Friends Of the 305th Bomb Group
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Clair Miller (Crew Chief)
366th Bomb Sqaudron
Unknown, Clair Miller (Right)
crew Chief Clair Miller, joined the 305th Bomb Group at Salt Lake City. Clair wanted to be a pilot, however when he got to England his eye site wasnt good enough for flying, so he became the Crew Chief of the 366th Bomb Sqaudron, 305th Bomb Group. Whilst at station 105, one of the planes that Clair was crew chief on was "Freckles" (Pictured Right), there is no information about the plane however after looking closely at the orignal photographs, it could have only been one aircraft, that being 42-39966 KY-S - named when she was lost August 3rd 1944, as V for Victor. Pete Filorimo, the first pilot of V for Victor and his men named their plane after a family they had lodged with in Spokane Washington State, during final combat training before coming to England. The name of the family was Mom and Pop Victor, so thats how they came about the name 'V for Victor'. Our guess is another crew had this painted on the nose, or it could have been on there just before the Filorimo crew took her over.By the time 42-39966 was shot down 3rd August 1944, she was on her 50th mission.
Whist at Chelveston (Station 105) Clair met a local girl, Jackie Cook whos parents ran the ice cream parler in Rushden High Street. jackie later became Clairs wife.
At the End of the war, Clair and Jackie returend to the USA to live in Michigan, later having children living in Denva, Collarado.
My grandfather (William Betts, Rushden) first met Clair when out for a drive in his jeep, with markings of Wham- Bam, a 305th Bomb Group plane. When a car stopped him, this being Clair and jackie. My grandfather then got to know them and Clair told him about being a Chelveston.
Clair and Jackie would then return every year to visit family, in St Margarets Avenue, Rushden but to also keep in touch with my grandfather.
366th BS, 305th BG Chelveston, England Ground Crew M/sgt Miller, C.F (5th from bottom Right)
G.I. Girls
Second from right, Jackie Cook, Clair's wife. She was born in St Margarets Avenue, Rushden.