Filipino Pilots

His father was the Resident Commissioner of the Philippines to the US.

Degree in Business Studies from Detroit Inst. of Technology in 1927.

Employed by the Ford Motor Co, and had a brief career as a boxer; returned to the Philippines in 1931.

Jul-37 to Jan-41, 1st Lieutenant in USAAF.

He fractured his skull in a crash on 15 Feb 1939 near Bloomsdale, Missouri, and later had plastic surgery:

prev exp. 800 hrs

married, (err, three or four, or five, times... see later...), 2 adopted children

After training on Magister, Harvard and Hawk aircraft, he progressed to Hurricane and Oxfords, then passed Class 4 training (on Blenheims) 9 Oct 1941 - assessed "a good average, with no special faults".

Back in the Philippines, the Assembly of the Municipal Council of Posserabio (?) resolved as follows:

WHEREAS, the son of the Hon Quintin Paredes, has eventually blazed a brilliant career as an aviator and an officer of the RAF thus giving testimony to the world of the capability of Filipino manhood at all eventualities in the event of war;

WHEREAS His Majesty the King of England has relieved him from duty as a pilot of a combat plane of the famous Royal Air Force and assigning him instructor for the Royal Aviators, in the manipulation of American made fighting planes and giving him rank of a CAPTAIN in the regular army thus crowning him with another glory which the Philippines should be proud of; 

it was RESOLVED that

the Municipality to greet and congratulate the young aviator Isidro Juan Paredes Jr, and that a copy of this resolution be forwarded to the Great Aviator ISIDRO PAREDES, Jr, for his information.

Carried unanimously.

However, the first time he flew a Hampden, he stalled and crashed it:

d. 7 Nov 1941 (Died in ATA Service) - Hampden P5396 crashed on approach to Burtonwood Aerodrome after opening up for second circuit after mis-landing.

Philippines President Quezon (who seems to have mixed Isidro up with somebody else) wrote to Isidro's father to inform him that his son, "a volunteer with the R.A.F., participated in a British mass air raid on German-held territory and apparently was wounded but was able to land on English soil before he died."  Hmmm...

Buried Sankey Cemetery, Warrington. He was the first Philippino casualty of WWII and his body was later repatriated to the Philippines, according to CWGC.

Although Isidro was only with the ATA for less than 8 months, it took them and the US Consulate until 1948 to sort out who should get his personal effects and the proceeds of his estate (which actually only amounted to a few hundred dollars - he 'left a lot of debts'). The reason was simple; there was "uncertainty over which of the four wives is the legal one".

For the record, therefore, what happened was (as far as I can make out, and using contemporary newspapers and the photos found in his personal effects):

• Isidro originally married Nena Barbast in the Philippines in 1931. The marriage was not a success and they separated, but, by 1934, "owing to the inflexibility of Philippine domestic laws" they had not been divorced.
• [He then got engaged to a wealthy 15- (or 17-) year old heiress called Colletta Mulvihill, but she ran off (with Sid's engagement ring) and married a coal-truck driver called Tom Green (or Creen), 'for a lark'.

  © www.historicimages.com

The marriage lasted 4 days ]

Anyway,

• He then married Gracia M Marques, but they were divorced on 17 Oct 1938.

• Before the divorce became final, however, Isidro seems to have married Alamar Trevinio (also known as Josephine, b. 6 Nov 1915 in Texas) in Mexico c.27 May 1938.

'Best wishes and Good luck May God Bless you, Yours Josephine'

• There was later a suit for divorce filed in Texas, but it was withdrawn by Alamar. In fact, Isidro specified her as his wife and next of kin when he joined the ATA. They adopted two children (Linda Victoria, b. 6 Nov 1940 in San Antonio and Sidney John, b. 21 Jan 1940 in Chicago), and I think this must be them:

• Isidro then married Virginia Urbina on 31 Dec 1940 (again, without waiting for a divorce from Alamar). It appears that he and Virginia were later divorced.

 Kate Worledge, in a strikingly similar pose to Josephine...

• Isidro then moved to the UK, and married 34-year-old Kate Worledge (a spinster, address 'The Blossom Hotel, Chester') in Chester, England, on 28 Jul 1941. He produced papers which showed that he was divorced from 'Gracia M Paredes, nee Marques'. Which was true, (she was indeed his second wife), but perhaps not quite the whole story...

Anyway, Kate moved to London and gave up all claims on his estate; what was left of it eventually found its way to Josephine, who had moved to Manila.

 Download ATA Pilot Personal Record (.zip file):