HENRY B. CECIL, CDR, USN
Henry Cecil '10
Lucky Bag
From the 1910 Lucky Bag:
Henry Barton Cecil
Huntsville, Tennessee
"Cash" "Costet" "Uncle Ike"
Harry Cecil, a Creole, by gar!
Crawled in while the gates were ajar.
He resembles Costet,
At least so they say.
And is thought to have once tended bar.
A GOOD-HEARTED, chubby little fellow from sunny Tennessee. Goes into life for all the pleasure the day may bring forth. His jolly laugh is welcomed by all but,—Oh you songster! Is ever ready to listen to your tale of woe and to give you one in return that will make you feel almost ashamed of ever thinking yourself ill used. Seldom goes on liberty (usually has the exact change to be on the grade). For three years he was always going to swear off smoking in a few days, and finally, First Class year, when he could smoke with impunity, he actually did knock off. After each hop says, "No more fussing for me," but . . . Youngster cruise after each liberty at New London he used to make the gun deck lively with descriptions of the thrilling experiences Sis had been brought through safely by the genius of his legal adviser, H. Barton Cecil.
Sharpshooter. One Stripe (a). Buzzard (b)
Henry Barton Cecil
Huntsville, Tennessee
"Cash" "Costet" "Uncle Ike"
Harry Cecil, a Creole, by gar!
Crawled in while the gates were ajar.
He resembles Costet,
At least so they say.
And is thought to have once tended bar.
A GOOD-HEARTED, chubby little fellow from sunny Tennessee. Goes into life for all the pleasure the day may bring forth. His jolly laugh is welcomed by all but,—Oh you songster! Is ever ready to listen to your tale of woe and to give you one in return that will make you feel almost ashamed of ever thinking yourself ill used. Seldom goes on liberty (usually has the exact change to be on the grade). For three years he was always going to swear off smoking in a few days, and finally, First Class year, when he could smoke with impunity, he actually did knock off. After each hop says, "No more fussing for me," but . . . Youngster cruise after each liberty at New London he used to make the gun deck lively with descriptions of the thrilling experiences Sis had been brought through safely by the genius of his legal adviser, H. Barton Cecil.
Sharpshooter. One Stripe (a). Buzzard (b)
Loss
Henry was lost when the airship USS Akron (ZRS 4) crashed off the coast of New Jersey on April 4, 1933. He was aboard as the Flight Division Head of Bureau of Aeronautics. He was naval aviator #42.
Other Information
From researcher Kathy Franz:
Henry was nominated to the Naval Academy by Representative Hale and Congressman Stanley in April 1906.
In February 1919 Henry arrived in New York City from Liverpool on the S. S. Aquitania. He married Isa (McBean) Bindley on May 31, 1919, at the McAlpin Hotel in Manhattan. She was the daughter of Duncan Donald McBean, a wealthy business man of New York City who dug the Harlem River tunnel. She previously was married to Dr. James Bindley.
In 1920, Henry and Isa lived on the Naval Air Station in Pensacola. In December, Isa received her passport to travel with him to Cuba and Panama.
In February 1921, Isa sailed from the Cristobal, Canal Zone, to New York City. In November 1925 she arrived in New York City from Naples on the S. S. Conte Biancamano, and in August 1926 Henry and Isa took the same trip. In February 1929, Isa sailed from Cristobal, Canal Zone, to Los Angeles.
In March 1933, Henry and Lt. Commander Andrew C. McFall (‘16) flew to Pensacola Naval air base to hold a conference with Commander Ralph Wood. Henry was to head the air department aboard the aircraft carrier USS Lexington in June.
Henry received the Certificate of Merit for meritorious and distinguished service due to his initiative, courage, and loyal devotion to duty in organizing and operating the U. S. Naval Air Station at L’Aber Vrach, France.
In 1900 Henry’s father Beaty was a farmer and judge who became a senator and representative in the Tennessee legislature. His mother was Polly, sister Minnie, and brothers were John, Thomas, and James.
Akron's executive officer, LCDR Herbert V. Wiley '15, one of only three survivors, was filmed shortly after the crash:
Photographs
From the Daily News on April 5, 1933
"They were known as The Fighting Cecils from Scott Co, TN. Front Row L: Col. Joe Cecil (Spanish American War & WW I). Front Row R: Judge Beaty Cecil father of Joe, Henry, Tom and James, (War Between the States). Standing L-R: Commander Henry Barton Cecil US Naval Acadamy 1910, killed on USS Akron 1933, Jackson, FL Naval Air Station named Cecil Field in his honor) LT Col Tom Cecil (WWI), Col James J Cecil (WWI & WW II).
Passport application for Isa, his wife.
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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April 1933
LTjg Arthur Farrell '25 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 5B)
LTjg Henry Twohy '29 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 5B)
ENS John Yoho '29 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 3B)
ENS Victor Gaulin '30 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 3B)
ENS Lance Massey '30 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 3B)
Related Articles
William Moffett '90, Fred Berry '08, Frank McCord '11, Harold Maclellan '18, Joseph Severyns, Jr. '20, George Calnan '20, Richard Cross, Jr. '21, Herbert Wescoat '23, Robert Sayre '24, Charles Callaway '24, Hammond Dugan '24, Charles Miller '25, Charles Redfield '26, Wilfred Bushnell '26, and Cyrus Clendening '27 were also lost when USS Akron (ZRS 4) crashed into the sea off San Francisco on April 4, 1933.
Namesake
Naval Air Station Cecil Field was named for him.
The "category" links below lead to lists of related Honorees; use them to explore further the service and sacrifice of alumni in Memorial Hall.
