Veterans column: Newark's Harvey helps prevent World War II crash

Robert Russell Harvey was born in Newark on June 24, 1922 to World War One Army veteran Russell B. and Eva Harvey.

Robert was the oldest son and gained local notoriety in a newspaper article that was published in the Newark Advocate on May 5, 1929. The article, which ran with a picture of the smiling youth, was headlined, ‘Youngest Hunter Shoots 4 Rabbits.’ It read, “Robert Harvey, 7, son of Russell Harvey, probably Newark youngest hunter, got 4 rabbits with his 410-gauge shotgun when he went hunting with his dad early in the hunting season. The boy is a crack shot with the rifle. He is regularly licensed.”

Harvey graduated from Newark High School in 1941 and was living at 784 East Main Street when he was inducted into the Army Air Corps on September 23, 1942. He attended various training schools around the country on bombers and received his gunner's wings at Fort Myers, Florida. On Oct. 17, 1943, he married Dorothy Frye of Newark.

On May 7, 1944, Harvey was deployed to England as part of the Eighth Army Air Corps, Second Air Division, 491st Bomb Group. Their first missions were campaigns in Normandy and Northern France as part of the D-Day invasion on June 6, 1944. By July, Staff Sergeant Harvey had already been awarded the Air Medal for meritorious achievement in flying bombing missions over France and Germany, then another incident landed him a story in the local paper.

On July 11, 1944, another picture of a smiling Harvey appeared in the Newark Advocate with the headline, ‘Harvey Splices Broken Cable; Bomber Saved.’ The article read; “S/Sgt Robert Harvey, husband of Dorothy Harvey, 528 East Main Street, has cause to be proud of himself today. He was largely responsible for the safe return of his plane after a recent hazardous mission over Europe. On this day the heavy bomber formation in which he was flying was ordered to destroy an installation from which the German flying bombs were taking off on the destructive visitations to English soil. The bombers took a heavy beating from the flak guns on this mission. Black menacing bursts were exploding all over the sky. Several jagged pieces of steel tore through the plane in which Sgt. Harvey was flying and one piece inflicted serious damage when it severed a control cable. The plane began descending rapidly and the pilot was no longer able to control its flight. It was at this point that Sgt. Harvey, assisted by several other enlisted men aboard, ingeniously managed to splice the severed cable together thus enabling the pilot to once more gain control of the ship and bring it safely home.”

Harvey completed 30 bombing raids in Europe and was discharged on Sept. 9, 1945. During his service, he was awarded the Air Medal with three Oak Leaf Clusters, the Distinguished Flying Cross, and the European Africa Middle Eastern Theater Ribbon with four Bronze Campaign stars. He returned to Newark raised a family and in 1963 retired as Newark’s Assistant Fire Chief. He continued his passion for flying by serving as an instructor and an aerial photographer in the area. Robert R, Harvey was 77 years old when he passed away on January 2, 2000, and was buried at Cedar Hill Cemetery.

Doug Stout is the Veterans Project Coordinator for the Licking County Library. You may contact him at 740-349-5571 or dstout@lickingcountylibrary.org. His book "Never Forgotten: The Stories of Licking County Veterans" is available for purchase at the library or online at bookbaby.com.