pCharles Remington Wardwell, age 98, died on March 15th, at his home in Sackets Harbor. He was born September 24, 1917 at home on Clinton Street in Watertown, the fourth son of Eunice Denison Remington and Samuel Bagg Wardwell. His forebears came to New England from Scotland and England in the early 1630’s. They were early settlers of this region where they prospered in paper manufacturing, banking, and law. /ppCharlie grew up in Watertown and at Shore Farm, Sackets Harbor. He graduated from Watertown High School in 1935. At Syracuse University, he was a member of the Psi Upsilon Fraternity and rowed on the varsity crew. He was drafted and sworn into the Army as a private in February, 1941./ppIn April, 1942, he finished OCS as a 2nd Lt., was made a platoon leader and received orders to report to the Army Air Corps for pilot training. He graduated with pilot’s wings in February, 1943. By August, he was in command of a crew of nine men and a new B-17 bomber dubbed “Rangey Lil” at Grand Island, Nebraska and sent to Tunis, North Africa for a combat assignment. After stops in Newfoundland, Ireland, England, Marrakesh, and Casablanca they landed in Tunis, awed by the surrounding wreckage of German Aircraft. /ppCombat missions started immediately from Oadnal, on a dirt runway covered by perforated metal plates. Within a week, his crew, flying with another pilot, flew into a French mountain while on fire. His B-17, Rangey Lil, was transferred to another bomb group and went down in the Mediterranean leaving Charlie the only survivor of the original crew. /ppMissions were flown against German rail yards, submarine bases, and other works mainly in France, Italy, and the Balkans. Intense missions included heavy flak and dozens of fighters attacking with guns and cannon. On his 25th mission in October, 1943, Charlie’s plane was hit by rocket fire, machine guns, and cannon. Control cables were cut and the plane was unflyable due to an extreme nose up attitude causing stalls and dives. Charlie lashed his control column to a horizontal bar holding the rudder with a length of severed cable. Using a 50 caliber shell as a lever, he twisted the lashings to a tension that held the column forward allowing level flight. The plane had fallen 23, 000 feet and recovered 250 feet above the sea west of Italy, avoiding a fatal crash. Back over the field in North Africa, he ordered the crew to bail out and was able to land the plane. 182 holes were patched and the plane was repaired but failed to return from its next mission. Charlie’s last (50th) mission targeted Sofia, Bulgaria with its German HQ. The estimated 60 fighters were aggressive but held in check by US escorts. Charlie’s #3 engine was shot out and the plane behind him was shot down. After completion of his combat missions, he was made head of a special staff section HQ 15 AF at Bari, Italy. /ppAfter the war, he served in the Air Force Reserve. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Bronze Star, ten Air Medals, a personal commendation, theatre ribbons with stars and five other medals./ppIn December, 1946, he married Carol Chamberlain, an Army nurse he had met in North Africa, in a union that lasted 63 years until her death in 2010. During 30 years in Winnetka, Illinois, they raised three daughters, Mary, Sally and Susan. Charlie was the VP of the Hobart Paper Co. in Chicago until he retired in 1981./ppCharlie’s hobbies were woodworking, old house restoration, antique collecting, reading and racing the 17 foot Thistle sailboat. He was president of the national Thistle Class Association in the 1970’s and of the LeRay Mansion Restoration Corporation in the 1990’s. He was a volunteer general contractor in the 1980’s renovation of Christ Church, the Hay Memorial Library, and the north wing of the stone bank building, all in Sackets Harbor. With friend Tom Walker, he did extensive restoration work at the Jefferson County Historical Society and at the stone hospital building in Madison Barracks. In his late 80’s, he bought and restored a 1914 Model T – the same model as the first car he ever owned./ppHe is survived by brother, Frederick, of Searsmont, ME, daughter Jane Stevens of Dennis, MA, Mary (Gerald) Donahue of Depauville, Sally (Peter) Daly of Sackets Harbor, Susan (Peter) Greetham of Cicero, and three grandchildren: Tom Daly and his wife Holly, Megan Daly, and Christy Daly. /ppThe memorial service will be at Trinity Church in Watertown on Monday, March 28 at 10:30 AM. Those wishing to make donations may do so at the Hay Memorial Library, 105 N. Broad St, Sackets Harbor, NY 13685 or Hospice of Jefferson County, 1398 Gotham St, Watertown, NY, 13601./p
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