~ IN MEMORY ~
WWII veteran, WAL Capt. William “Bill” Newell
May 8, 1924 ~ May 13, 2025
William Edmond Newell
joined Western Airlines 04-10-1950.
Remembered and not forgotten….in 2015 the Prescott AZ newspaper ran an interview/article honoring Bill’s service. Bill became a member of The Caterpillar Club (an international organization for people whose lives were saved by using a parachute to escape a disabled aircraft). Bill was taken as a POW on March 29, 1944. Some excerpts below are taken from that news article. Bill did another lovely interview with the local newspaper which you can still view at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_A4KHMMDPBQ pt.1 and
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FTVd-sccEY pt.2
World War II Prescott Valley retiree Bill Newell…..
19-year-old fighter pilot, Newell was shot down on 13th Mission over Germany.
“What sustained Newell throughout his
ordeal was pictures of his wife - especially one with a lock of her hair
carefully tucked inside its plastic wrapping. He has faithfully carried that picture
in his wallet ever since.” Bill and his
wife Patricia was a forever love story….Patricia “Pat” passed in 2007.
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/304007032/william-e-newell
William E. Newell
Birth
8 May 1924
Death
13 May 2025 (aged 101)
Burial Prescott National Cemetery
Prescott, Yavapai County, Arizona
Plot
SEC K, ROW A, SITE 79
https://americanarchive.iwm.org.uk/archive/person/william-edmond-newell
Highest Rank:
Second Lieutenant
Role/Job: Fighter
Pilot
Awards:
European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal Prisoner of War Medal World War
II Victory Medal
Assigned 335FS,
4FG, 8AF USAAF. Failed to Return from mission, hit by Flak, coolant system
streaming glycol, Lt Newell abandoned P-51 43-6759 near Lingen, Germany.
29-Mar-44 POW. MACR 3524.
Awards: POW, WWII
Victory, EAME.
Post War: Retired
as VP Flight Operations for Western Airlines having flown for them for 32
years.
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