Happy New Year everyone.

One of the things that I get the most satisfaction from when working on this website is connecting people with other people.  This can be a grandkid looking for their grandfather, a son or daughter looking for a photo or memory of a father who passed away too soon.  Sometimes, the web site allows me to connect two strangers.

My story starts in May of 2019.  A visitor  to this web site generated an inquiry on the Contact Us page.  “Buddy”  was looking for relatives of Clarence K. Fuller.  Clarence was one of the original members of the 417th who died in action in 1944.  He was a pilot.

In response to the inquiry,  I posted a plea for any relatives of Clarence to get in touch thru the site.  Nearly six months went by with no response.  Then, on December 20th, I receive an email from Tracey, who is Clarence’s grandchild.  I put her in touch with Buddy.

Buddy’s goal was to return Clarence’s burial flag to his family.   How fantastic is that!

A snippet from the email Buddy wrote regarding the “reunion” with Clarence’s family was:

“A book could be written about the journey this flag has made and the surprises discovered by both sides along the way.  Thank you for your help, it has meant so much to all of us.”

It meant a lot to me too.  It makes the work worthwhile.

Speaking of getting in touch, I’ve seen a few comments about people getting in touch thru the Contact Us page, but receiving no response.  There was an upgrade to this website as well as the Contact us page awhile ago and it’s possible that some inquiries may have been tossed during the transition.   I check the email and contacts page at least once per week unless I am away on vacation, so if you haven’t heard from me please try again  AND please check your SPAM/JUNK folder as the reply address that will be generated when I do write back is a little odd and some email filters might think it’s invalid.

Cheers!

Jackie

Amongst the items in my father’s collection from his time in the 417th NFS were several Christmas related items.  I thought that it would be fitting to post these items for the Christmas holiday.

Merry Christmas and Happy New year.

Jackie

A friend of mine sent a link to this article about the P-61 Black Widow.     Lots of good stuff in the article including a bit about how the P-61B, Lady in the Dark, was unofficially credited on the night of Aug. 14, 1945 with the final Allied air victory before the war ended. The victory was achieved without a single shot being fired as the opponent, a Nakajima Ki-44 Tojo fighter, went out of control trying to escape Lady in the Dark.  Lady in the Dark was flown by the 548th NFS.

There are also some good photos that accompany the article.

You can read the article, written by Bill Walton by clicking on the following  link.

Northrop’s Unmistakable Black Widow: When Death Waited in the Dark

Enjoy!

I’ve added a new page with details on the Inactivation and Redesignation of the 417th NFS ceremony that was held in December of 1993.  You can see the post here.

I am also looking for any members of Dick McCray’s family or extended family.  I have a box of photos which look to be originals that I found in my father’s collection and would like to return to them.  If you have any information that would help please get in touch via the contacts page.

Hi Readers!

Received a request the other day thru this site for information on William Work – a member of the 417th.  This request came from his grandson, but unfortunately, the email contact that he left looks to be incorrect as it bounced.  So, I am posting here in the hopes that Joshua will see this and get in contact again.

I found a few references and a photo on William Work from the 417 NFS Illustrated History Chapter 4 pages 40-87.   It seems William Work joined  the 417th in October/November of 1944 as part of a replacement crew arriving from the 419th(?).  Here is a group photo of crew that arrived.  The caption on the photo indicates that William is 3rd from the left in the front row.

I believe William Work was a radar operator.

Another photo I found was titled “Condon and Willie Work @ LeVallon” and I assume the reference is to Bob Condon and William Work (in back).

That’s it so far, but I will keep searching the archives for any additional info  on William.  If anyone else has anything to add in this story, give me a shout!

Joshua, if you’re reading this, you can contact me directly at 417@fryphone.com.

Cheers!