{"id":3109,"date":"2023-07-06T08:34:47","date_gmt":"2023-07-06T08:34:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/projects.cah.ucf.edu\/fl-francesoldierstories\/?p=3109"},"modified":"2026-05-28T17:35:28","modified_gmt":"2026-05-28T17:35:28","slug":"mcphee-john","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/projects.cah.ucf.edu\/fl-francesoldierstories\/mcphee-john\/","title":{"rendered":"McPhee, John P. G."},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Lt. Col. John P. G. McPhee (February 12, 1899 &#8211; August 24, 1945)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-paragraph\">327<sup>th<\/sup> Fighter Control Squadron, 9<sup>th<\/sup> Air Force<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-paragraph\"><em>by Christina Flowers<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Early Life<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">John Paynter Gordon McPhee was born in London, England, on February 12, 1899, to Hector and Amelia \u201cDaisy\u201d McPhee.<a name=\"_ftnref1\" href=\"#_ftn1\"><sup>1<\/sup><\/a> Hector McPhee was born in Scotland and worked as a farm servant to a clergyman before moving to Islington, England as an adult, where he married Islington native Daisy Warr. Daisy and Hector married on January 23, 1893, with her brother Oliver as witness.<a name=\"_ftnref2\" href=\"#_ftn2\"><sup>2<\/sup><\/a><sup>&nbsp; <\/sup>During this time, Hector worked as a bricklayer and fitter.<a name=\"_ftnref3\" href=\"#_ftn3\"><sup>3<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">John attended school in England, eventually completing his high school education.<a name=\"_ftnref4\" href=\"#_ftn4\"><sup>4<\/sup><\/a> Along with his father and five brothers, Donald (1890), Roderick (1893), Kenneth (1895), Hahnemann (1896), and Imre (1901), John served in the First World War. He served the Royal Air Force\u2019s Royal Engineers as a sapper, the equivalent of a private, achieving the rank of corporal during the war.<a name=\"_ftnref5\" href=\"#_ftn5\"><sup>5<\/sup><\/a> He earned the British War Medal and Victory Medal for his service.<a name=\"_ftnref6\" href=\"#_ftn6\"><sup>6<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Three years after the war, the McPhee family began immigrating to Canada. Daisy left for Quebec with most of the McPhee family in October 1920. On August 8 of the following year, Hector departed, and John, twenty-two years old, left on August 25, as documented in his Canadian immigration record, Form 30A seen here.<a name=\"_ftnref7\" href=\"#_ftn7\"><sup>7<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image size-medium wp-image-3107\">\n<figure class=\"alignright is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/projects.cah.ucf.edu\/fl-francesoldierstories\/wp-content\/uploads\/McPhee-John-Canada-Ocean-Arrivals-Form-30A-1919-1924-scaled.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"221\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/projects.cah.ucf.edu\/fl-francesoldierstories\/wp-content\/uploads\/McPhee-John-Canada-Ocean-Arrivals-Form-30A-1919-1924-221x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3107\" style=\"width:252px;height:342px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/projects.cah.ucf.edu\/fl-francesoldierstories\/wp-content\/uploads\/McPhee-John-Canada-Ocean-Arrivals-Form-30A-1919-1924-221x300.jpg 221w, https:\/\/projects.cah.ucf.edu\/fl-francesoldierstories\/wp-content\/uploads\/McPhee-John-Canada-Ocean-Arrivals-Form-30A-1919-1924-755x1024.jpg 755w, https:\/\/projects.cah.ucf.edu\/fl-francesoldierstories\/wp-content\/uploads\/McPhee-John-Canada-Ocean-Arrivals-Form-30A-1919-1924-768x1041.jpg 768w, https:\/\/projects.cah.ucf.edu\/fl-francesoldierstories\/wp-content\/uploads\/McPhee-John-Canada-Ocean-Arrivals-Form-30A-1919-1924-1133x1536.jpg 1133w, https:\/\/projects.cah.ucf.edu\/fl-francesoldierstories\/wp-content\/uploads\/McPhee-John-Canada-Ocean-Arrivals-Form-30A-1919-1924-1510x2048.jpg 1510w, https:\/\/projects.cah.ucf.edu\/fl-francesoldierstories\/wp-content\/uploads\/McPhee-John-Canada-Ocean-Arrivals-Form-30A-1919-1924-500x678.jpg 500w, https:\/\/projects.cah.ucf.edu\/fl-francesoldierstories\/wp-content\/uploads\/McPhee-John-Canada-Ocean-Arrivals-Form-30A-1919-1924-800x1085.jpg 800w, https:\/\/projects.cah.ucf.edu\/fl-francesoldierstories\/wp-content\/uploads\/McPhee-John-Canada-Ocean-Arrivals-Form-30A-1919-1924-1280x1736.jpg 1280w, https:\/\/projects.cah.ucf.edu\/fl-francesoldierstories\/wp-content\/uploads\/McPhee-John-Canada-Ocean-Arrivals-Form-30A-1919-1924-1920x2603.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/projects.cah.ucf.edu\/fl-francesoldierstories\/wp-content\/uploads\/McPhee-John-Canada-Ocean-Arrivals-Form-30A-1919-1924-scaled.jpg 1888w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 221px) 100vw, 221px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><sup><em>McPhee\u2019s Canadian immigration form (Form 30A)<\/em><\/sup><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">(Picture here \u2013 McPhee Canadian immigration)Upon arrival, John McPhee lived in Quebec, where he married Nellie Wale, another English immigrant.<a name=\"_ftnref8\" href=\"#_ftn8\"><sup>8<\/sup><\/a> After spending two years in Canada, John and Nellie McPhee immigrated to the United States, entering through International Falls, MN, and living briefly in Sayre, PA, where their son Ian was born in 1927.<a name=\"_ftnref9\" href=\"#_ftn9\"><sup>9<\/sup><\/a> By 1929, John, Nellie, and Ian made their home in Hudson, NY, staying there for over a decade.<a name=\"_ftnref10\" href=\"#_ftn10\"><sup>10<\/sup><\/a> McPhee worked at the Chamber of Commerce for eighteen years, eventually rising to executive secretary.<a name=\"_ftnref11\" href=\"#_ftn11\"><sup>11<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Military Service<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On January 28, 1929, McPhee enlisted into the Headquarters and Headquarters Company (HHC), 10<sup>th<\/sup> Infantry, New York National Guard as a private.<a name=\"_ftnref12\" href=\"#_ftn12\"><sup>12<\/sup><\/a> After the US entered World War II, McPhee registered for the young man\u2019s draft in New York City, just a couple of years shy of meeting the cut-off age of forty-five.<a name=\"_ftnref13\" href=\"#_ftn13\"><sup>13<\/sup><\/a> In 1942, the McPhees moved to Orlando, FL, where McPhee earned a commission as a captain in the Army Air Corps and attended the Fighter Command School.<a name=\"_ftnref14\" href=\"#_ftn14\"><sup>14<\/sup><\/a> The Fighter Command School, which trained soldiers in air defense, was situated on the Orlando Army Air Force Base, today the Orlando Executive Airport on Colonial and Bumby Avenues.<a name=\"_ftnref15\" href=\"#_ftn15\"><sup>15<\/sup><\/a> In 1943, McPhee eventually took charge of synthetic control, a method of comparative analysis between a control group and various non-control groups. Commanding officers utilized this method of cause and effect throughout the war as it prepared them for the many difficult decisions they would encounter.<a name=\"_ftnref16\" href=\"#_ftn16\"><sup>16<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In August 1943, McPhee headed overseas as commander of the Ninth Air Force\u2019s 327<sup>th<\/sup> Fighter Control Squadron, likely arriving in Aldermaston, England, on September 16.<a name=\"_ftnref17\" href=\"#_ftn17\"><sup>17<\/sup><\/a> Formed in April 1942, the Ninth Air Force initially participated in the North African campaigns and, in 1943,&nbsp; supported the invasions of Italy. Moving to England in October 1943, they prepared for the invasion of France. The Ninth Air Force was one of the leading aerial forces assisting Allied units participating in the Normandy Landings on June 6, 1944.<a name=\"_ftnref18\" href=\"#_ftn18\"><sup>18<\/sup><\/a> Using radar and radio, the 327<sup>th<\/sup> Fighter Control Squadron\u2019s primary role was to work on the ground, advising Allied airmen on effective tactics and strategy regarding bombing targets, fighting German aircraft, and returning safely to Allied territory. The squadron remained highly mobile, regularly moving closer to the frontlines, and assisted in aerial missions throughout France, Belgium, and later in Germany.<a name=\"_ftnref19\" href=\"#_ftn19\"><sup>19<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While the 327<sup>th<\/sup> Fighter Control Squadron was stationed in Weimar, Germany, the war ended in Europe on May 8, 1945. In the immediate postwar period, McPhee joined the instructors at the Biarritz American University in Biarritz, France.<a name=\"_ftnref20\" href=\"#_ftn20\"><sup>20<\/sup><\/a> Part of the American Army Education program, the school aimed to educate soldiers and aid their reintegration into civilian life. The Biarritz American University sought out instructors to help educate the US soldiers still stationed in Europe. It selected instructors from a pool of officers, enlisted men, and civilians to satisfy the diverse range of academic subjects American GIs wished to study.<a name=\"_ftnref21\" href=\"#_ftn21\"><sup>21<\/sup><\/a> McPhee likely became an instructor due to his experience conducting statistical analysis in Orlando and as acting commander of the 327<sup>th<\/sup> Fighter Control Squadron. Although a civilian environment, Biarritz retained one deadly feature: its \u201cfamous and extremely dangerous beach.\u201d<a name=\"_ftnref22\" href=\"#_ftn22\"><sup>22<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On August 24, 1945, one month after joining the university staff, McPhee noticed a young woman drowning in the strong currents while spending time on the beach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-8f761849 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:33.33%\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"739\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/projects.cah.ucf.edu\/fl-francesoldierstories\/wp-content\/uploads\/Orlando_Evening_Star_Thu__Sep_27__1945_-739x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3108\" srcset=\"https:\/\/projects.cah.ucf.edu\/fl-francesoldierstories\/wp-content\/uploads\/Orlando_Evening_Star_Thu__Sep_27__1945_-739x1024.jpg 739w, https:\/\/projects.cah.ucf.edu\/fl-francesoldierstories\/wp-content\/uploads\/Orlando_Evening_Star_Thu__Sep_27__1945_-217x300.jpg 217w, https:\/\/projects.cah.ucf.edu\/fl-francesoldierstories\/wp-content\/uploads\/Orlando_Evening_Star_Thu__Sep_27__1945_-768x1064.jpg 768w, https:\/\/projects.cah.ucf.edu\/fl-francesoldierstories\/wp-content\/uploads\/Orlando_Evening_Star_Thu__Sep_27__1945_-1109x1536.jpg 1109w, https:\/\/projects.cah.ucf.edu\/fl-francesoldierstories\/wp-content\/uploads\/Orlando_Evening_Star_Thu__Sep_27__1945_-1479x2048.jpg 1479w, https:\/\/projects.cah.ucf.edu\/fl-francesoldierstories\/wp-content\/uploads\/Orlando_Evening_Star_Thu__Sep_27__1945_-500x693.jpg 500w, https:\/\/projects.cah.ucf.edu\/fl-francesoldierstories\/wp-content\/uploads\/Orlando_Evening_Star_Thu__Sep_27__1945_-800x1108.jpg 800w, https:\/\/projects.cah.ucf.edu\/fl-francesoldierstories\/wp-content\/uploads\/Orlando_Evening_Star_Thu__Sep_27__1945_-1280x1773.jpg 1280w, https:\/\/projects.cah.ucf.edu\/fl-francesoldierstories\/wp-content\/uploads\/Orlando_Evening_Star_Thu__Sep_27__1945_-1920x2659.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/projects.cah.ucf.edu\/fl-francesoldierstories\/wp-content\/uploads\/Orlando_Evening_Star_Thu__Sep_27__1945_-scaled.jpg 1848w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 739px) 100vw, 739px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em><sup>Local Orlando article reporting McPhee\u2019s death.<\/sup><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:66.66%\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">McPhee dove into the water and rescued the girl but ultimately perished in the effort to save her. A British newspaper reported his death three days later. Newspapers in Orlando followed suit within the next month (Newpaper article), including this article from the <em>Orlando Evening Star<\/em>.<a name=\"_ftnref23\" href=\"#_ftn23\"><sup>23<\/sup><\/a> Shortly after his death, the Army buried him in a cemetery near Aix-en-Provence, thirty miles north of Marseille.<a name=\"_ftnref24\" href=\"#_ftn24\"><sup>24<\/sup><\/a> In 1956, the American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) opened its permanent cemetery in Draguignan, France. ABMC staff reburied McPhee, memorializing him alongside over one thousand Americans.<a name=\"_ftnref25\" href=\"#_ftn25\"><sup>25<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Legacy<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">McPhee was forty-six years old at the time of his death, leaving behind his wife and seventeen-year-old son, Ian. Following in his late father\u2019s footsteps, Ian McPhee joined the military on his eighteenth birthday, just months after both the end of World War II and his father\u2019s untimely death in November 1945.<a name=\"_ftnref26\" href=\"#_ftn26\"><sup>26<\/sup><\/a> He enlisted as a private in the US Army at Camp Blanding, FL, in February 1946. Ian became a technical specialist connected with the Neurological Section of the Army, helping to operate electroencephalogram machines studying brain waves.<a name=\"_ftnref27\" href=\"#_ftn27\"><sup>27<\/sup><\/a> He continued to work in medical research throughout his life<a name=\"_ftnref28\" href=\"#_ftn28\"><sup>[28<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In 1951, following six years of widowhood, Nellie McPhee remarried to Horace Eugene Galloway; they resided in Wauchula, FL, Galloway\u2019s home city.<a name=\"_ftnref29\" href=\"#_ftn29\"><sup>29<\/sup><\/a> Ian McPhee passed away in 1988 at sixty, survived by his mother, Nellie McPhee Galloway, daughters, Sandy Greigo and&nbsp; Debbie Westback, and three grandchildren.<a name=\"_ftnref30\" href=\"#_ftn30\"><sup>30<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Lieutenant Colonel John P. G. McPhee\u2019s life extended across multiple continents, successful vocational pursuits, educational achievement, and military service in two world wars. In each stage of his life, McPhee exhibited relentless courage and selflessness, giving the great majority of his life to the service and defense of others. McPhee\u2019s character and legacy lived on in his son\u2019s military service, the educational institutions and military units he served, and in his final act of saving another\u2019s life. Although tragically cut short, McPhee\u2019s life is remembered and esteemed by the descendants he left behind and by those who learn about his life. John P. G. McPhee is interred in the Rhone American Cemetery and Memorial where he may forever rest in peace.<a name=\"_ftnref31\" href=\"#_ftn31\"><sup>31<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><a name=\"_ftn1\" href=\"#_ftnref1\"><sup>1<\/sup><\/a>\u201cEngland &amp; Wales, Civil Registration Birth Index, 1837-1915,\u201d database, <em>Ancestry.com <\/em>(<a href=\"https:\/\/search.ancestry.com\">https:\/\/search.ancestry.com<\/a>: accessed November 8, 2022), entry for John Paynter G McPhee, Fulham, London, England.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><sup><a name=\"_ftn2\" href=\"#_ftnref2\">2<\/a> <\/sup>\u201cThe Surrey, England, Church of England Marriages and Banns, 1754-1937,\u201d database, <em>Ancestry.com <\/em>(<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ancestry.com\">https:\/\/www.ancestry.com<\/a>: accessed January 27, 2023), entry for Daisy Amelia Warr, Islington, London, England; \u201cThe Surrey, England, Church of England Marriages and Banns, 1754-1937,\u201d database, <em>Ancestry.com <\/em>(<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ancestry.com\">https:\/\/www.ancestry.com<\/a>: accessed January 27, 2023), entry for Amelia Daisy McLeod, Islington, London, England.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><a name=\"_ftn3\" href=\"#_ftnref3\"><sup>3<\/sup><\/a>\u201c1881 Scotland Census,\u201d database, <em>Ancestry.com<\/em> (<a href=\"https:\/\/search.ancestry.com\">https:\/\/search.ancestry.com<\/a>: accessed November 8, 2022), entry for Hector MacPhee, Barra, Inverness shire; \u201c1901 England Census,\u201d database, <em>Ancestry.com<\/em> (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ancestry.com\">https:\/\/www.ancestry.com<\/a>: accessed November 8, 2022), entry for John McPhee, Fulham, London, England; \u201c1911 England Census,\u201d database, <em>Ancestry.com<\/em> (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ancestry.com\">https:\/\/www.ancestry.com<\/a>: accessed November 8, 2022), entry for John McPhee, Edmonton, Middlesex, England; \u201cLondon, England, Electoral Registers, 1832-1965,\u201d database, <em>Ancestry.com<\/em> (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ancestry.com\">https:\/\/www.ancestry.com<\/a>: accessed December 6, 2022), entry for Hector McPhee; \u201c1871 England Census,\u201d database, <em>Ancestry.com<\/em> (<a href=\"https:\/\/search.ancestry.com\">https:\/\/search.ancestry.com<\/a>: accessed January 16, 2023), entry for Amelia Warr, Islington, London, England.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><a name=\"_ftn4\" href=\"#_ftnref4\"><sup>4<\/sup><\/a> \u201c1911 England Census;\u201d \u201c1940 U.S. Census,\u201d database, <em>Ancestry.com<\/em> (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ancestry.com\">https:\/\/www.ancestry.com<\/a>: accessed November 8, 2022), entry for John P G McPhee, Queens, New York.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><a name=\"_ftn5\" href=\"#_ftnref5\"><sup>5<\/sup><\/a> \u201c1911 England Census;\u201d \u201cLondon, England, Church of England Births and Baptisms, 1813-1923,\u201d database, <em>Ancestry.com <\/em>(<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ancestry.com\">https:\/\/www.ancestry.com<\/a>: accessed March 27, 2023), entry for Hahnemann Glen McPhee; \u201cLondon, England, Church of England Births and Baptisms, 1813-1923,\u201d database, <em>Ancestry.com <\/em>(<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ancestry.com\">https:\/\/www.ancestry.com<\/a>: accessed March 27, 2023), entry for Imre McPhee; \u201cLondon, England, Church of England Births and Baptisms, 1813-1923,\u201d database, <em>Ancestry.com <\/em>(<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ancestry.com\">https:\/\/www.ancestry.com<\/a>: accessed March 27, 2023), entry for Hector Roderick McPhee; \u201cWorld War Stories Win Tickets for Trio,\u201d <em>Times-Union<\/em> (Albany, New York), September 16, 1930.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><a name=\"_ftn6\" href=\"#_ftnref6\"><sup>6<\/sup><\/a> \u201cUK, British Army World War I Medal Rolls Index Cards, 1914-1920,\u201d database, <em>Ancestry.com<\/em> (<a href=\"https:\/\/search.ancestry.com\">https:\/\/search.ancestry.com<\/a>: accessed November 8, 2022), entry for John P G McPhee, sappers, WO 329, Royal Engineers; \u201cCanada, Ocean Arrivals (Form 30A), 1919-1924,\u201d database, <em>Ancestry.com<\/em> (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ancestry.com\">https:\/\/www.ancestry.com<\/a>: accessed November 8, 2022), entry for Corporal John Paynter Gordon McPhee; \u201cUK, British Army World War I Medal Rolls Index Cards, 1914-1920,\u201d database, <em>Ancestry.com<\/em> (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ancestry.com\">https:\/\/www.ancestry.com<\/a>: accessed November 8, 2022), entry for John P G McPhee, service number 134057, 619518.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><a name=\"_ftn7\" href=\"#_ftnref7\"><sup>7<\/sup><\/a> \u201cCanada, Ocean Arrivals (Form 30A), 1919-1924,\u201d database <em>Ancestry.com <\/em>(<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ancestry.com\">https:\/\/www.ancestry.com<\/a>: accessed January 27, 2023), entry for Daisy McPhee; \u201cCanada, Ocean Arrivals (Form 30A), 1919-1924,\u201d database <em>Ancestry.com <\/em>(<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ancestry.com\">https:\/\/www.ancestry.com<\/a>: accessed January 27, 2023), entry for John P G McPhee; \u201cCanada, Ocean Arrivals (Form 30A), 1919-1924,\u201d database <em>Ancestry.com <\/em>(<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ancestry.com\">https:\/\/www.ancestry.com<\/a>: accessed March 17, 2023), entry for Hector McPhee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><a name=\"_ftn8\" href=\"#_ftnref8\"><sup>8<\/sup><\/a> \u201cQuebec, Canada, Vital and Church Records (Drouin Collection), 1621-1968,\u201d database, <em>Ancestry.com<\/em> (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ancestry.com\">https:\/\/www.ancestry.com<\/a>: accessed November 8, 2022), entry for John Payntes Goudou McPhee, St-Andrew, Lachine, Qu\u00e9bec, Canada; \u201c1940 U.S. Census.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><a name=\"_ftn9\" href=\"#_ftnref9\"><sup>9<\/sup><\/a> \u201cU.S., Border Crossings from Canada to U.S., 1895-1960,\u201d database, <em>Ancestry.com<\/em> (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ancestry.com\">https:\/\/www.ancestry.com<\/a>: accessed November 8, 2022), entry for John Paynter Gordon McPhee; \u201cU.S., World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947,\u201d database, <em>Ancestry.com<\/em> (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ancestry.com\">https:\/\/www.ancestry.com<\/a>: accessed November 8, 2022), entry for John P. G. McPhee; \u201cU.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007,\u201d database, <em>Ancestry.com <\/em>(<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ancestry.com\">https:\/\/www.ancestry.com<\/a>: accessed March 27, 2023), entry for Ian Francis McPhee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><a name=\"_ftn10\" href=\"#_ftnref10\"><sup>10<\/sup><\/a> \u201cU.S., City Directories, 1822-1995,\u201d database, <em>Ancestry.com<\/em> (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ancestry.com\">https:\/\/www.ancestry.com<\/a>: accessed November 8, 2022), entry for John P G McPhee, Hudson, New York.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><a name=\"_ftn11\" href=\"#_ftnref11\"><sup>11<\/sup><\/a> \u201cLt. Col. McPhee Loses Life in Biarritz,\u201d <em>Orlando Evening Star<\/em> (Orlando, Florida), September 16, 1945; \u201c1940 U.S. Census.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><a name=\"_ftn12\" href=\"#_ftnref12\"><sup>12<\/sup><\/a> \u201cNew York, U.S., New York National Guard Service Cards, 1917-1954,\u201d database, <em>Ancestry.com<\/em> (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ancestry.com\">https:\/\/www.ancestry.com<\/a>: accessed November 8, 2022), entry for John P G McPhee, Hq Co 10th Infantry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><a name=\"_ftn13\" href=\"#_ftnref13\"><sup>13<\/sup><\/a> \u201cU.S., World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947,\u201d database, <em>Ancestry.com<\/em> (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ancestry.com\">https:\/\/www.ancestry.com<\/a>: accessed November 8, 2022), entry for John P. G. McPhee, service number O-903144; \u201cResearch Starters: The Draft and World War II: The National WWII Museum: New Orleans,\u201d <em>The National WWII Museum New Orleans<\/em>, accessed February 13, 2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><a name=\"_ftn14\" href=\"#_ftnref14\"><sup>14<\/sup><\/a> \u201cLt. Col. McPhee Loses Life in Biarritz,\u201d <em>Orlando Evening Star<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><a name=\"_ftn15\" href=\"#_ftnref15\"><sup>15<\/sup><\/a> Randall Degering, <em>Radar Contact <\/em>(Maxwell AFB: Air University Press, 2018), 74; Jane Tracey, \u201cOrlando Army Air Force Base,\u201d <em>Orlando Memory, <\/em>Orange County Library System, October 30, 2018 (<a href=\"https:\/\/orlandomemory.info\/places\/orlando-army-air-base\/\">https:\/\/orlandomemory.info\/places\/orlando-army-air-base\/<\/a>: accessed November 11, 2022).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><a name=\"_ftn16\" href=\"#_ftnref16\"><sup>16<\/sup><\/a> \u201cLt. Col. McPhee Loses Life in Biarritz,\u201d <em>Orlando Evening Star<\/em>; Pinuccia Calia, Giovanni Sistu, and Elisabetta Strazzera, \u201cThe Impact of Military Downsizing on Two Italian Communities: A Counterfactual Approach Using the Synthetic Control Method,\u201d <em>Defense and Peace Economics <\/em>32, no. 5 (2021): 601.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><a name=\"_ftn17\" href=\"#_ftnref17\"><sup>17<\/sup><\/a> \u201cLt. Col. McPhee Loses Life in Biarritz,\u201d <em>Orlando Evening Star<\/em>; \u201c327th Fighter Control Squadron,\u201d <em>American Air Museum in Britain<\/em>, accessed February 15, 2023, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.americanairmuseum.com\/archive\/unit\/327th-fighter-control-squadron\">https:\/\/www.americanairmuseum.com\/archive\/unit\/327th-fighter-control-squadron<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><a name=\"_ftn18\" href=\"#_ftnref18\"><sup>18<\/sup><\/a> \u201c9th Air Force,\u201d <em>Army and Air Corps Library and Museum<\/em>, accessed February 15, 2023, https:\/\/www.armyaircorpsmuseum.org\/wwii_9th_Air_Force.cfm<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><a name=\"_ftn19\" href=\"#_ftnref19\"><sup>19<\/sup><\/a> 327th Fighter Control Squadron, <em>Record of the 327th Fighter Control Squadron<\/em> (Weimar: Weimarer Druck und Verlagsanstalt Gebr. Knabe K. G., 1945), pp. 3-14.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><a name=\"_ftn20\" href=\"#_ftnref20\"><sup>20<\/sup><\/a> 327th Fighter Control Squadron, <em>Record of the 327th Fighter Control Squadron<\/em>, 22; \u201cLt. Col. McPhee Loses Life in Biarritz,\u201d <em>Orlando Evening Star<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><a name=\"_ftn21\" href=\"#_ftnref21\"><sup>21<\/sup><\/a> \u201cGI University at Biarritz,\u201d <em>The Baltimore Sun<\/em> (Baltimore, Maryland), September 16, 1945; Francis H. Horn, \u201cAn Evaluation of Biarritz American University,\u201d <em>Bulletin of the American Association of University Professors<\/em> <em>(1915-1955)<\/em> 33, no. 4 (1947): 730.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><a name=\"_ftn22\" href=\"#_ftnref22\"><sup>22<\/sup><\/a> \u201cGI University at Biarritz,\u201d <em>The Baltimore Sun.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><a name=\"_ftn23\" href=\"#_ftnref23\"><sup>23<\/sup><\/a> \u201cLt. Col. McPhee Loses Life in Biarritz,\u201d <em>Orlando Evening Star<\/em>; \u201cNoted Airman Lost In Rescue Attempt,\u201d<em> Aberdeen Evening Express<\/em> (Aberdeen, United Kingdom), August 27, 1945; \u201cLt. Col. M\u2019Phee Saved Girl,\u201d <em>Orlando Evening Star <\/em>(Orlando, Florida), September 27, 1945; \u201cU.S., Headstone and Internment Records for U.S. Military Cemeteries on Foreign Soil,\u201d database, <em>Ancestry.com<\/em> (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ancestry.com\">https:\/\/www.ancestry.com<\/a>: accessed 28 March 2023), entry for John P. G. McPhee, service number 0-903144; Sheila Charman, email correspondence, October 10, 2022. Special thanks to Sheila Charman who gathered family research and pictures. Much of the information sent by Mrs. Charman was extraordinarily useful during the writing of this biography. Once again, thank you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><a name=\"_ftn24\" href=\"#_ftnref24\"><sup>24<\/sup><\/a> Sheila Charman, email correspondence, 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><a name=\"_ftn25\" href=\"#_ftnref25\"><sup>25<\/sup><\/a> \u201cRhone American Cemetery,\u201d <em>American Battle Monuments Commission<\/em>, accessed March 17, 2023, https:\/\/www.abmc.gov\/Rhone; \u201cJohn P. G. McPhee,\u201d <em>American Battle Monuments Commission<\/em>, accessed November 8, 2022, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.abmc.gov\/decedent-search\/mcphee%3Djohn-1\">https:\/\/www.abmc.gov\/decedent-search\/mcphee%3Djohn-1<\/a>; While NARA lists McPhee as a POW dying in a Stalag camp, this does not line up with other evidence from newspapers and family sources. It appears that McPhee\u2019s death was confused with another officer by the same last name. \u201cRecords for World War II Prisoners of War, created 1942-1947,\u201d database, <em>archives.gov <\/em>(https:\/\/www.archives.gov: accessed March 28, 2023), entry for McPhee, John P G, service number 0-903144; \u201cLt. Col. McPhee Loses Life in Biarritz,\u201d <em>Orlando Evening Star; <\/em>Sheila Charman, email correspondence, 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><sup><a name=\"_ftn26\" href=\"#_ftnref26\">26<\/a> <\/sup>\u201cU.S., World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947,\u201d database, <em>Ancestry.com<\/em> (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ancestry.com\">https:\/\/www.ancestry.com<\/a>: accessed November 8, 2022), entry for Ian Hector McPhee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><a name=\"_ftn27\" href=\"#_ftnref27\"><sup>27<\/sup><\/a> \u201cIan McPhee,\u201d <em>Orlando Evening Star <\/em>(Orlando, Florida), January 21, 1949.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><a name=\"_ftn28\" href=\"#_ftnref28\"><sup>28<\/sup><\/a> \u201c1950 U.S. Census,\u201d database, <em>Ancestry.com<\/em> (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ancestry.com\">https:\/\/www.ancestry.com<\/a>: accessed November 8, 2022), entry for Ian F. McPhee, Denver, Colorado.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><a name=\"_ftn29\" href=\"#_ftnref29\"><sup>29<\/sup><\/a> \u201cGalloway-McPhee,\u201d <em>The Gazette<\/em> (Montreal, Quebec, Canada), August 1, 1951.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><a name=\"_ftn30\" href=\"#_ftnref30\"><sup>30<\/sup><\/a> \u201cU.S., Newspapers.com Obituary Index, 1800s-current,\u201d database, <em>Ancestry.com<\/em> (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ancestry.com\">https:\/\/www.ancestry.com<\/a>: accessed November 8, 2022), entry for Ian Francis McPhee, Orlando, Florida. Ian McPhee\u2019s obituary does not mention his wife Betty L. McPhee as one of his survivors. We have not determined why she is missing from his obituary. We did find Betty in the Social Security Death Index; she died in 1998 in Colorado. \u201cU.S., Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014,\u201d database, <em>Ancestry.com <\/em>(<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ancestry.com\">https:\/\/www.ancestry.com<\/a>: accessed March 27, 2023), entry for Betty L. McPhee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><a name=\"_ftn31\" href=\"#_ftnref31\"><sup>31<\/sup><\/a> Sheila Charman, email correspondence, 2022. According to McPhee\u2019s niece Sheila, while stationed in England, McPhee gathered materials and encased them in a wooden chest, entrusting them to family members living in England until the war&#8217;s end. Given that he had been writing to his wife regarding silverware he had been gathering while taking trips into France, it seems possible he kept what he collected in the wooden chest. After McPhee\u2019s death, Nellie made efforts to retrieve the chest and its alleged silverware contents, attempting to sue his family members when they claimed to know nothing of it. Eventually, his family in England opened the chest and discovered a collection of grenades and guns inside. They informed the police, who confiscated the chest of weapons. McPhee\u2019s reasons for collecting and storing the weapons remained a mystery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u00a9 2023, University of Central Florida<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Lt. Col. John P. G. McPhee (February 12, 1899 &#8211; August 24, 1945) 327th Fighter Control Squadron, 9th Air Force by Christina Flowers Early Life John Paynter Gordon McPhee was born in London, England, on February 12, 1899, to Hector and Amelia \u201cDaisy\u201d McPhee.1 Hector McPhee was born in Scotland and worked as a farm&hellip;","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":3117,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"template-narrow.php","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_vp_format_video_url":"","_vp_image_focal_point":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[17,19],"tags":[508,47],"veteran_name":[445],"veteran_rank":[446],"biography_author":[447],"army_branch":[448],"unit":[449],"division":[507],"award":[],"hometown":[363],"cemetery":[410],"class_list":["post-3109","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-rhone_american_cemetery","category-world_war_2","tag-9th-air-force","tag-orlando","veteran_name-john-p-g-mcphee","veteran_rank-lieutnant-colonel","biography_author-christina-flower","army_branch-university-center","unit-327th-fighter-control-squadron","division-9th-air-force","hometown-orlando","cemetery-rhone"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/projects.cah.ucf.edu\/fl-francesoldierstories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3109","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/projects.cah.ucf.edu\/fl-francesoldierstories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/projects.cah.ucf.edu\/fl-francesoldierstories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/projects.cah.ucf.edu\/fl-francesoldierstories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/projects.cah.ucf.edu\/fl-francesoldierstories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3109"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/projects.cah.ucf.edu\/fl-francesoldierstories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3109\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4070,"href":"https:\/\/projects.cah.ucf.edu\/fl-francesoldierstories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3109\/revisions\/4070"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/projects.cah.ucf.edu\/fl-francesoldierstories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3117"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/projects.cah.ucf.edu\/fl-francesoldierstories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3109"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/projects.cah.ucf.edu\/fl-francesoldierstories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3109"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/projects.cah.ucf.edu\/fl-francesoldierstories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3109"},{"taxonomy":"veteran_name","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/projects.cah.ucf.edu\/fl-francesoldierstories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/veteran_name?post=3109"},{"taxonomy":"veteran_rank","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/projects.cah.ucf.edu\/fl-francesoldierstories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/veteran_rank?post=3109"},{"taxonomy":"biography_author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/projects.cah.ucf.edu\/fl-francesoldierstories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/biography_author?post=3109"},{"taxonomy":"army_branch","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/projects.cah.ucf.edu\/fl-francesoldierstories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/army_branch?post=3109"},{"taxonomy":"unit","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/projects.cah.ucf.edu\/fl-francesoldierstories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/unit?post=3109"},{"taxonomy":"division","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/projects.cah.ucf.edu\/fl-francesoldierstories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/division?post=3109"},{"taxonomy":"award","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/projects.cah.ucf.edu\/fl-francesoldierstories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/award?post=3109"},{"taxonomy":"hometown","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/projects.cah.ucf.edu\/fl-francesoldierstories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/hometown?post=3109"},{"taxonomy":"cemetery","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/projects.cah.ucf.edu\/fl-francesoldierstories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cemetery?post=3109"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}