Some context: These are my boyfriend's grandparents, Joseph & Gertrude (Eller) Davies, taken around 1944. Joseph was a pilot for the USAAF. On June 4, 1944 (two days before D-Day), Joseph and a few other soldiers were killed when their plane malfunctioned and crashed. At the time she received news of her husband's death, Gertrude was 5 months pregnant with my boyfriend's father.
What a sad tale, but as we know from genealogy, life manages to go on.
ReplyDeleteIt is a lovely story.
Great photo with a sad story. Thanks for sharing it with us.
ReplyDelete~Regina
Such a tragic story, and sadly, not an uncommon one. So glad your boyfriend has this picture as a remembrance. Thanks for sharing this.
ReplyDeleteHe is so fortunate to have this photo!!
ReplyDeleteJoseph appears to realize there are risks ahead...
Thank you so much for sharing this one. It is special, I think!
Bill ;-)
http://drbilltellsancestorstories.blogspot.com/
Author of "13 Ways to Tell Your Ancestor Stories"
Thanks for the comments, everyone. It is such a sad story, but I feel lucky to have learned it. No one knew exactly what happened to Joe before I started researching - thank goodness for the FOIA!
ReplyDeleteThis is one of the stories that hooked me on genealogy as a career. Being able to share this with my boyfriend and his family was such a meaningful and profound experience.
Wow Sarah, I just saw this. I was thinking it was such a great photo! Reading what was next though was just too sad. Most awesome photo to treasure though.
ReplyDelete