• • the Norwich Disaster
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Volume 33 Number 3 Fall 1994 THE NORWICH DISASTER BY DAVID HASTINGS,VICE CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD OF GOVERNORS It is Monday, August 1st, 1994, and we are shaken to hear a news flash on the local radio at 7:20 AM that there is a very serious fire in the centre of Norwich. We can already see the huge pall of black smoke hanging over the city A few minutes later the next news bulletin states that it is the Norwich Central Library which is on fire, and we cannot believe what is happening. News now comes thick and fast, with reporters broadcasting from the scene. The Norwich fire •officer states that in seriousness, which they rate from 1 (minor fire) to 10 (major), this is now rated at 8, and fire engines are being called in from all over the county. At 8:00 AM it now appears that the whole building is ablaze, and we pray for our memorial. Reports confirm that all the cleaners and staff who were in the build- ing when the fire started have escaped but are badly shocked. At the height of the blaze, over thirty fire engines are in attendance with 150 firemen working in terrible conditions. I check with Tom Eaton, our Trust Chair- man, on the telephone, and we agree that we can serve no useful purpose by driving up now to the Memorial, especially as the police have just announced that they are sealing off that A new 2nd Air Division USAAF Memorial part of the city and the traffic is in chaos. We will arisefrom the ashes of the old. also agree that we will not telephone the USA to such a modern building, and we begin to fear years of hard work, love and devotion have until we have visited the Memorial and found the worst. The fire officers kindly allow me gone. But already there is another feeling of out the full extent of the damage; otherwise through the barriers and I manage to talk to a grim determination that WE WILL REBUILD this could cause you unnecessary worry. Radio senior fire officer who has just left the building. the Memorial. Tom Eaton broadcasts on TV interviews are now almost constant with Hillary He confirms our worst fears that the entire and local radio and confirms that the work of Hammond, the director of the Norfolk Library ground floor has already gone, with tempera- the Memorial Trust will go on, books will still Service and such a great friend to the Memorial, tures inside reaching over 1,000 degrees. be bought with the bookplates; keeping the confirming that this is a very serious fire and a Hillary Hammond and Cohn Sleath, the princi- Memorial alive in the other branch and county terrible disaster for Norwich and Norfolk. pal librarian, are there with the library staff, libraries until THE NEW MEMORIAL is built Mid morning now and I drive up to and so is Phyllis DuBois, our trust librarian, Tuesday is spent talking to the library team Norwich to meet with Tom and the library and Lesley Fleetwood, one of our library assis- and helping them to get over this terrible staff, park my car on the outskirts of the city tants, and everyone is shocked at what is shock, and under the leadership of Tom and and walk towards that awful looking plume of happening. By lunchtime the fire is almost out, Hillary we plan our course of action for when thick black smoke and flames. From St. Peter and Hillary Hammond goes in while we just we enter the building. I can only say thank Mancroft Church the view that greeted me was wait and pray. When Hillary appears his ashen goodness we have Hillary Hammond as the •heartbreaking, with crowds of people behind face tells the tale, and we know the very worst, director of libraries and Colin Sleath as the the barriers, many in tears, at the sight of our that the unique and beautiful 2nd Air Division principal librarian, for despite the huge task Central Library and the 2nd Air Division USAAF Memorial has been completely that they have faced, the Memorial has always USAAF Memorial covered in smoke and destroyed. All of us standing outside the fire remained a high priority The loss for Norfolk flames. We wonder just how this could happen station quietly shed a tear, for how can so many (continued on page 4) DIRECTORY SECOND AIR DIVISION ASSOCIATION HONORARY PRESIDENT JORDAN UTTAL 7824 Meadow Park Drive, Apt. 101, Dallas, TX 75230 OFFICERS President CHARLES L. WALKER 9824 Crest Meadow, Dallas, TX 75230 Executive Vice President GEOFFREY G. GREGORY 3110 Sheridan, Garland, TX 75041 • The official publication of Vice President Membership EVELYN COHEN the Second Air Division Association Apt. 06-410 Delaire Landing Road published quarterly by the 2ADA Philadelphia, PA 19114 Vice President Communications C N (BUD)CHAMBERLAIN 1994 769 Via Somonte, Palos Verdes Estates, CA 90274 Volume 33 Number 3 Fall Treasurer E (BILL) NOTHSTEIN 40 Meadow Drive, Spencerport, NY 14559 Secretary and Director of Administrative Services DAVID G. PATTERSON TABLE OF CONTENTS 28 Squire Court, Alamo, CA 94507 2ADA Representative President's Message 466th Attlebridge Tales E (BUD) KOORNDYK Board of Governors CHARLES WALKER 3 EARL WASSOM 30 5184 N. Quail Crest Dr., Grand Rapids, MI 49546 Vice President's Message: Greetings from Texas! 467th Poop from Group GROUP VICE PRESIDENTS GEOFF GREGORY 5 RALPH ELLIOTT 34 Headquarters RAY STRONG Meeting 489th Notes 320 Burlage Circle, Chapel Hill, NC 27514 47th Annual Business NORMA BEASLEY 23 NEAL SORENSEN 31 44th BG HC (PETE) HENRY 164B Portland Lane, Jamesburg, NJ 08831 Your Heritage League 49 1st Ringmaster Reports HAP CHANDLER 28 93rd BG PAUL STEICHEN BILLY SHEELY JOHNSON 10 2227A Ruhland Dr., Redondo Beach, CA 90278-2401 492nd Happy Warrior Happenings Second Air Division Association Bylaws 33 389th BG GENE HARTLEY W.H. "BILL" BEASLEY 13 3950 Via Real #233, Carpinteria, CA 93013 Bequests to Support the Memorial Room 12 392nd BG OAK MACKEY Attendees at Kansas City 1994 22 ARTICLES & POEMS 6406 East Presidio Street, Mesa, AZ 85205 Upcoming Reunions & Conventions 36 Tales of the 44th: Return to Kjeller 445th BG RAY R. PYTEL Box 484, Elkhorn, WI 53121 Folded Wings 18 FORREST S. CLARK 7 446th BG MARVIN SPEIDEL New Members 36 The 8th Air Force Heritage Center — A Report 708 Dianne Court, Rahway, NJ 07065 The PX Page 37 RICHARD M. KENNEDY 9 448th BG CATER LEE My D-Day Visit to Our Memorial Room P.O. Box 850, Foley, AL 36536 Letters 38 JORDAN R. UTTAL 12 453rd BG WILBUR CLINGAN 8729 Samoline, Downey, CA 90240 GROUP REPORTS Memorial Day 1994 at Madingley VITAL 458th BG E A ROKICKI JORDAN R. 12 365 Mae Rd., Glen Burnie, MD 21061 Division Headquarters Report on the Memorial Trust 466th BG EARL WASSOM RAY STRONG 35 E. BUD KOORNDYK 15 548 Brentwood Dr., Bowling Green, KY 42101-3772 44th News Forever In My Mind H.C."PETE" HENRY 6 467th BG RALPH ELLIOTT JILL V. CHANDLER 16 fa 4111 6000 Rafter Circle, Tucson, AZ 85713-4365 Open Letter to the 93rd The Rhine Crossing Supply Drop 489th BG NEAL SORENSEN FLOYD H. MABEE 11 132 Peninsula Road, Medicine Lake, MN 55441 JOSEPH D. ROURE 17 491st BG F C (HAP)CHANDLER 389th Green Dragon Flares Only Old Men Remember 18 Willow Glen, Atlanta, GA 30342 GENE HARTLEY 16 JOSEPH BRODER 19 492nd BG W.H.(BILL) BEASLEY 392nd Bomb Group 1525 South Garfield St., Denver, CO 80210-3022 The 47th Annual Convention of 2ADA OAK MACKEY 26 JOHN B. CONRAD 20 HERITAGE LEAGUE The 445th Bomb Group The Thirteenth Annual 2ADA Golf Tournament President BILLY SHEELY JOHNSON RAY PYTEL 29 PETE HENRY. 25 600 Sandhurst Drive, Petersburg, VA 23805 446th Bungay Bull Report to the Board of Governors and 2ADA 2nd AIR DIVISION MEMORIAL ROOM MARVIN SPEIDEL 14 E. BUD KOORNDYK 27 Trust Librarian PHYLLIS DUBOIS The 448th Speaks My Trip on a Liberty Ship The Memorial Trust of the 2nd Air Division USAAF CATER LEE 5 JOHN H. RAINEY 31 Noverre House (First Floor) Theatre Street, Norwich, Norfolk NR2 1RH England 453rd Flame Leap Shot Down by the Battleship Archangel WIB CLINGAN 19 EARL ZIMMERMAN 32 MEMORIAL BOARD OF GOVERNORS THOMAS C. EATON, Chairman 458th Bomb Group The Importance of On-Screen Credits 3 Upper King Street, Norwich, Norfolk, NR3 1RL England RICK ROKJCKI 8 HAL ALEXANDER 32 DAVID J. HASTINGS, Vice Chairman "Westering." Salhouse, Norwich, Norfolk, NR13 6RQ, England MRS. MICHAEL BARNE "Crowfoots," Sotterley, Beccles, Suffolk NR34 TTZ, England MRS. FRANCES DAVIES 57 Church Lane, Eaton, Norwich NR4 6NY, England ROGER A. FREEMAN May's Barn, Dedham, Nr, Colchester, Essex England CO7 6EW THE SECOND AIR DIVISION ASSOCIATION traces its initial meeting to 1948 in Chicago, Illinois. It was organized as FRANK W. GADBOIS Dept of the A.F. a nonprofit corporation in the State of Illinois on January 10, 1950. Members of the original Board of Directors were RAF Mildenhall, Suffolk, England Second Air Division veterans Marilynn Fritz, Howard W. Moore, Jordan R. Uttal and Percy C. Young. The association's EDWARD 0. INMAN purpose is to advocate and support an adequate, effective and efficient Army, Navy and Air Force at all times; to Director of Duxford Imperial War Museum perpetuate the friendships and memories of service together in the Second Air Division, 8th Air Force in England during Duxford Airfield, Cambridge CB2 40R, England World War II; to suppon financially, and in any other way, the Memorial Trust of the 2nd Air Division as represented by ALFRED A.