Ares Games
Results 1 to 8 of 8

Thread: Major William Harrison Saunders

  1. #1

    Default Major William Harrison Saunders

    Thought you all might enjoy seeing this, the identification card of American flier William Harrison Saunders of Sumter, South Carolina.

    Saunders was a colorful character and gifted young officer, who flew primarily as a gunner/observer with the 12th Aero Squadron, in A.R.'s and Salmsons. A West Point graduate and field artillery officer, he was perhaps the American flyer most responsible for the training of gunner/observers, having served as a liaison with the French and gone through their training school. ("A charming comrade for us", his French squadron commander called him, also commending his marksmanship.) Before the war was over he had been personally commended by General Pershing for his bravery, particularly on the day when he took three machines into action - two of which never flew again. His papers at the Sumter Historical Society are a treasure trove, including marksmanship instruction for aerial gunnery, procedures for reconnaissance missions, a photo of Charles Nungesser, and a postcard to a South Carolina friend in which he makes the bawdy boast, "Thanks to the women of France, I haven't taken a cold shower in six months".

    Saunders was sent home early to become an aerial artillery spotting instructor at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, and he missed the Fall offensive of 1918. Less than a year later, he died in a flying accident. A delegation of Confederate veterans brought condolences to his mother and praised the way he had carried forward the legacy of his uncle, Confederate General Richard "Fighting ****" Anderson.


    Click image for larger version. 

Name:	SaundersIDAero.jpg 
Views:	32 
Size:	79.2 KB 
ID:	171543
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails AviationHQ-2-Aero.jpg   MethodofShooting1-Aero.jpg  

  2. #2

    Default

    Whoops! The page from the manual is part of Saunders' papers; the Naval Air Headquarters is from another flyer's, and I will post his story tomorrow!

  3. #3

    Thumbs up

    Interesting stuff Joe!
    Thanks for posting.

  4. #4

    Default

    Another good find Baz.
    Makes you wonder just what a wealth of memorabilia is still out there to be discovered?
    Thanks for sharing this with us.
    Rob.
    "Courage is the art of being the only one who knows you're scared to death."

  5. #5

    Default

    You're welcome! You never know what will turn up out there; some days a museum is a mystery drama....of course, like every other business out there, most days it's a poorly-written situation comedy!

  6. #6

    Default

    Thank you for sharing this. There must be many unsung heroes.

  7. #7

    Default

    Thanks for posting this, Joe.
    Fascinating stuff!

  8. #8

    Default

    Really interesting stuff, thanks for posting

    Never Knowingly Undergunned !!



Similar Missions

  1. Harrison Ford plane crash.
    By Naharaht in forum Officer's Club
    Replies: 25
    Last Post: 03-12-2015, 18:39
  2. New US-Major
    By Marechallannes in forum Officer's Club
    Replies: 44
    Last Post: 05-24-2013, 15:53
  3. Replies: 6
    Last Post: 10-24-2012, 03:24
  4. Major Me!!!
    By Aero825 in forum Officer's Club
    Replies: 21
    Last Post: 02-05-2011, 17:31
  5. Captain William Allcock - a web site dedicated to
    By Attila57 in forum WGF: Historical Discussions
    Replies: 0
    Last Post: 01-03-2011, 03:48

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •