shannon’s R.A.F. service record.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

After completing his training, Shannon, like many other second Oxford detachment members, was apparently posted to the Central Despatch Pool in London and began serving as a ferry pilot, presumably flying planes from one location to another within England and probably also from England to France. It was not until November 5, 1918, that he was posted overseas.17<\/a>\u00a0 According to Shannon\u2019s niece, who knew him well, he was at some point shot down behind enemy lines and hidden and cared for by a French farmer for some months until the area was liberated. I find no documentation of this, but this may simply reflect inadequate or destroyed records of the Central Despatch Pool; it seems not unreasonable to assume that Shannon strayed across the lines while ferrying a plane, with unfortunate results, including, according to the niece, the loss of sight in one eye.<\/p>\n

<\/a>The 155th<\/sup>\u00a0Aero and afterwards<\/i><\/a><\/h6>\n

James J. Sloan, in his Wings of Honor<\/i>, indicates that Shannon was at least briefly at the American No. 3 Aviation Instruction Center at Issoudun in the Loire region of central France and that from there, on November 18, 1918\u2014i.e., shortly after the armistice\u2014he joined the 155th<\/sup> Aero Squadron.18<\/a>\u00a0The 155th<\/sup> was a night bombardment squadron flying DH-4s. There had been ambitious plans for a large number of American night bombardment squadrons flying Handley Pages; the hope was that they would begin deploying by mid-1918.19<\/a>\u00a0Production of Handley Pages was slower than expected, and in the end, the only night bombardment squadron to reach the front before November 11, 1918, was the 155th<\/sup> with its DH-4s. According to Sloan, a \u201clack of night-flying equipment and facilities\u201d meant that the armistice \u201ccame before any real mission effort could be made.\u201d20<\/a>\u00a0A squadron history indicates that the 155th<\/sup>, based at Colombey-les-Belles, \u201cdid reconnaissance flying looking for crashed planes.\u201d21<\/a><\/p>\n

Shannon was able to set out for the U.S. fairly soon after the war: he sailed from Marseilles on the\u00a0America<\/i> on February 10, 1918; among his ship mates was his fellow second Oxford detachment member George Clark Sherman.22<\/a> He returned to Waltham, Massachusetts, and resumed work in the financial industry.23<\/a><\/p>\n

mrsmcq October 24, 2023<\/em><\/span><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

Notes<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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(For complete bibliographic entries, please consult the list of\u00a0works and web pages cited<\/a>.)<\/p>\n

1<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0\u00a0Shannon\u2019s place and date of birth are taken from Ancestry.com,\u00a0U.S., World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917\u20131918<\/i>, record for Andrew Joseph Shannon. His place and date of death are taken from Ancestry.com, Massachusetts, U.S., Death Index, 1970-2003<\/i>, record for Andrew J Shannon. I have not been able to find a photo of him.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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2<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0\u00a0See Ancestry.com,\u00a0Massachusetts, U.S., State and Federal Naturalization Records, 1798-1950<\/i>, record for Patrick Shannon. The address given on this naturalization petition helps establish that this is the correct Patrick Shannon. I should note that the dates of emigration given on census forms are consistently later, but still in the 1880s. Other information on the family is taken from documents available at Ancestry.com.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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3<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0\u00a0See [Waltham, Massachusetts],\u00a0Inaugural Address<\/i>, p. 66, regarding school attendance. I find no record of college attendance, and his niece, Dorothy Shannon Swithenbank, has confirmed that he did not go to college.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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4<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0\u00a0See draft registration, cited above.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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5<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0\u00a0\u201cGround School Graduations [for August 18, 1917]\u201d; \u201cGround School Graduations [for September 1, 1917].\u201d William Ludwig Deetjen similarly appeared on more than one M.I.T. S.M.A. graduation list.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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6<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0\u00a0Hooper,\u00a0Somewhere in France<\/i>, letter of [November] 4, 1917<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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7<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Foss, \u201cCadets of Italian Detachment Posted Dec 3rd\u201d (in Foss, Papers).\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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8<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0\u00a0Wikipedia, \u201cNo. 38 Squadron RAF.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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9<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0\u00a0On No. 38\u2019s planes and locations, see p. 403 of Philpott,\u00a0The Birth of the Royal Air Force<\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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10<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0\u00a0The National Archives (United Kingdom),\u00a0Royal Air Force officers\u2019 service records 1918\u20131919<\/i>, record for Andred F. Shannon [sic<\/i>].<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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11<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0\u00a0On the aircraft at Boscombe Down, see Sturtivant, Hamlin, and Halley,\u00a0Royal Air Force Flying Training and Support Units<\/i>, p. 294.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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12<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0\u00a0Cablegram 874-S, dated April 8, 1918.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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13<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0\u00a0Cablegram 726-S.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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14<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0\u00a0Cablegram 955-R.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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15<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0\u00a0Cablegram 1303-R.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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16<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0\u00a0McAndrew, \u201cSpecial Orders No. 205.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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17<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0\u00a0See Shannon\u2019s R.A.F. service record, cited above.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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18<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0\u00a0Sloan,\u00a0Wings of Honor<\/i>, p. 430. And see Dillenback, \u201c155th<\/sup>\u00a0Aero Squadron (Night Bombardment),\u201d p. 41, where Shannon\u2019s name appears on the list of commissioned officers.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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19<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0\u00a0See\u00a0Night Bombardment Section, Air Service, A.E.F., England<\/i>,\u00a0passim<\/i>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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20<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0\u00a0Sloan,\u00a0Wings of Honor<\/i>, p. 381.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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21<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0\u00a0Dillenback, \u201c155th<\/sup>\u00a0Aero Squadron (Night Bombardment),\u201d p. 40. There is some confusion in this history regarding dates and the squadron\u2019s movements.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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22<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0\u00a0Ancestry.com,\u00a0U.S., Army Transport Service, Passenger Lists, 1910-1939<\/i>, record for Andrew Joseph Shannon.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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23<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0\u00a0Ancestry.com,\u00a01920 United States Federal Census<\/i>, record for Andrew Shannon.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

(Cambridge, Massachusetts, December 25, 1895 \u2013 Waltham, Massachusetts, April 17, 1992).1 Oxford & Grantham\u00a0\u272f\u00a0Training to Fly, C.D.P.\u00a0\u272f\u00a0155th\u00a0Aero and afterwards Joseph Andrew Shannon\u2019s father, Patrick J. Shannon, emigrated in 1883 from County Clare in Ireland to Boston.2 There he met Honora Canavan, also Irish born, and they married in 1891, settling initially in Cambridge, where Andrew … Continue reading “Andrew Joseph Shannon”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":30,"menu_order":116,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-8533","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/parr-hooper.cmsmcq.com\/2OD\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/8533","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/parr-hooper.cmsmcq.com\/2OD\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/parr-hooper.cmsmcq.com\/2OD\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/parr-hooper.cmsmcq.com\/2OD\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/parr-hooper.cmsmcq.com\/2OD\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8533"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/parr-hooper.cmsmcq.com\/2OD\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/8533\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8544,"href":"https:\/\/parr-hooper.cmsmcq.com\/2OD\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/8533\/revisions\/8544"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/parr-hooper.cmsmcq.com\/2OD\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/30"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/parr-hooper.cmsmcq.com\/2OD\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8533"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}