Lt. Billie Harris goes to war in Europe
Upon reaching Europe, Billie was stationed in the south-east of England. As part of the 355th Fighter Squadron, he and his P-51 Mustang plane were tasked with protecting bombers on their runs to Germany and back. Then, following the successful Normandy landings, his mission changed. Now Billie and his comrades were to hit ground targets in enemy territory. It was dangerous work. Some days, Billie would fly several missions over the English Channel and into the danger zone. But Billie was an ace. He won two Air Medals with 11 oak leaf clustered as well as the Distinguished Flying Cross. But what really mattered to Peggy was the fact that he soon logged more than 60 flights. That meant he would be eligible for leave and could head home to be with her. Billie even wrote his beloved a letter saying he would be home soon. It was dated 8 July, 1944.
Later that same month, Peggy received a telegram. It said that her Billie was “missing in action”. Confusingly, it stated that he went missing on 7 July. Perhaps there was hope? She told the War Department that she had received a hand-written note dated a day after Billie was alleged to have been shot down. In the confusion of war, mistakes were made all the time. Could it be that a simple administrative error had mixed Billie up with another unfortunate airman? Sadly not. The War Department looked into the matter. Officials confirmed that Billie went missing on 17 July. They had no further news. Distraught, and unable to work with warplanes any longer, Peggy quit her job and waited. And waited.
A couple of months later, Peggy received an official note from the Supreme Headquarters in Allied France (SHEAF). It stated that Lt. Harris had returned to the United States, taking the leave that was owed him. Surely he wouldn’t have returned without informing his wife? More confused than ever, Peggy sought help. The Red Cross stressed that Billie may still be being ‘processed’ and would get in touch soon. But he never did. “Billie’s parents and I choose to believe that he was back in the United States,” she told the 54th Fighter Group website for veterans and their relatives. “We were hoping that he was in a hospital somewhere, and maybe just didn’t know who he was or had lost his memory. We had heard of cases like that.”
A family haunted by a fate unknown
Even with the war long over, nobody could confirm what had happened to Billie. Peggy and his family were first informed he was missed, and then that he had been killed in action. Tragically, his parents passed away in the 1980s, still not knowing what became of their son. But the story didn’t end there. Billie had a cousin, Alton Harvey, who was born after he had gone missing in France. As a young man, Alton grew up on stories of his brave, pilot cousin. Once he himself had retired from work, he decided to devote his energy to finding out what happened to Billie. Weren’t there cases of American pilots being buried in France? With the U.S. Army now making files relating to the period publicly available, he decided to request any files they had on a Lt. Harris. A few days later, Alton got an answer: Yes, there were files on this downed airman. And they had been requested six months previously by a lady in France.