Remembering Petty Officer 2nd Class Bednarz
Accidents, equipment malfunctions, and human error are the bane of military aviators, and were the cause of many fatalities during WWII. Frank Joseph Bednarz (1918-1943), of Thompson was an Aviation Radioman Second Class assigned to Patrol Bombing Squadron VP-52 at Naval Operations Base, King’s Point, Bermuda. The unit was engaged in anti-submarine warfare operations during the Battle of the Atlantic.
During an early morning gunnery exercise on Sunday, January 10th 1943, while attempting a pass over the target area on the water of the Great Sound, a PBY-5 Catalina Seaplane from VP-52, registration number 2367, unexpectedly dove into the water at a high rate of speed near Grace Island, causing the plane to crash at approximately 8 km NNE off of the Gibbs Hill Lighthouse in Bermuda. All 8 occupants of the plane were lost – including Frank Bednarz. The cause of the accident was never determined, and is still a mystery.
This loss is still a painful memory for Frank’s younger sister Bernice Bednarz, a spry 102 year old Thompson resident.
Bernice’s friend, Mrs. Jane Jewell Ellison noticed the story about Frank Bednarz in a recently published book, “Hometown Heroes of the Quiet Corner – the WW2 Purple Heart Edition – 2025 Volume 2”. Ellison reached out to the author, Putnam resident Michael Rocchetti, and asked if she could buy a copy of the book as a gift for Bernice. She also asked if he'd be interested in meeting with Bernice. Rocchetti jumped at the offer. “It’s not very often that you get a chance to meet with someone that is 102 years old!” said Rocchetti. He added: “The meeting with Bernice marked an occasion of both sadness and joy - sadness over the loss of her brother Frank during WWII, but joy that he hasn’t been forgotten.”
Frank Bednarz was born April 2, 1918, the son of Andrew and Anna Bednarz of North Grosvenordale. He graduated from Tourtellotte Memorial High School in 1936, and enlisted in the Navy on July 18,1940. After he died in the plane crash, the U.S. Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency classified his remains as unrecoverable. He is memorialized on the “Tablets of the Missing” at the East Coast Memorial at Battery Park in New York City. He is also memorialized with a cenotaph at the St. Joseph Cemetery in North Grosvenordale.
In addition to his parents, he leaves three brothers, Ignatius, Pvt John Bednarz of Fort Riley Kan., and Corp William Bednarz of Paterson, N.J., and three sisters, Mrs. Sophie Lachapelle, Josephine, and Bernice Bednarz, all of North Grosvenordale.
“Hometown Heroes of the Quiet Corner” is a book series that honors military veterans from northeast Connecticut. The books are written by Michael Rocchetti and are published by American Legion Post #13 in Putnam. They can be purchased online at https://hometown-heroes-of-the-quiet-corner.myshopify.com/
All proceeds from the book sales will help fund American Legion scholarships, youth programs, Boy’s State, Girl’s State, American Legion Baseball, veterans-in-need, Americanism initiatives, and other programs which directly benefit the local community.
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Michael Rocchetti and Bernice Bednarz