Clayton Bates was born in Rome, New York on June 27, 1914. From the 1920 U.S. Census, we learned that his father Elmer, 33, was a tinsmith at the local cutlery factory. His mother Genevieve, 36, had three sons living at home at this time; Emerson, seven, Clayton, five and Stanley, three. They lived in Rome.

Ten years later, the family had moved to 717 North Jay Street in Utica, Oneida County, New York. Clayton’s mother added two more children to the family; Ellen, eight years old and Merle, six. Clayton, at 15, was just entering high school. This information was found in the 1930 U.S. Census.  He graduated from St. Lawrence University in 1936.  While there he was a member of Alpha Mu Gamma, played football, wrestled and was a member of their famous "L" club. 

Sometime in 1937, Clayton joined the Navy and was sent to basic training. At the completion of “Boot Camp”, Bates was selected for the aviation cadet program and was assigned flight training at the Pensacola Naval Air Station. Upon completion he received his gold wings and was commissioned as an Ensign in the U.S. Navy.

Next, Bates was sent to the Sand Point Naval Air Station in Seattle, Washington. There he received hands on experiences with multi-engine patrol planes. The 1940 U.S. Census of April 3, 1940 recorded Clayton as living on the base there. This document listed his pay as $1791 for fifty weeks of work in 1939. He was living in the Bachelor Officers Quarters (BOQ) while there.

It was there that he met Janet Prather, a 17 year old from Seattle. They were married and had a child, Al Clayton Bates. Father Clayton, unfortunately, never met his son.

From Sand Point Ensign Bates was sent to the Naval Air Base in Argentia, Newfoundland. He was a pilot aboard a patrol plane PBO-1 in Patrol Bombing Squadron VPB-125. This duty mainly was an antisubmarine patrol and bomb unit protecting the harbor there.

On January 16, 1942, only five weeks after the attack on Pearl Harbor, the four-man crew of PBO-1, BUNO O3845, flew out of Argentia and never returned. According to records of the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, United States Atlantic Fleet, Patrol Bombing Squadron One Hundred Twenty-five, the were "Lost in storm while on patrol"

Since no bodies of Bates and the crew of his plane could be recovered, Clayton’s family placed a memorial stone at the Lee State Road Cemetery. This marker was located in Lee, Oneida County, New York. The inscription reads “ENS. CLAYTON N. BATES 1914 – 1944, U.S. NAVY PILOT. PATROL SQD 82, GAVE HIS LIFE IN COMBAT”

Bates' wife Janet was given a Gold Star flag to hang in her window at 2439 41st Avenue North in Seattle. This was recorded in the U.S. Navy WWII Casualties Books.

An article appeared in the Seattle Star newspaper in August of 1942. Somehow Ensign Bates wrote a note on a scrap of paper intended to be his last will and testament. It was a makeshift will, drawn on a slip of paper to: “U.S. Atlantic Fleet Somewhere on the Atlantic.” He gave all of his belongings – valued at $1900 to his wife. It was dated December 24, 1941. Superior judge Donald A. McDonald awarded Mrs. Bates the estate. Janet and her son were living with her father Sam Prather at 2439 41st Avenue North in Seattle.

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).

Can you help us write these stories? Together We Served and Fold3/Find A Grave have smartphone apps that will allow people to visit any war memorial or cemetery and read these stories of WWII fallen.

If you noticed anything erroneous in this profile or have additional information to contribute, please contact Jim Greenberg at jim.greenberg@oneonta.edu.

SBTSProject/New York/Oneida

RESOURCES:

1920 U.S. Census: https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/43614650:6224

1930 U.S. Census: https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/62426263:2442?tid=&pid=&queryId=7491ca78-499c-412e-94b9-06f74bbc1511&_phsrc=hWQ45&_phstart=successSource

1940 U.S. Census: https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/6550968:61632?tid=&pid=&queryId=633a32cf-01a8-4fa8-968c-39190b3db011&_phsrc=hWQ50&_phstart=successSource

Find a Grave accessed at https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/9342159/clayton-e.-bates.

Pensacola News Journal 28 Oct 1937, Thu ·Page 5: https://www.newspapers.com/image/352894156/?xid=4639%20

Naval History and Heritage

Command (.mil): https://www.history.navy.mil › pdfs › chap4-6

https://m.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=587406876762777&set=a.464667562370043

St. Lawrence University 1936 Yearbook, The Gridiron, Canton, St. Lawrence County, New York accessed at New York Heritage website  https://nyheritage.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/stlawu/id/7405/rec/42 on Jan. 13, 2025. 

U.S., Navy and Marine Corps Registries:

https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/3573668:60656?tid=&pid=&queryId=5e857aef-2534-48c2-ba63-b9f79671e3af&_phsrc=hWQ60&_phstart=successSource

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/9342159/clayton-e-bates

The Seattle Star 27 Aug 1942, Thu ·Page 1

https://www.newspapers.com/image/773678114/?match=1&clipping_id=140084666

 World War II Scrapbook from the estate of Army veteran Robert Albert Mieskiel (1930-2014) of Rome, NY. Donated to the Oriskany Museum Collection in May 2016.

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