HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes Advocate, 1994-8-17, Page 111
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Second section - August 17, 1994
Essery finds remains of uncle's plane
A trip to France ended two years of searching for WWII pilot's final destin tion
Memories
Lt. Don
Newcombe,
above left; was
shot down over
France in 1944
during WWII, and
50 years later his
nephew, Rob
Essery, above
right; returned to
the sight. In photo
at right,
Lt. Newcombe,
top row, left; is
seen with fellow
pilots just four
months before
his death.
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CENTRALIA - Rob Essery never right away and he went and talked
thought it would actually happen. to the mayor (of Trois-Monts)"
After two years of phone calls,
letters and countless hours of re -Before he knew it, Essery and his
search, he found what he had been
wife .were on a plane and headed to
looking for. Trois-Monis where, after two years,
On July 11, 1944 his uncle, First he would finally be able to put to
Lieutenant Don Newcombe was gethe.r the final piece of a very in
shot down in his P47 Thunderbolt. teresting puzzle.
Fifty years later, Essery stood in Old photos that Essery has
the exact spot where the plane went showed a barn near the spot where
down and, for two years, where his Newcombe's plane went down. The
uncle was buried. barn is still there complete with
"My mother always told me loose bricks, reminders of World
about my uncle. One of my first War II in western France.
models was a P-47. A couple of "When we got to the village we
years ago I decided it was time to met the mayor and went to the ac-
Iearn something about my uncle," tual spot where the plane crashed,"
said Essery. said Essery. "We wen, to a quiet
A pilot and an aviation buff, he horse pasture and there was a cra-
ter. know where to start until, by ter. I suh think the engine and pro -
almost fate, he came across an ar- yeller are still in the ground."
ticle in the November 1992 issue of
of the Air Classics magazine. He was able to bring home a
"I was flipping through it and I small metal ring which he thinks
might be off of one of the machine
came across an article called 'shot guns. In fact, people in the village,
down'," recalls Essery. when they heard that Essery was
There standing with a group of coming, dug up the two machine
young pilots was Don Newcombe guns which he hopes to bring home
of the 386th Fighter Squadron, to Centralia one day.
365th Fighter Group. The group "It was a pretty emotional time
was also called the Hell Hawks and for me," said Essery as his two
Newcombe, . from Pontiac, Mich- years of investigations drew to a
igan was part of the United States close.
9th Air Force.
Newcombc, 23, was killed by The people of Trois-Monts wel-
anti-aircraft guns but while flying corned them with open arms and
in over 60 missions he was award- gave them a small reception corn-
ed the Distinguished Flying Cross. plete with speeches, food and a cer-
With the help of books, a French emonial trip to the local cenotaph.
historian and even some of the pi- Newcombe was shot down when
who.taw. with Newcombe .50 he and other,plaites from the 365th
years ago, Essery put all the pieces Fighter Group ran into some heavy
of the mystery together and he and clouds about 8,000 feet up.
his wife Mary Patterson travelled to "They were returning from a mis-
the tiny village of Trois-Monts in sion and it was poor weather," said
western France last month. Essery.
One of the pilots, Bill Ward had
been in contact with the historian, His uncle's remains stayed in the
Remy Chouinard who is in the pro- village for two years and at first,
cess of writing a book about D -Day everyone thought he was a British
and specifically, the 9th Air Force. pilot. But after being properly iden-
"I just started contacting different uficd, his body was laid to rest at
pilots who knew my uncle. They the American cemetery at Omaha
sent me photos and we attended Beach where 9,386 other service
their reunion." men are buried.
Essery was able to contact Choui- Essery visited the grave of his fa-
nard but before hand had written to mous uncle, ending the long jour -
the United States' Army Personnel ney.
who were able to pin -point the vil- "I don't want him to be for-
lage where Newcombe's plane went gotten."
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