The Washington Evening Star, May 10, 1943.

Sidat-Singh, Former Football Star, Missing After Plane Crash

Washingtonian Finished Army Air School Course In Alabama March 15.

Second Lt. Wilmeth Sidat-Singh, former Syracuse football star and a District policeman until his enlistment in the Army Air Forces last summer, was still being sought today after his single-seater pursuit plane caught fire and crashed in Saginaw Bay off Lake Huron yesterday.

The missing airman's mother, a War Department employe residing at 610 R Street N. W., was notified of the crash last night but had heard nothing further form Army officials today. Lt. Sidat-Singh, 25, was an only child and the adoptedson of Dr. Samuel Sidat-Singh fo New York.

Bailed Out of Plane

Headquarters at Selfridge Field, Mich., where the flyer was stationed, reported witnesses had seen him bail out of his plane but neither his body nor his chute could be found despite an intensive search of the area. The plane sank immediately, leaving a large oil slick about a mile off shore.

Assigned to the 301st Fighter Squadron of the 332nd Fighter Group, Lt. Sidat-Singh had transferredto Selfridge Field only five day ago from Tuskegee, Ala., where he graduated from the Army Flying School March 25. He was on a routine training flight at the time of the crash.

The flyer was rated one of the best modern colored athletes, reaching the zenith of his career on the gridiron in 1938 when he sparked a last minute Syracuse aerial attack that netted three touchdowns in less than nine minutes and defeated Cornell, 19-17. He was prominently mentioned for all-America honors that season.

Native of Washington

Lt. Sidat-Singh later played professional basket ball with the world champion Washington Bears after returning to Washington and taking up his residence with his mother. A reputation as a keen shot and able floor general had preceeded him, but he lived up fully to his advance notices.

He was born in Washington but his youth was spent in New York, where he starred in sports on the Clinton High School teams. While at Syracuse he was rated on the same plane with Fritz Pollard and other colored gridiron stars of former years although passing was his strong suit.

Lt. Wilmeth Sidat-Singh.
   —A.P. Wirephoto.

Sidat-Singh, Former Football Star, Missing After Plane Crash, Washington Evening Star, May 10 1943, Page A-8. (PDF)