Sgt Philip E. Trimmer, Jr - North Pickenham, May 1945

The Robert E. Heichel crew - England 28 April 1945. Back row, from left to right : Radio Operator Anthony P. Turco; the unidentified Navigator who replaced Seymour Eisenstat, severely wounded in the 14 March 1945 crash of B-24 # 42-51195; Co-Pilot Thomas J. Alexander; Pilot Robert E. Heichel, Gunner Philip E. Trimmer Jr. Front row : Gunner Glen C. LeBleu; Gunner Rheudolph W. Cain; Gunner Lacy C. Gilliam and an unidentified man who replaced Engineer Kenneth S. Kingsland, who was killed in the crash of 42-51195 on 14 March 1945. (Photo courtesy of the Anthony Turco family)

Anthony P. Turco having won his Technical Sergeant stripes, May 1945 - England. The man pointing to his stripes is Sgt Philip E. Trimmer, Jr and at far right is S/Sgt Rheudolph W. Cain. (Photo courtesy of the Turco family)

Enlisted men of the Robert Heichel crew in Georgia, USA, 1944. Standing, from left to right : S/Sgt Rheudolph W. Cain; Sgt Philip E. Trimmer Jr; Sgt Glen C. LeBleu and Sgt Lacy C. Gilliam. In front, left, S/Sgt Anthony P. Turco; right, Sgt Kenneth S. Kingsland (photo courtesy of the Turco family)

The plaque to the memory of Sgt Kenneth Kingsland. It reads : TO THE MEMORY OF KENNETH KINGSLAND Here on 14 March 1945, on return from a mission to Germany, the "BELLE RINGER", a B-24 Liberator bomber from the 854th Squadron of the 491st Bomber Group, made a forced landing. Its left wing hit the isolated house with the orange roof you can notice behind you. The aircraft ended its course in the field facing this chapel. Sergent Kenneth Kingsland, from Connecticut and aged 27, lost his life. He is buried at the Ardennes American Cemetery in Neuville-en-Condroz. * Ayez une pensée pour Kenneth qui est mort pour notre liberté * Have a thought for Kenneth who died for our freedom. (The captions of the photos in the left-hand column) : The débris of the plane facing the chapel (in the background on the photo). An engine from the left wing in front of the small isolated house at the edge of the Chaussée de Dinant (chapel in the background) (The captions of the photos in the right-hand column) : Sergent Kenneth Kingsland (engineer). He had three sisters and he was married. On the left, the insignia of the 8th Air Force to which the aircraft belonged. To the right, that of the 491st Bombardment Group. "Belle Ringer" was the name given to the plane by its crew. (At bottom) The crew of the "Belle Ringer" (photo montage) [ NOTE : this is a composite photo, where the faces of two new members of the Heichel crew in the May 1945 photo have been replaced by those of Kenneth Kingsland and Navigator Seymour Eisenstat ] Standing from left to right : Sergent Anthony Turco, Radio; Lieutenant Seymour Eisenstat, Navigator; Lieutenant Thomas Alexander, Co-Pilot; Lieutenant Robert Heichel, Pilot; Sergent Philip Trimmer, Gunner. Kneeling, from left to right : Sergent Glen Lebleu, Gunner; Sergent Rheudolph Cain, Gunner; Sergent Lacy Gilliam, Gunner; Sergent Kenneth Kingsland, Engineer/Gunner. (At the bottom of the plaque, in blue, a short text in English summarizing the events and Sgt Kingsland's fate)