Carl Endicott

He was the son of George Gardner Endicott and Emily Cunningham of Boston, Massachusetts.  He had a chance to be part of history but blew it.  He was a member of the Harvard class of 1915.   He then enlisted as a Private in the French Foreign Legion in May of 1917, but soon transferred to the famous Lafayette Flying Corps, on August 6, 1917.   He was released a month later, however, for “disciplinary reasons” on September 12, 1917. 

 

         John’s name is among those listed in the appendix of the 1920 book by Lafayette Escadrille member and famous author, James Norman Hall (“Kitchener’s Mob;” “Mutiny on the Bounty” and others).  The appendix is entitled “Members of the Lafayette Flying Corps Released by the French Government Before Serving at the Front.”  There were 56 of these men, but only 2 were released for disciplinary reasons.  History does not record, however, what John’s infraction was. 

 

         The Lafayette Flying Corps is not to be confused with the even more famous Lafayette Escadrille.  The Escadrille was largely a group of American volunteer pilots flying for France starting in 1916, before the U.S. got into the war.  After their exploits were popularized in the press, more Americans wanted to join them so the Lafayette Flying Corps was formed to facilitate that.   Thus, not all members of the Lafayette Flying Corps served in the Lafayette Escadrille, although some did, but many others from the Flying Corps served in other French units. 

 

         After his short stint with the Lafayette Flying Corps, John then enrolled as a Seaman 2nd class in the U.S. Naval Reserve Force on December 12, 1917 and was called to active duty on March 4, 1918, promoted to Chief Quartermaster, and assigned to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Naval Avaiation Detachment, where he served as an instructor.  He was released from active duty on December 10, 1918. 

 

         Sources:

         1.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lafayette_Flying_Corps

         2.books.google.com/books?id=I8K1AAAAMAAJ&pg=PA317&lpg=PA317&dq=john+endicott+lafayette+flying+corps&source=bl&ots=f3jlUcVQ6j&sig=C0MXk6EAGiAEllhY5lATrFhMrO0&hl=en&sa=X&ei=cbp6UIi5HsPH0QGos4CwAw&ved=0CC4Q6AEwAg#v=onepage&q=john%20endicott%20lafayette%20flying%20corps&f=false

         3.http://files.usgwarchives.net/ma/essex/towns/danvers/cemeteries/ceme002 a.txt