William Calvin Maxwell (November 9, 1892 – August 12, 1920) was an American pilot in the

United States Army Air Service The United States Army Air Service (USAAS)Craven and Cate Vol. 1, p. 9 (also known as the ''"Air Service"'', ''"U.S. Air Service"'' and before its legislative establishment in 1920, the ''"Air Service, United States Army"'') was the aerial war ...

and namesake of

Maxwell Air Force Base Maxwell Air Force Base , officially known as Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base, is a United States Air Force (USAF) installation under the Air Education and Training Command (AETC). The installation is located in Montgomery, Alabama, United States. O ...

Montgomery, Alabama Montgomery is the capital city of the U.S. state of Alabama and the county seat of Montgomery County. Named for the Irish soldier Richard Montgomery, it stands beside the Alabama River, on the coastal Plain of the Gulf of Mexico. In the 202 ...

. Born in

Natchez, Alabama Natchez is an unincorporated community in Monroe County, Alabama, United States. It was the birthplace of William C. Maxwell, a pilot in the United States Army Air Service and namesake of Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama. The New Hop ...

, Maxwell was one of seven children of John R. and Jennie Maxwell, and was raised in Atmore. He enrolled as an

Army ROTC The Army Reserve Officers' Training Corps (AROTC) is the United States Army component of the Reserve Officers' Training Corps. It is the largest Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) program which is a group of college and university-based offic ...

student at the

University of Alabama The University of Alabama (informally known as Alabama, UA, or Bama) is a Public university, public research university in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Established in 1820 and opened to students in 1831, the University of Alabama is the oldest and la ...

Tuscaloosa Tuscaloosa ( ) is a city in and the seat of Tuscaloosa County in west-central Alabama, United States, on the Black Warrior River where the Gulf Coastal and Piedmont plains meet. Alabama's fifth-largest city, it had an estimated population of 1 ...

, and left college in 1917 to enlist in the Army during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. Maxwell received his commission in April 1918, after completing flight training at

Kelly Field Kelly Field (formerly Kelly Air Force Base) is a Joint-Use facility located in San Antonio, Texas. It was originally named after George E. M. Kelly, the first member of the U.S. military killed in the crash of an airplane he was piloting. In ...

San Antonio, Texas ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , subdivision_t ...

. In 1919, he was assigned to 3rd Aero Squadron, Philippines. On August 12, 1920, engine trouble forced Lt. Maxwell to attempt to land his DH-4 in a

sugarcane Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of (often hybrid) tall, Perennial plant, perennial grass (in the genus ''Saccharum'', tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar Sugar industry, production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with ...

field. Maneuvering to avoid a group of children playing below, he struck a flagpole stanchion hidden by the tall sugarcane and was killed instantly. He was buried back in Atmore at the Robinsonville Baptist Church Cemetery.

Honors

On the recommendation of his former commanding officer, Major Roy C. Brown, Montgomery Air Intermediate Depot was renamed

Maxwell Field Maxwell Air Force Base , officially known as Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base, is a United States Air Force (USAF) installation under the Air Education and Training Command (AETC). The installation is located in Montgomery, Alabama, United States. O ...

on November 8, 1922.Lt. William C. Maxwell (537)
''William C. Maxwell'' (retrieved 16 Aug 2010)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Maxwell, William Calvin 1892 births 1920 deaths Aviators from Alabama Aviators killed in aviation accidents or incidents People from Atmore, Alabama United States Air Force airmen United States Army officers Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1920