Wilmeth (Webb) Sidat-Singh (1918 - 1943)

Born 13 Mar 1918 in District of Columbia, United States

Ancestors

Died 9 May 1943 at age 25 in Lake Huron Beach, Iosco, Michigan, United States

Problems/Questions Profile managers: US Black Heritage Project WikiTree [send private message] and Barbara Geisler [send private message]

Wilmeth (Webb) Sidat-Singh is a part of US Black history. Join: US Black Heritage Project Discuss: black_heritage

Biography

2 Lt. Wilmeth (Webb) Sidat-Singh was Killed in Action during World War II.

Wilmeth (Webb) Sidat-Singh is a Military Veteran.
Served in the United States Army Air Force 322nd Fighter Group 1943-1943
Tuskegee Airman

Wilmeth (Webb) Sidat-Singh was awarded the Purple Heart.

Wilmeth (Webb) Sidat-Singh is Notable.

Wilmeth Sidat-Singh served as a US military pilot during World War II. He was one of the “Documented Original Tuskegee Airmen.” The Tuskegee Airmen were known for heroic combat service in support of Allied Forces in the European Theater. They served with the 332d Expeditionary Operations Group and the 477th Bombardment Group, both largely Black units of the United States Army Air Forces.

Wilmeth was born in 1918 to Elias Webb and Pauline Miner in Washington, DC.^[1]. At the time, his father was a clerk for an engineering office. His father attended Howard University and in the early 20's, he and his wife, Pauline, traveled to Florida to set up a pharmacy in Tampa. Wilmeth was left with family in DC where he attended first grade at the Lucretia Mott School. That summer he spent with his parents in Florida, but they returned with him to DC. It was here where his father suffered a stroke at a very young age, and he died when Wilmeth was only 7 years old. ^[2].

His mother remarried in 1928, and they moved to Manhattan to live with Samuel Sidat-Singh, an immigrant from Trinidad who had been attending Howard University in DC when he met Pauline. ^[3]. Dr. Sidat-Singh adopted Wilmeth and his name was changed to Wilmeth Sidat-Singh. His new surname afforded him the opportunity to play football at Syracuse University in the late 30's, as people presumed that he was Hindu. But, when the news agencies learned that Wilmeth was not Hindu, but African American, he was banned from playing in Maryland during a key game. He would have easily been drafted into the NFL, but his race proved to be a factor when he was no longer considered to be a Hindu.

But Wilmeth still graduated from Syracuse University in 1939 with a degree in Zoology. He and his mother traveled back to Tampa, presumably to check on the pharmacy that his father, Elias, had set up nearly twenty years earlier. ^[4]. He and his mother moved back to New York where he joined a New York Basketball team. He continued to play for various sports. In 1941, he was a quarterback for the U Street Lions. He played fast pitch softball as well as tennis. He was a remarkable athlete and seemed to excel at whatever sport he chose.

After the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, Wilmeth signed up with the Washington DC police force as their numbers were diminished due to so many being assigned to the armed forces. He continued to play basketball for the Bears while working as a policeman. When the season was finished, he decided to sign up with the Army in August of 1942. He left his job and sports career and enrolled in the Tuskegee Air Field Academy., graduating in March of 1943. At that point, he was transferred to Selfridge Field in Michigan for more flight training.

On 9 May, 1943, Wilmeth was out in a training flight when he heard some engine trouble with the plane. He parachuted out, landing in Lake Huron. But there was no sign of his body at the time.^[5]. His body went unrecovered until June 27, when a Coast Guard Patrol sighted him off shore seven miles north of East Tawas. He was wrapped in his parachute and had drowned.^[6] His body was brought to Washington DC, where he had a Catholic funeral and was buried in Arlington National Cemetery.^[7][8]

On the 14th of May, 1944, a memorial service was held for Wilmeth where a plaque was unveiled in the Harlem Defense Recreation Center in his name. His mother was in attendance and she eloquently expressed her sentiments regarding his tragic loss. I am certain that he would feel that his life was not in vain, if it has served to put a spark into the lives of aspiring youngsters and to impress upon them that ability, slowly but surely, receives recognition. Talent, you know, is like a good friend; you may not see each other from year to year but he's always there. There is one point in which all men are exactly alike - that is, they are all different. There is little difference between one man and another, but what little there is, is very important.........In parting, may I leave with you one of the cherished thoughts that my son and I enjoyed....We have always said that if anything happened to either one of us, we would not grieve, but would think only of the happy times we have had together. Now is the time for me to put our philosophy into practice, and I am doing just this. I find it the best philosophy, the wisest, the richest, the deepest, the strongest for building character. It enables me to say, ' Oh death, where is thy sting? Oh grave, where is thy victory?'^[9]

Sources

1. ↑ "United States Census, 1920," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MNLB-4ZT : accessed 27 June 2020), Wilmeth Webb in household of Millie M Webb, Washington, Washington, District of Columbia, United States; citing ED 207, sheet 7A, line 49, family 123, NARA microfilm publication T625 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1992), roll 211; FHL microfilm 1,820,211.
2. ↑ "United States, GenealogyBank Historical Newspaper Obituaries, 1815-2011", database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q53N-G1GV : 17 June 2020), William Webb in entry for Webb and Dr Elias S Webb, 1925.
3. ↑ "United States Census, 1930," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X42X-H9W : accessed 27 June 2020), Wilmuts Singhi in household of Sidab Singhi, Manhattan (Districts 0751-1000), New York, New York, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 886, sheet 12A, line 29, family 99, NARA microfilm publication T626 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2002), roll 1563; FHL microfilm 2,341,298.
4. ↑ "United States Census, 1940," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K7SJ-DWQ : 28 February 2020), Wilmeth Sidat-Singh in household of Pauline Sidat-Singh, Tract 68, District of Columbia, Police Precinct 5, District of Columbia, District of Columbia, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 1-168, sheet 9A, line 9, family 153, Sixteenth Census of the United States, 1940, NARA digital publication T627. Records of the Bureau of the Census, 1790 - 2007, RG 29. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2012, roll 558.
5. ↑ The Philadelphia Inquirer, 10 May 1943, pg. 22.
6. ↑ The Philadelphia Inquirer, 28 Jun 1943, pg. 22.
7. ↑ The New York Age, 3 Jul 1943, pg 1.
8. ↑ Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/8357410/wilmeth-sidat-singh : accessed 15 March 2022), memorial page for 2LT Wilmeth Sidat-Singh (13 Mar 1918–9 May 1943), Find A Grave: Memorial #8357410, citing Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Arlington County, Virginia, USA ; Maintained by Find a Grave .
9. ↑ The New York Age, 20 May 1944, pg. 6.

• https://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/news/article/13035742/the-syracuse-walking-dream

See also:

• Wikipedia: Wilmeth Sidat-Singh
• Wikidata: Item Q8022712, en:Wikipedia