Henry Matthew Phillips was born in Greenville, N.C. on May 27, 1918, the only child of Henry Matthew Phillips, Sr. (1882-1920) and Josephine Fleming Little (later, Mrs. E. E. Rawl, 1894-1992). Phillips studied at Mars Hill College, the University of North Carolina, and graduated from ECTC with a bachelor’s degree in physical education and commerce in 1941.
Phillips was an exceptional student at ECTC: during his junior year, Phillips played on the football team and was a member of the Teco Echo staff. He was a member of the ECTC band for two years, and his senior year was on the staff of Pieces of Eight and served as a photographer for the Tecoan. He was a member of the Phi Sigma Pi academic leadership fraternity.
Along with fellow ECTC students, Jesse B. Gray (1921-1945) and John C. Johnston (1920-1942), Phillips participated in the local Civilian Pilot Training Program coordinated in part by the school. He completed flight training at Ellington Field in Texas, receiving his wings and commission in 1942. After serving as a flight instructor, Phillips moved to South Carolina to organize a unit for overseas service.
In 1944, he flew a number of missions in the Pacific theatre as a B-25 Michell bomber pilot taking part in the campaigns in the Gilberts, the Marshalls, and the Marianas. In May of 1944, his plane was shot down near the Carolina Islands in the South Pacific, and he and four other fliers spent two days on a life raft before being rescued by an American destroyer. In recognition of his exceptional service, Phillips was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Air Medal with an Oak Leaf Cluster, the Purple Heart, five campaign ribbons, and three battle stars.
Phillips, 26, returned to the U.S. in the summer of 1944. He died tragically in a combat training flight on December 6, 1944, in Kern County, California. He was buried in Cherry Hill Cemetery in Greenville.
Sources:
- “E.C.T.C. Presents Diplomats To 99.” News and Observer. August 24, 1941. P. 3.
- Evans, Clifton. Untitled article on Civilian Pilot Training Course at ECTC. Teco Echo. March 28, 1941. P. 1. https://digital.lib.ecu.edu/37888
- Evans, Clifton. Untitled article on Civilian Pilot Training Course at ECTC. Teco Echo. April 25, 1941. P. 1. https://digital.lib.ecu.edu/37890
- “Greenville Flier Killed In Crash: Lt. Henry M. Phillips, Veteran of Pacific, Dies in West Coast Mishap.” News and Observer. December 9, 1944. P. 3.
- “Matt Phillips Killed In Crash In California.” Teco Echo. December 16, 1944. P. 1. https://digital.lib.ecu.edu/37946
Related Materials
Henry Matthew Phillips. Image Source: Tecoan 1940. UA50-01. University Archives, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC.
Henry Matthew Phillips. Image Source: News and Observer. December 19, 1944. P. 3
Henry Matthew Phillips’s Draft Registration Card. Image Source: U.S., World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947.Ancestry.com
Citation Information
Author: John A. Tucker, PhD
Date of Publication: 5/9/2022