Ralph Wendall Wright was born in Oklahoma. He was the son of James Ralph Wright and Olive Human Wright. Ralph served in the 349th Bomber Squadron, 100th Bomber Group, Heavy, as a Second Lieutenant and Pilot on the B-17 #42-38053 "Cap'n Crow" during World War II.

Their B-17 crashed on May 7, 1944, over Somerleyton in Suffolk, England near the East Anglian coastline. They were on a mission to Berlin along with over 900 bombers. One of the signal flares in the plane exploded and started fires that could not be contained. Wright rang the bail-out alarm. Jack Raper stayed, helping fight for control as the crew bailed out. Both Wright and Raper died, along with three other crew members who were trapped in the plane.

2Lt Wright is now buried in the Cambridge American Cemetery, Cambridge, United Kingdom, in the same plot as 2Lt Raper.

Source of information: www.findagrave.com, www.abmc.gov