Day’s Pay Virtual Geocache - B-17 Bomber in Richland
Unlike a regular geocache, a ‘virtual geocache’ is one where there isn’t a box containing a log book and trade items. Instead a virtual cache is a site where such a container would not be appropriate but would still appeal to geocachers. I placed the Days Pay virtual cache in April 2003 at the location of a mural at Richland High School.
The mural of the B-17 Bomber “Day’s Pay” was donated by the Richland High School Class of 1993 to honor those workers who paid for the bomber.
The students raised $21,000.00 to get the 3200 square-foot mural of the Day’s Pay painted, lighted, and maintained.
The “Day’s Pay” is a B-17 bomber bought for the Army Air Corps by the Hanford Engineering Works employees, each of whom donated a full day’s pay.
“Give a day’s pay and send a bomber on its way” was the campaign slogan that inspired the 51,000 workers to contribute nearly $300,000.00 over a 2 month period to purchase a B-17-G for the nation’s defense effort of World War II.
The plane was manufactured by Boeing at Seattle and delivered to the U.S. Army Air Force on July 12, 1944. In a ceremony at Hanford Airport on July 23, 1944, Hanford workers christened the plane “Day’s Pay”.
The plane later served with the 8th Air Force in England. In March 1945, its was decorated with the Air Medal, five oak leaf clusters, and two major battle stars.
The “Day’s Pay” flew a total of 67 missions and survived the war and was considered by those who flew it to be “a lucky plane” because no crew members were ever lost.
In 3 years, the cache has been visited 145 times by cachers from all around the state and country. Most would never have known of its existence without the cache to bring them.
One of geocaching’s side benefits is that many cachers hide caches, virtual or regular, at interesting spots like this one that you normally would not know to go look for when you are visiting an area. Kind of like a geeks travel guide!
Neat virtual geocache idea. My grandpa on my mom’s side was a navigator on a B-17 during WWII.
Comment by Pat — February 3, 2006 @ 1:14 pm
Question - Is the Pay’s Day in a musuem or a display or has it been destroyed?
Comment by Ted — March 21, 2006 @ 8:02 am
I cannot find any history of it after the war. I am guessing it has been scrapped but maybe someone else knows more of the story and can tell us.
Comment by Gary Paulson — March 21, 2006 @ 8:21 am
My grandfather worked at Hanford during the war and my father, who was a boy at the time, well remembers that day that was donated to pay for this plane.
Comment by Joyce Henley — March 25, 2006 @ 4:49 pm
If anyone is interested, the last pilot of the Days Pay is still living and a friend of mine. If anyone is interested in the history of the plane, please leave a comment and I will get back to you….
Comment by MIKE KIEWEL — July 26, 2006 @ 11:48 am
Mike, I would love to talk to your friend. I work for the city of richland and am currently working on a program “Day’s Pay.”
Thanks for your help
Comment by Mark Ingham — June 9, 2008 @ 11:12 am
My Grandfather was a pilot of the Day’s Pay he spent may years researching possible clues to what happened to the plane after WWII. The last possible location of the plane was an Air Force scrap yard. He knew all the official paint would have been removed but he knew several locations on the plane where members of the crew had scratched their names, war damage and such. He was never able to find the plane before he died in ‘87. I would love to get in touch with some of his crew members if possible. I believe my grandfather was in the second crew to fly the plane from England over Germany. Thank you
Comment by Trudy Reha — June 27, 2008 @ 8:45 pm
The Days Pay was I.D. as excess and then sent to be scrapped on Dec. 4, 1947. You can find a story about this plane at http://www.historylink.org/essays/output.cfm?file_id=7491
I am hoping to have my students do a National History Day project about the events that led to the building of this plane.
Enjoy.
M
Comment by Michelle S. — July 30, 2008 @ 9:38 pm
I personally know one of the gunners from the Day’s Pay. He is a close friend of our family’s and he has even spoken to my students at the school I work at. If you would like for me to help you make contact with him, please email me at teachernicki@insightbb.com. Thanks
Comment by Nicki Walker — November 30, 2008 @ 6:01 pm