John Collingwood Backius was born November 6, 1918 in Boston, Massachusetts to Albert E. Backius (1885-1974) and Lydia F. Cross (1888-1986). His parents were married on November 17, 1912 in Boston, Mass. His dad was a machinist in a local factory and his mom worked as a telephone operator. He had an older brother Norman and an older sister Ruth. John was an active member of The Young People's Fellowship of the Church of the Good Shepherd. He graduated from Dedham High School's in 1936 where he was voted best looking, was on the yearbook staff, played football, was on numerous committees, and managed the baseball team.

When he registered for the draft on October 16, 1940 in Dedham, Mass. he was living on Cedar St. and was working for the Christian Science Monitor newspaper. He was 5'- 9" tall and weighed 142 pounds with blue eyes and brown hair. He married Mary Anderson (1919-1984) in 1941. Mary and John were in the same class in high school. John was drafted into the service on October 8, 1943 through Boston, Massachusetts with service number 31423410.

Military Morning Reports help trace John's activities after he was drafted. He was initially sent through Fort Devens, Mass. for processing and then onto basic training. He completed mechanics school in January 1944 in Greensboro, North Carolina and from there, in March 1944, was sent to Gulfport, Mississippi for more training. After training he joined the 12th Air Squadron and was sent to the Philippines.

The 12th Air Squadron was part of the 5295th ASAC (P) which was formed after the liberation of the Philippines from Japan. The unit provided air services and support. On September 6, 1945 he was the Crew Chief aboard "Sure Skin" a C-47A, serial number 42-23860 that was carrying a crew of 4 and 26 passengers from APO #72 (Tacloban Air Strip, Leyte) to APO #75 (Nielson Field, Luzon). The plane was last seen over the San Jacinico Straits. Official reports indicate that the plane "blew up in midair" from an undetermined cause. All were lost. Locals found pieces of the plane and some of the bodies near Tacloban, Leyte. Cpl. Backius' remains were among those found and he was buried in the Manila American Cemetery plot B, Row 5, Grave 141.

This story is part of the Stories Behind the Stars project. This is a national effort of volunteers to write the stories of all 421,000+ of the US WWII fallen on Together We Served and Fold3.

(Please see - http://www.storiesbehindthestars.org).

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Author's Note: I found some evidence that they may have had a daughter Sallie (Mary Anderson Backius Owens' obituary notes a surviving daughter as Sallie Backius). Mary eventually moved to New Hartford, NY (near Utica) and remarried in June 1949. She passed away in 1984 and was buried in the Forest Hill Cemetery, Utica, NY.

Sources

“Dedham”, The Boston Globe, Boston, Massachusetts, April 26, 1934, pg. 9

Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/56750958/john_c-backius: accessed October 19, 2025), memorial page for Corp John C Backius (1917–6 Sep 1945), Find a Grave Memorial ID 56750958, citing Manila American Cemetery and Memorial, Manila, Capital District, National Capital Region, Philippines; Maintained by MAJ Jimmy Cotton (contributor 48803557).

Headstone Inscription and Interment Records for U.S. Military Cemeteries on Foreign Soil, 1942–1949. Microfilm Series A1 43, NAID: 7408555. Records of the American Battle Monuments Commission, 1918–ca. 1995. Record Group 117. The National Archives in Washington, D.C.

National Archives at College Park; College Park, Maryland, USA; Electronic Army Serial Number Merged File, 1938-1946; NAID: 1263923; Record Group Title: Records of the National Archives and Records Administration, 1789-ca. 2007; Record Group: 64; Box Number: 04393; Reel: 161

National Archives at St. Louis; St. Louis, Missouri; Draft Registration Cards For Massachusetts, 10/16/1940-03/31/1947; Record Group: Records of the Selective Service System, 147; Box: 34

National Archives at College Park, 8601 Adelphi road, College Park, MD, 20740-6001, Missing Air Crew Report number 14986, Record Group 92: Records of the Quartermaster General, NAID: 91160878.

Pacific Wrecks, C-47A-35-DL "Sure Skin" accessed at https://pacificwrecks.com/aircraft/c-47/42-23860.html accessed on October 23, 2025.

"U.S., School Yearbooks, 1880-2012"; School Name: Dedham High School; Year: 1936, published by The Tercentenary Class, The Transcript Press, Inc., Dedham, Mass.

Year: 1920; Census Place: Boston Ward 23, Suffolk, Massachusetts; Roll: T625_740; Page: 2A; Enumeration District: 541

Year: 1930; Census Place: Dedham, Norfolk, Massachusetts; Page: 14A; Enumeration District: 0046; FHL microfilm: 2340669

Year: 1940; Census Place: Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts; Roll: m-t0627-01677; Page: 17A; Enumeration District: 15-621

Supporting Documents