William McClure Davis, of Bluefield, Virginia, was born on September 11, 1920. He was the husband of Doris Evelyn Davis.

William served in the 485th Fighter Squadron, 370th Fighter Group, as a Captain and Pilot on the P-38 #43-28464 'Swamp Angel' during World War II.

On July 7, 1944, he took off from Station 406 airfield in Andover, England, for a machine gunning mission near Orléans, France. Hit by flak, one of his engines was set on fire, and the other overheated. Fortunately, Cpt Davis managed to crash-land, landing his plane in flames at Vallée de Chauvilliers in the town of St-Léger-des-Aubées. He was one of the 152 allied airmen and soldiers who were helped and hidden in the Freteval Forest camp by the French Resistance to evade German capture.

Cpt Davis also served during the Korean war and attained his highest rank in the USAF as Colonel. He died on February 10, 2004, at the age of 83, and is now buried in the Riverview Memorial Park, Fort Pierce, St. Lucie County, Florida, USA.

Source of information: www.findagrave.com, francecrashes39-45.net