Eliot Hammond Shapleigh was born on January 16, 1921, in Shafter, Texas. He was the son of Martin Parry Shapleigh and Eva A Goodwin Shapleigh. He was married to Eleanor Coldwell Shapleigh.

Eliot served in the 335th Fighter Squadron, 4th Fighter Group, as a First Lieutenant Pilot during World War II. On May 27, 1944, piloting the P-51 #42-106464, he took off from airfield Station 356 in Debden, England, on a mission to Karlsruhe, Germany. 1Lt Shapleigh was flying in the no.3 position of the Caboose Red section. He had experienced mechanical problems on return to base and managed to bail out. He landed in La Vallée-Mulâtre, France, where he evaded enemy capture with the help of the French Underground.

1Lt Shapleigh was discharged (honorable) in the USAAF on August 24, 1945. He died at the age of 70 in El Paso, Texas, and is now buried in the Evergreen Cemetery, El Paso, El Paso County, Texas, USA.

Source of information: www.findagrave.com, www.americanairmuseum.com, francecrashes39-45.net