He has listed this group on eBay for 10k.

Was he awarded the DFC for the same action in which he was killed?   Is there any paperwork about the DFC?   Any chance the family still has the Purple Heart or perhaps his squadron patch?    If the PH was there I would think this would be a $1500 group.   Many pilot groups have tons of paperwork, some even had trunks full, they seem to have had the ability to keep that stuff.   The most interesting item in the group is the engraved DFC even though it was issued after the war.

Might want to go back and get a picture together or a signed statement or something. Gotta keep that history verified ;)

While inventorying the Lloyd J. Andrews Jr. archive, I found this February 20, 1944 RAF letter preserved inside one of the family scrapbooks.   The letter was written by RAF serviceman Eric Marriott to Mrs. Cadwell regarding a missing airman named Harry following a Berlin operation. Eric notes that Harry’s aircraft failed to return and expresses hope that he may have become a POW. The letter also contains an interesting reference to Phoenix, Arizona.   I’m trying to determine whether this was simply a wartime keepsake preserved by the family or whether there may be a direct connection between the Andrews family and the individuals mentioned in the letter.   Has anyone encountered Eric Marriott, Harry Cadwell, or this particular Berlin operation in their research?

Anyone know parachute items well?

While continuing to inventory the Lloyd J. Andrews Jr. archive, I was able to connect an interesting postwar chapter of the family’s story.   The archive contains a May 31, 1945 letter written to Anne Andrews and signed simply “Jack.” In the letter, Jack describes being stationed in Austria near Berchtesgaden after the war in Europe, recovering from a hospital stay, fishing, hunting, and traveling through Germany and France.   Further research uncovered the obituary of Jack P. Wilson, which states that he married Anne E. McKee on July 18, 1946. The obituary also lists daughter Talitha McKay among the survivors.   The archive also contains a newspaper article showing Anne Andrews and daughter Talitha Ann Andrews receiving Lt. Andrews’ posthumous Distinguished Flying Cross in December 1945.   Taken together, these documents appear to trace the story from Lloyd Andrews’ death in October 1944, through Anne’s widowhood, to her marriage to fellow WWII veteran Jack Wilson in 1946. It may also help explain how the archive remained preserved intact within the family for more than 80 years.   I thought forum members might appreciate this additional piece of the story.

period original 

Thanks. I was getting worried. The copies are so good. 

Very nice.... As a side note.....it looks like PFC Hanscom was squared up against some pretty tough units.  He likely got his map case from 1st Battery of the 1st Battalion, Flak Regiment 11 (I./Flak-Rgt. 11, 1. Bttr.).  They were motorized 88's that fought from 1939 Poland invasion through May 1945.  Most converted mid war from anti-aircraft role to anti-tank role.   In 1945 some surrendered to British/Americans in Austria and most were captured by Soviet Red Army in northwestern Yugoslavia and western Hungary.