PAUL R. STOCKTON 1880 -1962

 

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTES - 1 Courtesy of Mike O'Brien, 5-17-07 Paul Richard Stockton was born 3 May 1880 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. One of the earliest pilots of our compilation, Stockton's early flying career is not well documented. What is known is that he was awarded Aero Club of America Certificate #774 and served with the 1st Company New York National guard as a Sergeant prior to the U.S entry in World War One. This group saw some of the names that would be prominent during the war. James Miller, Daniel Noyes, A. Blair Thaw and Raynall Bolling. It's unclear when Stockton moved to New Jersey, but his home address is listed as 300 Haddon Avenue in Haddonford, New Jersey on the Air Force list of pilots commissioned prior to 11 November 1918. His early training beyond his service in the NYNG is unrecorded, but we know he was commissioned Lieutenant on 17 September 1917. It is a certainty he continued his flight training in France, though the exact dates and locations are unknown. His Reserve Military Aviator Rating is dated 18 February 1918 and he was certainly in France by that date having sailed for Europe on 5 December 1917. His only known service assignment in France is to the 12th Aero Squadron, an observation and reconnaissance unit that flew the excellent Salmson 2A2 two-seater. He arrived on 18 June 1918 and remained with the unit throughout the war, participating in the Aisne-Marne, St. Mihiel and Meuse-Argonne Offensives. The unit would see no fewer than four New Jersey natives before the armistice including Frederick Luh from Roselle Park, Philip E. West from Newark and Hamburg, New Jersey's Robert W. Watt. Beyond this, few specifics of his service during the war have been discovered Stockton sailed for home in the spring of 1919, arriving in the U.S. on 26 April 1919. Nothing regarding his post war life has been found, save that he passed away on 21 February 1962 in Los Angeles, California. He was later interred in the Ft. Rosecrans National Cemetary in San Diego, Section X, site 627.

 

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTES - 2 Courtesy of P. J., 5-14-07      As a Stockton family genealogist, I have found this information about Paul R. Stockton; Nationwide Gravesite Locator STOCKTON, PAUL R 1ST LT US ARMY WORLD WAR I Date of Birth: 05/03/1880 Date of Death: 02/21/1962 Buried at: Section X Site 627 FT. Rosecrans National Cemetery P.O. Box 6237 San Diego, CA 92166 (619) 553-2084 Find A Grave Paul R Stockton Birth: May 3, 1880 Death: Feb. 21, 1962 Burial: Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery, San Diego, San Diego County, California, Plot: X, 627 Record added: Mar 4 2000 Social Security Death Index *CA Death Records; STOCKTON PAUL R 05/03/1880 M LOS ANGELES(70) 02/21/1962 81 yrs ----------- and his wife; Nationwide Gravesite Locator STOCKTON, MARIE H Date of Birth: 08/19/1891 Date of Death: 08/31/1977 Buried at: Section X Site 627 FT. Rosecrans National Cemetery P.O. Box 6237 San Diego, CA 92166 (619) 553-2084 Wife of Stockton, Paul R 1st Lt US ARMY Find A Grave Marie H Stockton Birth: Aug. 19, 1891 Death: Aug. 31, 1977 Burial: Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery, San Diego, San Diego County, California Plot: X, 627 Record added: Mar 4 2000 *CA death Records: STOCKTON MARIE H 08/19/1891 F (born) WASHINGTON (died, County) SAN DIEGO(37) 08/31/1977 547-30-4662 86 yrs --------      I do not know who Paul's parents were. I certainly would appreciate hearing from you If you know his parents might be. I hope this helps you. Thank you

Editor's Note: We thank P. J. for this information about Paul. If you can help him with his search for more details of his life and career, please contact me and I will forward the material to him. Thank you.

 

ONLINE RESOURCES      If you search for "Paul R. Stockton", using the Google search engine, (10-7-07), you will find about 4 links. Perhaps the most helpful is the following.

 

Paul R. Stockton Scrapbook, 1916-1919 Summary:      " This collection provides extensive documentation on the flying career of Paul R. Stockton from his entry into the New York Air National Guard through his service in France and Germany and eventual discharge in 1919. Included in this collection is documentation of the activies, personnel and equipment of Stockton's squadron, as well as are excellent aerial photographs of airplanes and before and after photographs of target areas. Many of the photographs show Marie, the Belgian police dog Stockton raised during the war. (Marie later appeared in motion pictures with Gloria Swanson, Rudolph Valentino and others). One image is purportedly from one of the aircraft of Baron von Richtofen's "Flying Circus." Also included in this scrapbook are certificates of Stockton's appointments to corporal and to 1st lieutenant, hotel menus, copies of leaflets dropped by US aviators behind the German lines, examples of European currency, train and bus tickets, fabric swatches from aircraft, Stockton's pilot license and other such ephemera."

 

Paul R. Stockton died in 1962 From The Early Birds of Aviation Roster of Members January 1, 1993   Editor's Note: If you have any more information on this Early Bird, please contact me. I will forward the information to P. J. as well. E-mail to Ralph Cooper   Back