WILLIAM H. REDDINGTON, LTJG, USN
William Reddington '23
Lucky Bag
From the 1923 Lucky Bag:
William Harold Reddington
Shelbyville, Indiana
"Reddy"
SAVVY and a Red Mike sums up Reddy. Savvy by dint of hard work and, we must confess, a greasy line that wraps around the referees in the Academic group and lays them low. He recommends forced lubrication for rapid slip-stick work.
A Red Mike because being otherwise would take time from studies and anyway, the right girl has never brightened his azimuth.
A steady going, more likable man would be hard to find. Drill and Exec usually find him in charge—"usually" because he is sometimes on duty. His experiences along the Extra Duty line are remarkably lacking—and he is non-reg, too. Since he learned to smoke (late in Youngster—year) he has but he still sweeps out every morning and creases his bed on both sides, so he is beyond suspicion.
His hobbies are Juice and the Movies. You'll notice Juice is first. We'll never predict any trouble with the generators on his ship.
"No! Come here, you work that prob this way."
"Good show at the Republic this Saturday."
Sub Squad (4, 3, 2, 1).
William Harold Reddington
Shelbyville, Indiana
"Reddy"
SAVVY and a Red Mike sums up Reddy. Savvy by dint of hard work and, we must confess, a greasy line that wraps around the referees in the Academic group and lays them low. He recommends forced lubrication for rapid slip-stick work.
A Red Mike because being otherwise would take time from studies and anyway, the right girl has never brightened his azimuth.
A steady going, more likable man would be hard to find. Drill and Exec usually find him in charge—"usually" because he is sometimes on duty. His experiences along the Extra Duty line are remarkably lacking—and he is non-reg, too. Since he learned to smoke (late in Youngster—year) he has but he still sweeps out every morning and creases his bed on both sides, so he is beyond suspicion.
His hobbies are Juice and the Movies. You'll notice Juice is first. We'll never predict any trouble with the generators on his ship.
"No! Come here, you work that prob this way."
"Good show at the Republic this Saturday."
Sub Squad (4, 3, 2, 1).
Loss
William was lost on May 21, 1928 when his aircraft crashed into the Pacific Ocean near Hawaii while launching from USS Langley (CV 1). He was a member of Utility Squadron (VJ) 1B.
Other Information
From researcher Kathy Franz:
William graduated from Shelbyville high school in 1919.
His father Joshua Elmer was a commercial traveler for a tobacco company. His brother was Joseph.
From Find A Grave:
Ensign W. H. Reddington, USN, was designated Naval Aviator #3283 in 1926. Graduated U.S. Naval Academy, Class of 1923.
Lt. (Junior Grade) Reddington was killed when his aircraft, just launched from the aircraft carrier USS LANGLEY (CV-1), nose-dived into the Pacific near the Hawaiian Islands. A search failed to find any trace. The radio-operator, in the back seat, managed to escape from the sinking aircraft, and was rescued.
He was survived by his wife, son, parents, and brother.
The "Register of Commissioned and Warrant Officers of the United States Navy and Marine Corps" was published annually from 1815 through at least the 1970s; it provided rank, command or station, and occasionally billet until the beginning of World War II when command/station was no longer included. Scanned copies were reviewed and data entered from the mid-1840s through 1922, when more-frequent Navy Directories were available.
The Navy Directory was a publication that provided information on the command, billet, and rank of every active and retired naval officer. Single editions have been found online from January 1915 and March 1918, and then from three to six editions per year from 1923 through 1940; the final edition is from April 1941.
The entries in both series of documents are sometimes cryptic and confusing. They are often inconsistent, even within an edition, with the name of commands; this is especially true for aviation squadrons in the 1920s and early 1930s.
Alumni listed at the same command may or may not have had significant interactions; they could have shared a stateroom or workspace, stood many hours of watch together… or, especially at the larger commands, they might not have known each other at all. The information provides the opportunity to draw connections that are otherwise invisible, though, and gives a fuller view of the professional experiences of these alumni in Memorial Hall.
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January 1928
April 1928
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