HAROLD BUCKLEY WILLIS 1890-1962

Left is Maj. Marvin L. McNickle at wheel of jeep. Middle Capt. E. A. Vinson, and Right is Col. Harold B. Willis Gibraltar in background - 1942 Library of Congress Collection, 9-17-07

 

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE      During World War II, he joined the Army Air Force and served with the rank of major in Africa, England and France. He was released from active duty as a colonel. From The Early Birds of Aviation CHIRP, October, 1962, Number 69.

 

Left to Right: Col. Harold B. Willis of Boston, MA Maj. Marvin L. McNickles of Doland, SD, and Capt. A. E. Vinson of Monticello, Mississippi Gibraltar in background - 1942 Library of Congress Collection, 9-17-07

 

ONLINE RESOURCES      If you search for "Harold Buckley Willis" +aviation, using the Google search engine, (9-20-07), you will find about 8 links..

 

The Lafayette Escadrille Based on the exhibit located at the New England Air Museum      This is an extremely informative website which offers photos and brief biographies of the members of the Lafayette Flying Corps, including that of Harold B. Willis. You can access it by clicking on the title above.

 

FIRST AERO SQUADRON with the MEXICAN PUNITIVE EXPEDITION, 1916 By Capt. Benjamin D. Foulois, Signal Corps, U.S. Army Harold and many other Early Birds are mentioned in this story. You can access it by clicking on: First Aero Squadron

 

WAYBACKMACHINE.ORG      "The Internet Archive is building a digital library of Internet sites and other cultural artifacts in digital form. Like a paper library, we provide free access to researchers, historians, scholars, and the general public." Editor's Notes: Just recently, (6-21-05), I revisited this page for Willis to update it. I soon discovered that the two most important links, cited below, had become obsolete. This happens all too frequently and until recently I had to accept the loss as inevitable. However, some months ago, I became aware of a remarkable resource, The Wayback Machine. As stated in the excerpt above which comes from the homepage of the site, it is archiving websites at a rapid rate and enables us to access them, even though they have disappeared from the net.      In the case of the Lafayette Escadrille and First Aero Squadron websites, they both disappeared some time after 4-9-2004. Happily, the machine had archived a copy of the Willis page on my site, as well as the two links. By visiting their homesite and applying the URL of the Willis page, I was able to recover both sites, at least the text portions. So, I copied them, made pages for both of them, and they are now accessable by clicking on the links below.      If you have also been unable to access some important website, which has disappeared without a trace, I suggest you try the Wayback Machine by clicking on the title above. With any luck, you will find that it has been archived and will be accessable.

 

Harold Buckley Willis passed away at the age of 72 on April 18, 1962.      Willis was a graduate of Newton High School and a member of the class of 1912 at Harvard College. His architectural works included Newton City Hall, Riverside Church in New York, Weston High School and buildings at Mt. Holyoke college, Union Theological School and SpringfieldCollege.      He enlisted during World War I with the American Field Service as an ambulance driver. He was decorated for bravery. Later, he enlisted in the famed Lafayette Escadrille as a sergeant-pilot.      Willis was shot down and listed as officially dead August 18, 1917. He was captured behind lines in Verdun, France, and placed in a series of German prisoner camps. Just before the signing of the armistice, he and a number of others managed to escape and swam the Rhine river to safety.      During World War II, he joined the Army Air Force and served with the rank of major in Africa, England and France. He was released from active duty as a colonel.      He leaves a wife; two sons, Harold B. Jr. of Weston, and Andrew F. of Dedham; a daughter, Mrs. Hannah B. Wilkinson of Weston, and six grandchildren. From The Early Birds of Aviation CHIRP, October, 1962, Number 69

 

Highly Recommended Links for Further Reading:   Pioneering Air-Sea Engagement, 1913

 

Back