History of Saint James’: Capt. Allen Winmill
COMPILED BY THE HISTORY COMMITTEECapt. Allen Winmill
On entering the church, the third stained glass window on the right hand wall depicts the Archangel Michael, who defeated Satan in the Battle for Heaven (Revelation 12:7-9). It is a memorial to Army Air Force Capt. Allen Townsend Winmill (1915-1944), given by his parents, Robert and Viola Winmill. The Winmills were parishioners of Saint James’ Church.
Robert Winmill, known as “Bobby,” was born near Warrenton and built a successful career as a stockbroker in New York. Viola was a native New Yorker and well-known equestrienne. The Winmills purchased Clovelly on Springs Road in 1925, acquired other nearby properties, and were prominent in the community.
Their son, known as “Towny” — the subject of this article — graduated from St. Mark’s, Harvard and Yale. Early in World War II, he joined the U.S. Army Air Force. In July 1942, he married Dorothy “Dot” Ball at Colorado Springs. There, he was trained as a fighter pilot, and to fly the C-87 transport plane. From a base in northeast India, he was part of a mission to fly supplies, ammunition and fuel over the Himalayas (“the Hump”) to Allied bases in China.
For his first “Hump” flight, on Oct. 9, 1944, Towny was co-pilot, sharing the navigating to familiarize himself with the routes over the desolate mountains. The destination was an airfield in China 750 direct-miles away. Some four hours later they arrived after a rough journey. While the aircraft was unloaded they had a meal and took on fuel for the return flight. While on the ground, a report of an impending Japanese air raid was received, requiring that the return journey start as soon as possible.
Once in the air, all went well at first. Then trouble developed. The No. 1 engine sputtered and stopped; soon, one after the other, the three other engines sputtered and stopped. All four airmen bailed out; the captain reported later that as his parachute opened he heard the crash and could see the aircraft burning on the ground as he landed in a tree some distance away.
Search and rescue efforts began immediately, and three of the four crewmen were recovered. Everything possible was done to find the missing crewman, Capt. Winmill, but no trace of Towny was ever found. His loss was devastating for his wife, Dot, who was caring for their infant daughter, Elizabeth.
Years later, Capt. Winmill’s sister, Virginia, wrote:
Towny had meant much to each of his parents. Viola was proud of his achievements; and he could rouse her when she was moody, enter deeply into discussions of her interests—horses, hunts, dogs, music—and was always affectionate with her. To Bobby, he was the coming generation, a son with great potential, whom he took pride in guiding, a trustworthy intimate for his plans and ideas—business, farming, sports or family—happily married and with a fine daughter. The loss of such a close and interested companion in life left a deep void for them both.
The memorial window was dedicated on June 22, 1948, with the Rev. Paul D. Bowden officiating. Etched in the glass is the following:
To the Glory of God and in Loving Memory of Captain Allen Townsend Winmill
U.S. Army Air Force Killed in line of duty China-Burma-India action
April 11, 1915
October 10, 1944
This essay was originally published in 2016 to mark the bicentennial of Saint James’ Warrenton.
