Wilbur was a Gunner on the B-17 #97862 aircraft in World War II. The plane left Newfoundland, Canada, and crossed the Atlantic via Iceland bound for Northern Ireland. A low, thick cloud hung over the city of Belfast and the crew decided to divert to the airfield at Nutts Corner, Co. Antrim. While in a holding pattern, the crew became disorientated and crashed into the slope of Cavehill. Their plane burst into flames on the hillside causing bombs and ammunition to explode; all men aboard were killed. The members were interred in the Lisnabreeny Former American Military Cemetery in England. The cemetery closed in 1948 and their remains were exhumed and transferred. SSGT Brewer is buried now in the Memorial Park Cemetery, Clinton, DeWitt County, Illinois, USA.
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