William was born in Malden, MA. When he turned 16 he joined the post WW I Army Air Corps, having forged documents or getting his parents to sign a letter. He used to tell me that he actually wanted to join the horse cavalry. He was an aircraft crew-chief (mechanic) with the 94th Aerial Pursuit Squadron, the "Hat-in-the-Ring". The squadron gained fame in WW I with the likes of Eddie Rickenbacker. He also said he wanted to volunteer for the parachute testing unit at the airfield, but made corporal and they wouldn't take him. After serving his term he was an elevator operator for a while and then joined the Edison Electric Illuminating Company in Boston, MA, and became a lineman. Somewhere in there, he met Alice Maude Irvine, a Canadian, and his future wife of 50 plus years. In 1946 William, Alice and their two children, William Jr. and Elizabeth, packed up the family automobile and a large trailer and drove to sunny California. While transiting through Ranger, TX, a refrigeration truck hit their trailer and destroyed most of their possessions. William and Alice owned a convenience store in Southern California. In the late 1960's or early 1970's William and Alice retired and moved to Grants Pass, OR, due to Alice's failing health. His daughter took care of him for the last 10 years of his life and eventually made a very tough decision, placing him in a nursing home. He begged not to go and died the day after he arrived. He liked to acquire photographs while he was in the military. He left quite a few photos of General Billy Mitchell’s bombing tests on July 21, 1921, against WW1 German battleship, Ostfriesland, and early US parachute testing. William was a great man and he is missed everyday!
William was born in Malden, MA. When he turned 16 he joined the post WW I Army Air Corps, having forged documents or getting his parents to sign a letter. He used to tell me that he actually wanted to join the horse cavalry. He was an aircraft crew-chief (mechanic) with the 94th Aerial Pursuit Squadron, the "Hat-in-the-Ring". The squadron gained fame in WW I with the likes of Eddie Rickenbacker. He also said he wanted to volunteer for the parachute testing unit at the airfield, but made corporal and they wouldn't take him. After serving his term he was an elevator operator for a while and then joined the Edison Electric Illuminating Company in Boston, MA, and became a lineman. Somewhere in there, he met Alice Maude Irvine, a Canadian, and his future wife of 50 plus years. In 1946 William, Alice and their two children, William Jr. and Elizabeth, packed up the family automobile and a large trailer and drove to sunny California. While transiting through Ranger, TX, a refrigeration truck hit their trailer and destroyed most of their possessions. William and Alice owned a convenience store in Southern California. In the late 1960's or early 1970's William and Alice retired and moved to Grants Pass, OR, due to Alice's failing health. His daughter took care of him for the last 10 years of his life and eventually made a very tough decision, placing him in a nursing home. He begged not to go and died the day after he arrived. He liked to acquire photographs while he was in the military. He left quite a few photos of General Billy Mitchell’s bombing tests on July 21, 1921, against WW1 German battleship, Ostfriesland, and early US parachute testing. William was a great man and he is missed everyday!
