Wells Gibb Mendenhall is the 3rd son of Thomas & Hannah Mendenhall. My name is Thomas E. Evanson, named after my grandfather Thomas T. Mendenhall. I am the son of John and Rae Mendenhall Evanson, Rae being an older sister to Gibb. For many years there has been a strong desire in my life to become more acquainted with the life and times of my Uncle Gibb.

  I was born 5 years after Uncle Gibb was shot down at 01:55 hrs on the 21st of February 1945 over Oberhausen, Germany. For over 50 years I have lived in prosperity and peace. This was largely due to the sacrifice he, along with thousands of others, made. Gibb never had the chance to see the results of his sacrifice, nor did he have the opportunity to marry and raise a family in this life. Those of us who have lived after and continue to live in peace need to remember “Wells Gibb Mendenhall”.

   Some of what I have written is taken from Gibb’s own personal flight log book which he kept religiously until his last flight. Taking these dates from his log book I matched them with historical records found on the internet for each mission he flew.

   There is an interesting story as to how I came upon his flight book. In the process of doing the research on his life, I thought it would be appropriate if I could find anyone who was still alive to tell something of their association with Gibb, especially those who served along side him in the war. There were not many around. In his final flight there were seven crew members. Four of the crew survived and were taken prisoner of war. Three of the seven did not survive and went down with the plane, Gibb being one of the three. G. Henson, A. May, and F. Daley, and W. McIntosh were the names of the four survivors. Searching the phone book I made a call to Sydney, Nova Scotia and made contact with Burke McIntosh, being one of the 4 survivors. It was an exciting time for him as well as for myself to make contact. He said that he had in his possession Gibb’s personal flight log. He had tried numerous times in the past to find some of Gibb’s family so that he might pass it on, but unable to find them he had kept it all these years. He immediately sent it to me and it is from this book that i have been able to produce this document. Through this preparation I have developed a great love for my Uncle Gibb and those who served with him.

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