AFEES Contacts

President – Joe Owens

Vice-PresidentBeverly Patton Wand – wandbandj at aol.com

Executive Vice PresidentLynn David – ldavid at bankconsultants.com

Treasurer John White – john.white at swri.org

Corresponding SecretaryMargaret Friche – fiche.john1 at gmail.com

Membership SecretaryRichard Shandor – rshandor at hotmail.com

Communications (Newsletter) Editor – See the website’s page, AFEES Newsletter Submissions

13 thoughts on “AFEES Contacts

  1. On behalf of the Mayor of Villebout ( France) who is organising a remembrance ceremony in the Freteval Forest in France next June, we are trying to join any of those people : Edouard Renière and Philippe Save, from Belgium or President Katsaros who used to work with Michel Herbuel, secretary of the memorial commitee of allied Airmen in villebout. Could you please send me any information that I would then transfer?
    I am a member of the Afees thanks to my mother who was a helper during the war. In 1987 we visited the States and were welcome by Heyward C. Spinks in Beaufort (SC) and other members in those days. Unfortunately I no longer get your ” magazine” since I moved so I decided to join you by mail. Thank you for your help.Sincerely.
    AM Soudet
    79 rue St Fuscien Apt B12
    80090 Amiens France

    1. Dear Ms. Soudet-Declercq,

      You will find the contact information, including AFEES President Katsaros on the AFEES website page listing its officers at https://airforceescape.org/officers/. The email address that I have for Ed Renière is [email protected]. I am not familiar with the name of Philippe Save. AFEES will be having its annual meeting in May in Buffalo, New York and Niagara Falls. That would be an opportunity for you to meet additional members. See https://airforceescape.org/2015-afees-reunion/. However, if you were to attend, you would need to act immediately to sign up.

  2. Dear Sir,
    I wish to get a digital copy of a file from AFEES own archives. Its reference :
    MS 54 # 3 (page 13) puis Serie 3 – Correspondence – Box 28 – Folder 4 (Lorinquer et Le Goff) (pages 27 et 28)].
    File connected to Hugonnet, Southers, etc … (B 17 fallen down on 5 January 1944 in Brittany, France).
    Best regards.

    1. AFEES does not have an archive other than what has appeared in its newsletters or on this website. And I do not recognize the file reference that you give. Both Hugonnet and Southers, however, do appear on the index to evaders elsewhere on this website (see https://airforceescape.org/newsletters/index-to-newsletters/index-to-airmen/) and you can use it to find your way to whatever stories in the AFEES newsletters mention them. In addition, in this website at https://airforceescape.org/afees-member-stories/ you will find some information on both men. Perhaps what you have in mind are the escape and evasion reports on American airmen available at the National Archives II in College Park, Maryland in the U.S. which are available on-line. Hugonnet’s report, for example, is available at https://research.archives.gov/search?q=Ernest%20Hugonnet. For advice on how to search the on-line database, see https://wwii-netherlands-escape-lines.com/research/national-archives-research/escape-evasion-reports-available-on-line/. Southers report may also be there but I did not immediately find it.
      Bruce Bolinger
      Webmaster

  3. Good evening,
    Dear Madam,
    Dear Sir,
    My grandfather was a member of a resistance goup in France (Normandy) and my mother said to me that he helped some Royal Air Force members to escape from german soldiers.
    If I give you the name and some other information, is it possible to know who was save
    by him and if there is still familly in UK of these airmen ?
    He has , on his tomb, at cemetery an official plate of Royal Air Force Escape Society.
    The Name is : Marcel OLBE

    Thank you for your help
    Regards,
    Alain Baboin
    Normandy
    France

    1. Dear Mr. Baboin,

      I will send your request for information to members of a WWII escape and evasion group to which I belong. I will pass on to you any replies that I get.

      Best wishes,
      Bruce Bolinger
      Webmaster

      Dear Mr Baboin,

      Two members of the group to which I belong replied and gave me some suggestions for your research.

      Attached is a copy of the page from the list of French helpers of Allied airmen. (You can also click on https://wwii-netherlands-escape-lines.com/helpers-of-allied-airmen/french-helper-list/o-names/french-helpers-obert-to-ozon/ , which is on my personal website, and see the list.) As you will see, your grandfather is listed as living at Breteuil sur Iton, (Eure). His Award Grade is 5, the award grade that is most commonly given (an Award Grade of 1, for example, would be awarded to someone who ran a large escape line). The Certificate Number and Claim Number were for record-keeping purposes of the Allies and are not of any particular use to you. You should be able to get a copy of the file compiled by the Allies on your grandfather . There is probably a copy of the file at the U.S. National Archives II (NAII) of the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). NAII is located in College Park, Maryland outside of Washington, D.C. and is where all the WWII records are kept. You should be able to order a copy of his file from NAII. If you go to this link: https://www.archives.gov/contact?utm_source=Catalog%20Newsletter&utm_campaign=two_steps&utm_content=two_steps, you should find a form to use to contact NAII. My understanding is that there is no charge for the first time someone requests a copy of a helper file.

      There is a good chance that there will be some information on the airmen he helped, possibly including their names and maybe even dates he helped them and some personal details. If any of them are Americans, it should be possible for you to obtain their escape and evasion reports. See https://wwii-netherlands-escape-lines.com/research/national-archives-research/escape-evasion-reports-available-on-line/ for details on how to look up any such reports.

      You mentioned that there was an official plate on his tomb from the Royal Air Forces Escaping Society. When RAFES was shut down because its members were dying off its records were turned over to the Imperial War Museum in London. (RAFES still has a website. See http://www.rafinfo.org.uk/rafescape/.) There is a good chance that there will be a RAFES files on the members of the RAF your grandfather helped. I have heard that the IWM may not be willing to look for a file on a member of RAFES because it does not have enough people to do searches. Maybe they would be willing to let you search the RAFES files. But you would have to have the names of the RAF men to be able to find the files.

      Here is a link to a French website that connects airmen to geographical locations (https://wwii-netherlands-escape-lines.com/helpers-of-allied-airmen/french-helper-list/french-helpers-by-geographical-location/) where they were helped. I think it would be worth your searching it for the place listed as where your grandfather lived and other towns in the area. You might find the names of Allied airmen helped in those towns and discover connections to your grandfather.

      If you find the names of British airmen helped by your grandfather, I know someone in England who specializes in searching for people who are to inherit something who might be able to help you locate their families.

      Best wishes,
      Bruce Bolinger
      Webmaster

  4. Mon père, membre d’un réseau de résistance à La Forêt sur Sèvre durant la seconde guerre mondiale a aidé a caché un aviateur américain du nom de Wilburn Hampton du 1er août 1944 au 9 septembre 1944. Ce dernier a été remis aux autorités militaires US à Nantes le 9/9/1944 par mon père.
    Je sais que cette aviateur a vécu en Arkansas à Hardy. Il est aujourd’hui décédé. Je recherche donc un ou des membres de sa famille. Je possède une photo de cette période et j’aimerais être certain qu’il s’agit bien de lui. A cette fin je peux transmettre cette photo à sa Famille.
    Avec mes remerciements.
    M Vinck JR

    Google translation: My father, member of a resistance network at La Forêt sur Sèvre during the Second World War, helped hide an American aviator by the name of Wilburn Hampton from August 1, 1944 to September 9, 1944. The latter was handed over to the US military authorities in Nantes on 9/9/1944 by my father.
    I know this aviator lived in Arkansas in Hardy. He is now deceased. So I am looking for one or more members of his family. I have a photo from this period and I would like to be sure it is him. To this end I can transmit this photo to his Family.
    With thanks.
    M Vinck JR

  5. Hi,
    My name is François Massart, my grand father was Jean Léon Massart from the ” reseau comet “, he saved some pilots during the second world war and I would like to get some more information about that.
    Could you please help me.
    Best regards. François.

    1. Dear Mr. Massart,

      If you go to the following page on my website,https://wwii-netherlands-escape-lines.com/helpers-of-allied-airmen/french-helper-list/m-names/french-helpers-martin-to/, and scroll down to page 90982, you will find that your grandfather’s name is the last one on the page along with his address, certificate number, claim number, and that he was recognized as a Grade 5, the typical grade. The head of a major escape line, for example, would have been a Grade 1. (The claim number suggests that he lost something as a result of his help to evaders and requested reimbursement.) After the Liberation, Allied Military Intelligence advertised in the newspapers requesting that each person who aided an Allied airman complete a questionnaire (vragenlijst). See the following page for a description of its contents:https://wwii-netherlands-escape-lines.com/research/national-archives-research/airmen-helper-questionnaires/questionnaire-translation/. In all probability there is a file on your grandfather at National Archives II (NAII) in College Park, Maryland. You can contact them as follows: National Archives at College Park – Textual Reference (RDT2)
      National Archives at College Park
      8601 Adelphi Road
      College Park, MD 20740-6001
      Phone: 301-837-3510
      Fax: 301-837-1752
      Email: [email protected]
      The British National Archives very likely has much the same records but I am not as familiar with them as with those at NAII.
      For further suggestions on researching aid to an airman, see the following page: https://wwii-netherlands-escape-lines.com/faqs/faqs-resistance/.
      Once you have a copy of his questionnaire, you will likely have the names of airmen he helped and you can order their escape and evasion reports from NAII. The questionnaire may also have the names of other helpers and you can order copies of their helper files.
      The escape and evasion files of airmen are available from NAII online where you can read them and print them out. See https://wwii-netherlands-escape-lines.com/research/national-archives-research/escape-evasion-reports-available-on-line/ for instructions. For further advice on researching the airmen helped, see https://wwii-netherlands-escape-lines.com/faqs/how-do-i-learn-about-an-allied-airman-who-was-shot-down/.

      Best wishes,
      Bruce Bolinger, Webmaster

    1. There is some information on him at the following:
      1. https://airforceescape.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/AFEES-Member-Database-A-D.pdf, the AFEES member database.
      2. His name also appears in the Index to Evaders at https://airforceescape.org/newsletters/index-to-newsletters/index-to-airmen/ on this website which will direct you to an article in the AFEES newsletter of September 1997, pg. 10-11 at https://airforceescape.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/September-1997.pdf.
      3. Note that his escape and evasion report number in the 1997 article is listed as #962. That report is on the National Archives website at https://catalog.archives.gov/search?q=E%26E%20962&f.ancestorNaIds=305270. You can print it out.
      4. The Evasion Comete website has an account of his experiences at http://www.evasioncomete.org/fdibettge.html. It is in French but you can use Google to translate it.

      Best wishes,
      Bruce Bolinger, Webmaster

  6. Hello AFEES,

    In early June 2023 a team of four including descendants of Sgt Ron ‘Curly’ Emeny RAF will be walking the route of the last Comete Line evasion group, approx 80 miles. A Belgian film company will be making a documentary of the event. Please be assured we will remember the the USAAC evaders Lt Col ‘Speedy’ Hubbard, Major Donald Wills and Lt Jack Cornett. If there are any descendants of these fine men reading this post, feel free to make contact.

    Kind Regards,
    Allan

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