Wartime Air Demonstration
July 1944Dearest Reader,
In a letter dated July 28, 1944, my mother responded to news my father had shared about a tragic accident that occurred during an air show. Her words suggest not only how quickly such events traveled through letters and conversations:
“Mother read to me what you wrote about that plane accident that occurred while that air show was going on. You know, I knew one of the men who was killed. Ford Sayre, Captain, from Hanover, NH. He was a great friend of Mr. Tuttle’s as he ran the Hanover Inn which is across the campus from Dartmouth College. He was only 34 when he was killed.”
The accident she refers to took place during a large wartime air show at Felts Field in Spokane, Washington, where two Army Air Forces planes collided in midair in front of thousands of spectators. Several airmen were killed instantly. It was meant to be a patriotic display designed to inspire confidence and unity on the home front. Instead, it became a stark reminder of the dangers of war.
My father was stationed in Spokane at the time, and it is possible he was writing about the accident because he had actually witnessed it. For my mother, the tragedy was also personal. One of the servicemen, Captain Ford Sayre, was someone she knew by association.
This exchange of letters captures how wartime loss reverberated through shared memories.
Dr. Nancy Watson
Washington
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