Favorite Photos From Trip: Places and Objects

Favorite photos of places and objects. Double-click to super-size.390th Control Tower, Framlingham.
Church door, Horham. This Norman church was built in 1312.

Ancient House, Horham. Built in the 13th century. Town store on left. Stayed in this house with Alan Johnson while in Horham.
Old graves in Horham Churchyard.
View of Horham village from church steeple.
Edinburgh Castle.

Window, old 95th base hospital, Horham.
Garden, Scottish Borders.
Poppies on old 95th hardstand.
Scottish Borders from walls of Hume Castle.

Dingle Harbor, County Kerry, Ireland.

Old base theater, Framlingham.
Nature re-takes the main runway at Horham (modified).

Hume Castle, Scottish Borders
Scott's Lookout, Scottish Borders

Tree Tunnel, Scottish Borders (modified)

Home From Travels for 95th Bomb Group

The 95th's main runway at Horham.

An old hardstand on the 95th Base at Horham, rapidly being reclaimed by the verdant vegetation of the region. My host Alan Johnson, who put me up in his house for six nights. We had fish and chips, went to a party, and hoisted a few beers when not working. Here Alan stands in front of the Red Feather Club, a passion of his for many year. Alan grew up near the base and has dedicated his life to remembering the American servicemen who came to the small town many years ago.
With my mentor and co-author of our upcoming history, Mr. Ian Hawkins, at his home in Bacton.
Christine and Richard Havers outside their home in the Scottish Borders. In the background is the spacious, luxurious guesthouse where they put me up for the night.

Looking out a window in the old base hospital at Horham, home of the 95th Bomb Group.
James Mutton in front of his old school in East Anglia.
Traveling in style with Alan and James, we took their wonderfully-restored original JEEP to the 100th BG base at Thorpe Abbotts.
One of several brilliant murals painted on the wall of the Red Feather Club on the 95th base at Horham, lovingly restored by the Brits who keep the memories alive.

Temple Bar, downtown Dublin. River Liffey, Downtown Dublin.
Roses of Tralee, Tralee, County Kerry, Ireland.

Just home today from my business trip to the England with a side trip to Scotand and Ireland. There to write the 95th Bomb Group (H) history, one of the great B-17 outfits of WWII, based near the small town of Horham in East Anglia.

Looking out towards Dingle Harbor, County Kerry.

I will post a travelogue over the next few days of the trip.

My thanks to my hosts, including Alan Johnson, Norman Feltwell and James Mutton in Suffolk and Richard and Christine Havers in the Scottish Borders. Such gracious hosts! I can't thank you enough.

School Year Ends, Writing Projects Begin

Near Malad Pass, not far from the Idaho/Utah border. All the rain has made the land green--for now.

A polygamist compound on the way down to Lagoon, near Tremonton, Utah.Kids on the bus, heading down to Lagoon for the 9th grade trip. We took about 300 kids down for the day on Wednesday.
Yours truly with some of my students, messing around.
My daughter Brianna graduates from high school this week. We're throwing her a party. With her is her boyfriend Patrick.

The school year ended yesterday, my 23rd in the public school system, four years in rural Wyoming and the other 19 here in Idaho Falls. The last week, our 9th grade class took the yearly trip to Lagoon, an amusement park near Salt Lake City. As you can see, it was a cold trip, but fun none the less.

On June 4, I'm flying to England to do research for a book on the 95th Bomb Group. Looking forward to this trip very much, and to seeing my British friends again. I'll spend time in East Anglia, near Horham, where the 95th was stationed during the war, as well as visit the American Cemetery and retrace the steps of the 95th men in London on their rare 24-hour passes. It is a humbling duty, to tell the story of these great men, many of whom I had the opportunity to meet at the 2008 95th Reunion in Tucson, Arizona in April.

Plans also to visit a friend in Scotland for a day or two, and then since I'm already over there, I'll travel over to Ireland for a week or so and travel the country on public transport.

My youngest daughter Brianna graduates from high school this week, and we are surprising her with a party. My wife's family is coming down from Missoula, Montana for the occasion.

Shortly after I return from England, I'll be going to California. It will be a busy and productive summer, and I'll keep readers posted.

Spitfire Tribute to a 60-Year Love That Refused to Die

This story was in the Scotsman newspaper, online edition, today. It was sent to me by my friend Richard in Scotland, who lives near the site of the crash.

CLAIRE SMITH

A SPITFIRE aircraft that fought in the Battle of Britain will fly low over East Lothian this Saturday in honour of a Czech airman killed in the war and the woman who loved him.
Juliette Liska, now 85, will be standing by the graveside of her fiancé, Vaclav Jicha, in St Martin's RC Cemetery, Haddington, in memory of the airman who was killed in a wartime crash over the Lammermuir Hills.

Juliette Liska, 85, at the grave of her fiancé, who was killed in 1945 Picture: Ian Rutherford

Ms Liska survived a German labour camp and went on to marry another man, but she never forgot the love of her life, whom she met at a flying club in Prague before the war.

"He was a very serious man, but I understood him very well because we were both pilots," said Ms Liska, who was captured by the Germans in 1943 then became a translator for the American forces after the war ended.

Mr Jicha fled Czechoslovakia in 1939 to escape the Nazis and ended up flying missions for the Allies. After the occupation of France, he worked in Britain as a test pilot and was awarded both the DFC and the AFC.

In the closing months of the war, the Czech pilot was posted to RAF Kinross and it was from there that he took his last flight, on 9 April, 1945. Mr Jicha was one of three people on board a flight that crashed into the Lammermuir Hills in deep snow.

He survived the impact, but froze to death trying to make his way back through the snow and was found six days later by a shepherd on the hills.

Meanwhile, Ms Liska did not know if her fiancé was alive or dead. On returning to Czechoslovakia after the war, she finally learned the truth about what had happened.
Following the wishes of her family, Ms Liska married, but she never forgot her wartime sweetheart and has made several visits to his grave. This year, poor health following a fall almost prevented her from making the trip, but she was determined to come to visit the grave.
Inspired by her determination, Bill Nicholson of the Spitfire Club and Jack Tully Jackson, a local historian, arranged for the flypast at 2:30pm tomorrow.

The spitfire, which is in Scotland for the Battle of Britain fundraising ball at Leuchars, was at the Battle of Britain and its body is pockmarked with shrapnel holes.

Bill Nicholson said: "I contacted the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight and told them the story of Vaclav Jicha and Juliette Liska and they agreed to arrange the flypast."

Standing in the East Lothian cemetery where her fiancé lies alongside other airmen, Ms Liska wondered if it might be the last time she will make the trip. "This is a lovely place, a peaceful place," she says, admiring the freshly planted flowers around her fiancé's grave.

"I think I will ask to have my ashes sprinkled here alongside Vaclav. But I don't think I am ready to join him yet."

She said she was looking forward to watching the planes flying above the cemetery on Saturday and will do as she always does when she visits the grave: "I will speak to him in Czech."