The first Newsletter from the 56th Fighter Group website

Hello everybody, and thank you for signing up to the mailing list for the 56th Fighter Group website. The response to the launch of the site has been fantastic and the messages of support which have been received have been wonderful.

One theme that has been mentioned many times is "At last!","Finally!", and "About Time!" I can only agree, and it has always been a source of amazement to me that there hasn't been a "proper" website for the 56th until now.

For those of you who don't know me, a little background information for you:

My name's Nigel Julian and I live in Derbyshire UK. My father flew with the RAF during WWII and was one of the pilots who trained at #1 BFTS in Terrell Texas, and it's from him that I inherited my interest in WWII history.
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The part played by the "Mighty Eighth" fascinated me, and every time my travels took me to East Anglia I tried to imagine how the skies would have looked during that time, and later, when I found myself spending more and more time flying over to Europe for work, knowing that I was actually flying through the same skies that the actions I had been reading about since I was a boy took place in, would find me gazing out of the window lost in my thoughts.

My first visit to Halesworth was a few years ago, and at that time much of the perimeter track and some of the hardstandings were still intact, and I was able to record this on film. I'm very glad I did, as much demolition of the runways and perimeter track has taken place since then, and continues as I write this newsletter. I have been making regular visits to Halesworth and the museum ever since, as well as travelling to many of the old airfields photographing the memorials, and where possible what remains from the 1940s.

As with many aspects of historical record, the more I researched the 56th Fighter Group the more I found conflicting information and in many instances I would find online and in books some “facts” about the 56th which were totally off the mark, and in a few cases complete fabrication. I began to realise that sooner or later somebody else would probably start a 56th FG website, and it was likely to include this misinformation - and that wasn't going to be good for the old blood pressure! So the idea of starting the website myself began to form, and this took a giant leap forward when I discussed it with my friend Kate Moore who is an accomplished website designer and it's thanks to her that the website looks so good. Most of Kate's design work is for clients in the music industry and it's the first time she's ever been involved in a historical project. I'm sure you'll all join me in thanking Kate for all the work she has put into the project. Thanks Kate!

As you will have seen there has been a lot of activity in the initial first two weeks getting content uploaded onto the new site. Zack Baughman from the Timeless Voices Project has graciously allowed us to link to the 56th FG related interviews which have been completed so far. As more are added to the inventory of interviews at EAA they will appear on the 56th FG website. The interview shown on the front page will change every 7-10 days to keep the homepage fresh for viewers who visit regularly.

The group history and mission list pages are now complete. One thing I'd like to do with the mission list is add the individual 8th Air Force mission numbers at some point soon.

Another large project over the last week has been typing out the personnel roster which was previously only available in the Washington Infantry Journal book published a couple of years after the war ended. If anybody spots any spelling mistakes please let me know and I'll correct the text.

As well as the link to the 56th FG gallery on Peter Randall's excellent "Little Friends" website there are a dozen photo albums available to view at the moment. Many more will be added in the future, and what you see at the moment is only a small amount of what's coming up.

Within a week of starting the website I received a CD ROM containing over 1000 photographs relative to the 56th and these will all be making their way onto the site. If you recognise anybody in the photos that isn't identified please contact us.

The next big project in the Photo Albums section will be to attempt to display a photograph of every pilot who flew with the 56th. This is going to take me a while to put together but it should be well worth waiting for.

56th Fighter Group Operational Records - To the best of my knowledge these have never been converted to a digital format and are only available on microfilm. I have been fortunate to have been loaned two reels related to the 56th and I will be getting these converted in the near future for inclusion on the site.

I have received some fabulous emails from veterans and their families offering to donate material for inclusion on the website and I'm looking forward to seeing what arrives over the forthcoming weeks and months.

One thing I would like to be able to include more of, is photographs from 56th FG reunions. If you have any you would like see added to the site please contact us.

Any materials sent for inclusion, in any format, will be added to the website and then passed onto the 56th Fighter Group museum at Halesworth unless the sender would like them returned after they've been scanned.

If you have any items you would like to donate to the museum that it isn't possible to display on the website these can be sent to the museum directly. Buzz Took, as many of you will know, is the American Liaison at the museum and can be contacted either via the 56th FG website web@56thfightergroup.co.uk or directly at buzztook.56fguk@btinternet.com.

Once again, thank you for all the messages and emails. I hope this website can go someway towards making sure everybody who served in any capacity with the 56th Fighter Group is recognised and their story can be told for future generations to learn from.

Cave Tonitrum!

We know that many veterans and their families of the 56th FG are regular visitors to the website, and we would love to hear any stories about life in the 56th you may have. Please contact us if you have memories and anecdotes you'd like to share.