Special orders transferring soldiers to England, April 16, 1944   Save
Charles Walder Parke WW2 Collection
Description: Military orders from the U.S. Army Air Forces transferring officers and enlisted men to the replacement control depot at Stone, England. After C. Walder Parke arrived at Stone, he was assigned to the Royal Army Airfield at Bury St. Edmunds in Rougham, from where he conducted his missions over France and Germany. Bury St. Edmunds was effectively reserved for the USAAF's Eighth Air Force during WWII. Charles Walder Parke was born on July 28, 1924, and grew up in Shaker Heights, Ohio. He enlisted in the United States Army Air Forces in 1942 intending to be a pilot during WWII, but spent most of his military career as a navigator on B-17 Flying Fortresses in the 94th Bombardment Group. Parke earned two Bronze Stars, an Air Medal with several Oak Leaf Clusters, and the Distinguished Flying Cross for his successful bombing missions, including some over Berlin. He is best known for being on board a B-17 which was shot down over France by German planes on June 25, 1944, during a non-combat mission. The crew managed to make an emergency landing, and everyone inside survived. After the war, Parke founded the Cleveland-based Laurel Industries Inc., which became a prominent supplier of antimony oxide to the plastics industry. He died of Lou-Gehrig’s Disease on September 15, 1996, at the age of 72. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: MSS1510_B01F11_001_01
Subjects: Soldiers--Travel; Air bases; International travel
Places: Stone (England); Staffordshire (England)