Robert Whitney Cogswell was born on August 18, 1917, in Bridgeport, Connecticut. During World War II, he served in the 360th Bomber Squadron, 303rd Bomber Group, Heavy, as a Captain and Pilot on the B-17 #42-5434 'Lady Luck.' On 26 September 1943 the B17 Flying Fortress "Lady Luck", carrying a full bomb load, got into difficulties over Alresford. Captain Robert Cogswell ordered his nine crewmen to bail out remaining on board the aircraft himself in an attempt to steer the bomber away from the town. The plane crashed just east of Old Alresford Pond Captain Cogswell had jumped to safety himself shortly before it crashed.
Post-war, he remained in the USAF serving in Korean War and rising to Major. Major Cogswell was a crew member of a B-29A Superfortress Bomber with the 372nd Bomber Squadron, 307th Bomber Wing. On October 23, 1951, while on a bombing mission, the aircraft was attacked by enemy MiGs near Namsi Airfield. It headed toward the Yellow Sea and crashed. He was listed as Missing in Action and was presumed dead on February 28, 1954. His body was never recovered but his name is memorialized on the Courts the Missing, Honolulu Memorial, Hawaii.
His awards include:
Air Medal
Distinguished Flying Cross
Korean Service Medal
National Defense Service Medal
Purple Heart
Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation
Republic of Korea War Service Medal
United Nations Service Medal
Source of information: www.findagrave.com, http://www.alresford.org, www.abmc.gov