Alfred H Locke B-24 crew- A B-24 Crew with the 448th and 389th Bomb Groups
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Welcome to the Alfred H. Locke B-24 Crew website

7/18/2009

12 Comments

 

When my mother asked me put together a scrapbook at the end of 1998 about my grandfather's WWII service with the photos, letters, papers, and medals that my grandmother had saved I had no idea of the proportions that the project was going to grow to. One of the first things I did as I began researching was to join a heavybomber email group at yahoogroups. After reading messages for a week or so, I posted a general outline of my grandfather's service as a way to share with the group and maybe find a bit more information. I was thrilled to receive an email from  Dale, the crew's tailgunner, the next day. It was more than I had expected to find one of my grandfather's crew members, and that he was willing to share everything he remembered and had saved in his own personal scrapbook was even more special.

Over two years of steady research went into the scrapbook that each family member now has a copy of, and Dale and I wanted to share a bit of our wealth of information with others who are seeking the details of what it was like for their family members during this period of time. The development of the internet over the years has greatly increased the amount of information available, and over the years we have continued to collect bits and pieces that fill out the story of the Alfred H. Locke B-24 crew.

Please leave us a comment here on the blog and tell us about your family members who served! We will be happy to help you further your search in any way we can if you are looking for information.

This website was formerly located at http://www.geocities.com/b24gunr2000/index.html

12 Comments
Frank Wright
3/29/2012 08:13:09 am

In the "ditching" my uncle was the one know as " Harold Freeman". It is surprising that my Uncle didn't disobey orders and switch over to the wing tanks. Thanks for the article as our family was kept in the dark as to what transpired.

Reply
Dale VanBlair
12/4/2013 11:43:56 am

I've never understood why your uncle should have been made to fly with us when he had completed his missions and was waiting to return to the U.S. It just was not right. I was surprised that our pilot didn't tell Harold to go ahead with switching to the wing tanks. The command pilot was in charge of the formation, not our crew.

Harold's mother wrote my mother, who lived in Quincy, IL, about a half-hour's drive from Hannibal, where Harold's mother lived, asking if she could provide information about what happened. My mother sent me her address, and I wrote her all the details that I felt I could get past the censor (I was still in England, and all outgoing mail was censored.)

Reply
kdee harts
6/22/2012 09:59:49 am

dear friends-- a good friend of mine just lost her dad. He was in the Air Force - boomer squad .He flew in WW11. He flew 25 flights (Fredrick A. Patrick) He enlisted in 1943 was stationed in Norwick England in the 8th air core 448 heavy boomer group. 2nd air division 212 boom squad.. Flew a B-24. PLEASE PRAY FOR THE FAMILY. HE WILL BE MISSED....

Reply
Linda D.
10/21/2012 03:41:18 am

Errol Self passed away Saturday night, Oct. 20, 2012 in Joplin MO at the age of 96 . He was a great man and will be missed by many.

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Errol Self
10/21/2012 03:44:48 am

Errol Self passed away Saturday night, Oct 20, 2012 at the age of 96. He was a great man and will be missed by many

Reply
Lesley Kane Errols Sister-In-Law link
11/10/2012 01:29:24 am

Errol is being honored November 11th in Tiff City Missouri with full Military Honors then his ashes will be scattered on his Ranch in Goodman Missouri.Errol and his Wife Barbara have owned the 400 acre Ranch for over forty years where they had raised Arabian Horses and Beef cattle.God Bless Errol.Rest in Peace.

Reply
Dale VanBlair
12/4/2013 11:29:04 am

I was the tail gunner on the crew for which Errol was the co-pilot. If my 92-year-old body holds up until the weather warms up next spring, I'd like to visit Barbara. I live in Belleville, IL, just across the Mississippi from St. Louis, so it wouldn't be too long a drive. I'd appreciate your sending me her email address or providing some other way I could contact her.

Reply
John Self
6/16/2015 10:33:53 am

Dale ,
I am Errol's grandson. Grandma does not have e-mail.. If you would like send me a quick note and I will be glad to pass it on..

2689 Klondike Road, Goodman Mo. 64843

Robert Valentine, Jr.
2/24/2015 04:29:35 am

My father was a B-24 tail gunner in WWII stationed in Okinawa. I really enjoyed reading Dale's book, as it gave insight to what my dad's experiences must have been like. Dad continued working for the Air Force as a civil service employee at Chanute AFB in Rantoul. A thing that struck me as a particular coincidence was Dale mentioning teaching briefly at the new Champaign Jr. High School. I believe he would have been at (then named) Franklin Jr. High somewhere between '57-'58. I was attending there from '57-'60. My wife went to the other Junior High originally, named Champaign High School, which had its name changed to Edison Jr. High when Franklin was built. Small world!
I found Dale's book when going through Dad's things after he passed away in 2013 at the age of 95.
If Dale is still with us, please tell him how much I appreciated reading about the life of a B-24 tail gunner and especially how much I appreciate what he and his generation did for our country.

Reply
Bill Rauch
7/9/2015 03:48:40 am

Just finished reading "Looking Back", thourghly enjoyed reading (2 Days). Saw the article in the Belleville News Democrat and ordered from Amazon. Thanks for sharing your story.

Bill
Columbia,Il

Reply
Rita Duprat-Waldo
7/19/2015 10:07:13 am

I am looking for information and hopefully a picture of a 44th member. He was my husband's father. His name is Roger N. Hutton Jr. from Tennessee. He didn't live long after the war as he died in a house fire in 1950. My husband never knew his dad as he was only 2 when Roger passed. We are searching for a picture of Roger Hutton. Thanks for any help you can give us.

Reply
Melinda
7/19/2015 12:37:45 pm

Hi Rita! thanks for stopping by our web site. You could ask your request directly of the 448th BG Facebook page members - https://www.facebook.com/groups/186609291384453/
If you have any further information to add, such as his bomb squadron number, that would be helpful in narrowing down the search a bit.

Reply



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    Melinda

    Thoughts of a Granddaughter of a B-24 pilot who served with the 448th and 389th Bomb Groups in the Mighty 8th Air Force in WWII.

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