WWII rescue unites families
Children come together 75 years after North Sea rescue of Troy pilot
Editor’s note: The Record told the story on Memorial Day weekend of William Styles, a World War II bomber pilot from Troy who was rescued, along with three other crew members, from the North Sea in 1943 by a Danish fisherman, and his family not learning the truth about their father’s rescue until reading his prisoner of war journal. Style’s daughter, Linda
Berkery of Latham, discovered a picture of her father with an article from a Denmark newspaper, as well as a handwritten letter from Denmark, posted August 3, 1949, all taped to the inside of that journal.
Her discovery, which she made while doing research to have his service memorialized on a banner to be hung in Troy by the Troy Military Banner Committee, led her to make contact with the family of the fishing boat’s skipper, and the families have been exchanging letters and sharing mementos, including two silk scarves imprinted with a map, which pilots carried in their evacuation kits in case they were shot down.
The families finally met in late October, during a reunion of Style’s 100th Bombardment Group in Washington, D.C. Berkery shared this account with The Record:
There was a small reunion within the larger 100th Bomb Group reunion. Children and grandchildren of World War II fliers and the fishermen who rescued them from the North Sea arrived from New York, South Carolina, California, Oregon, Colorado, Louisiana, Connecticut, Pennsylvania and the coasts of Denmark. We seemed pulled and guided to this reunion in memory of
our fathers: Richard Carey, William Styles, Robert Lepper, Maynard Parsons, the American fliers, and Svend Lundager Pedersen and Viggo Skouenborg, the Danish fishermen. We honored 30 hours shared by our fathers on a fishing boat from July 25 to July 26 in 1943. For three days, we remembered a time of courage and kindness during the inhumanity of war.
Before I left home for the reunion, I took a meditative walk through a labyrinth holding a blue padded envelope close to my heart. It contained original photos from the rescue, Danish news clippings from the war and a letter written in August 1949 to my father, Bill Styles, from the skipper of the Danish fishing boat, Svend Lundager Pedersen. As I slowly moved along the path, I spoke aloud the names of the six crew members who were killed in action that day, the names of the four survivors who became our fathers and the names of the brave Danish fishermen who became heroes that summer evening.
When I finally reached the center of the labyrinth, I bent down and placed the blue envelope on the stones and released some tears. After a moment of silence, however, I picked up the documents and turned toward the future. The anticipation of finally meeting face-toface with the children of the fliers and the children of the fishermen who chatted with me all summer through social media brought great joy. I couldn’t wait to board the plane.
The blue padded envelope was delivered to Kirsten Gaulshoj, the skipper’s daughter, at the Wednesday early arrival dinner. It never felt so good to give something away. Kirsten This plague was presented during a reunion of the 100th Bombardment Group in late October in Washington to the children of crew members of the Danish fishing boat who rescued survivors of a B-17 crash in the North Sea in 1943. Family members of both the survivors of a World War II B-17 crash in the North Sea and the Danish fishermen who rescued them met for the first time during a reunion of the 100th Bombardment Group in late October in Washington. Sven Lundager and Kristen Gaulshoj, children of crew members of the Danish fishing boat that rescued survivors of a B-17 crash in the North Sea in 1943, show the American flag and plaque presented to them by the relatives of the crash survivors during a reunion of the 100th Bombardment Group in late October in Washington.
opened the letter with quaking hands and got a new glimpse of her father, who died when she was just a young teen.
“I am so proud of him for what he did, finding your fathers,” she said. “I am happy to meet all of you.”
Kirsten will bring the photos and documents to The Fisheries and Maritime Museum in Esbjerg, Denmark, for a special exhibition about the rescue.
When I began to search last March for the families of the fishermen who rescued our fathers from the death grip of the North Sea, I could not have imagined such a powerful reunion. Fifteen Americans representing the 97 descendants of the four rescued fliers immediately bonded with our Danish brothers and sisters. Tears flowed. Gifts were exchanged. There was a palpable
sense of coming full circle. The range of emotions was indescribable.
“And suddenly, the world was just a small place where people meet,” remarked Mathilde Jespersen, a Danish journalist, as she witnessed the first hugs during the early arrival dinner.
Jesper Skouenborg, a fisherman’s son, proudly watched as past events came alive for his own young children.
“This has been a fantastic historic adventure,” he said.
On Friday afternoon, my sister, Carol Hirata, and I had the honor of meeting retired Maj. John H. Luckadoo, who was part of the first crew of the 100th Bomb Group to finish a tour of 25 missions. This chance encounter was especially meaningful since John “Lucky” Luckadoo
was in the same pilot training class (43-B) as my father and flew his last mission in Alice from Dallas II with Bill Desanders. Dad flew seven missions in the first Alice from Dallas as copilot with Desanders before crashing in the North Sea in Duration Plus Six. John told wonderful stories about the early days of training as a B-17 pilot and promised to share our reunion story with the children of Bill Desanders when he returned to Texas.
On Saturday, both Danish families were presented with an American flag that had flown over the Capitol Linda Berkery, left, of Latham, daughter of William Styles, and Kirsten Gaulshoj, daughter of the Danish fishing boat captain who rescued Styles after his B-17 crashed in the North Sea in 1943, met for the first time in late October at a reunion of Styles’ 100th Bombardment Group, in Washington.
in Washington, D.C. as well as an engraved plaque.
“What a wonderful treasure we have uncovered,” said Jeanne Carey, daughter of pilot Richard Carey. “I know our fathers would appreciate that we were able to express our gratitude.”
Roberta Greco, daughter of Robert Lepper, who was severely injured in the crash, agreed.
“This reunion was beyond our expectations,” she said.
As we finished breakfast on Sunday morning and said goodbye to our new Danish friends, Judy Moore, daughter of crash survivor
Maynard Parsons, reflected on the amazing events of the reunion.
“We all had an immediate close feeling upon meeting each other,” she remembered. “I felt an encompassing warmth and familiarity that made me sense the history and connection that we will continue to have with each other. We have become family. This is far more than simply meeting each other; this is the start of relationships that will continue.”
Tusind tak — Danish for a thousand thanks — to all who made the Dulles 100th Bomb Group Reunion 2017 such a joyous celebration.