Billy Hugo Huish was born on October 17, 1918, in Douglas, Cochise County, Arizona. He was the son of Heber Allen Huish and Edna Lillian Haymore Huish. He was married to Mary Lovisa Christenson Huish Higgins. He served in the 322nd Bomber Squadron, 91st Bomber Group, Heavy, as a Second Lieutenant and Navigator on the B-17 ""Skunkface"" #42-29656 during World War II. On February 20, 1944, during a mission over Halberstadt, his plane was shot down. Surviving the crash, 2Lt Huish evaded capture with the help of local resistance fighters, who provided shelter and assistance as he awaited the opportunity to escape back to England.

Unfortunately, the safety of 2Lt Huish and seven other American airmen was compromised after a betrayal by local collaborators. They were captured by German forces, along with two members of the Belgian resistance who had been aiding them. The Belgian resistance members were deported to camps in Germany, where they later died. On April 22, 1944, 2Lt Huish and the other airmen were taken to a wooded area near Chimay, where they were executed by German troops and buried in a mass grave.

After the war, those responsible for the massacre were prosecuted by Belgian authorities. 2Lt Huish is now buried in the Netherlands American Cemetery and Memorial, Margraten, Eijsden-Margraten Municipality, Limburg, Netherlands. He was posthumously awarded the Air Medal, and Purple Heart in recognition of his bravery and sacrifice.