Wilbert W. White, Jr., who went by his middle name of Wallace, was
an accomplished athlete at the University of Wooster in the early
20th century, but that pales in comparison with his other
achievements. White had a higher calling, eventually making the
ultimate sacrifice during World War I.
On the afternoon of Oct. 10, 1918, White, who had been cleared to
return to the United States after spending months over the skies in
Europe, during which he scored seven confirmed victories and was
the highest scoring ace of the 147th Pursuit Squadron, volunteered
for one final patrol — a balloon strafing (bombing)
expedition.
At the controls of one of the three Allied planes under Lt.
White’s command was an American pilot, named Cox who had
never before encountered combat. The group was jumped by five
German Fokkers and one dove to the tail of Cox, so White turned to
aid him, however, his guns jammed, leaving him with only one option
to save the rookie’s life. White, according to multiple
reports, "never swerved and drove his own plane (head-on) into the
German’s, both crashing 500 meters below."
White, who is buried in a U.S. Military Cemetery in Romagne,
France, was awarded with a Distinguished Service Cross as well as
an Oak Leaf Cluster citation for his "extraordinary and subsequent
acts of heroism." He was also recommended for the Congressional
Medal of Honor by his famous captain, Edward Rickenbacker, who
later called White "the bravest of them all."
Born May 1, 1889, in New York City to a Protestant minister and
his wife, it is unclear where White grew up or how he ended up
enrolling at Wooster. He must have had some type of connection
because it is known that White was the nephew of John Campbell
White, Wooster’s president from 1915-19.
Archives are also sketchy in terms of White’s athletic
accolades, however, historians believe that he "would have
qualified for unanimous recognition" for all-conference and
all-state awards if they had existed back then.
White, who measured six-feet tall and weighed 160 pounds of "all
muscle," according to experts, earned 10 letters in four sports
— three each in football, basketball, and baseball and one in
track. He was a three-year starter in both football and basketball,
seeing action at the halfback and tackle positions on the gridiron
and at center and guard on the hardwood. White was renowned for his
defensive abilities in basketball and baseball, in which he started
at least two years at catcher and hit .334 in 1911.
Immediately after graduation, White, who was also involved in the
Men’s Glee Club and socially as a Beta at Wooster, married
his college sweetheart, Elsie Machle, on May 12, 1912, in Endeavor,
Pa.
Before White enlisted in the United States Air Service
(today’s Air Force) on July 3, 1917, the couple had two
children — Wilbert Wallace White III and Elizabeth White.
Wilbert died in 1987 in Denver, Colo., while Elizabeth, who has
been deaf since a childhood bout with scarlet fever, is still
alive.
For more information on White and others like him, please visit www.theaerodrome.com and/or www.wwiaviation.com: Web sites that pay tribute to the
brave pilots of that era.
