After a few days at sea and many more chow lines, Art arrived at Camp Kilmer, New Jersey. He phoned Priscilla, who immediately joined him for his thirty days of leave.
He'd made it.
May 1945
Art and Pete
Roughly ten days after Art had slipped out of camp, Jim Ellis, Walter LeClerc and George Kilduff were liberated from Stalag Luft I by the 8th Air Corps in modified B-17ís. Jim Ellis returned to Chandler, Texas, where he ranches today. Walter returned to his farm in Lyons, Kansas which he operated until age 82. George Kilduff returned to New York to raise a family of seven children.
Archie Stinebaugh, Bruce Stone, Harold Hay, John Taylor and Howard Kramer had been captured immediately after bailing out over Schwienfurt. Along with Ralph Grooms, they were interrogated at Dulag Luft in Frankfurt and then taken by box car to Stalag Luft #6 in East Prussia. In July 1944, they were moved down the Baltic Sea in a Russian freighter to Stalag Luft #4. They were kept there until January 1945 but were then moved by box car to Stalag Luft #8 in Nurenburg where they stayed until March 1945. They were then marched 100 miles to Stalog Luft #7 at Moosberg where they were liberated on April 29, 1945. Eight days after liberation, they were transported by C47 to Camp Lucky Strike and were shipped back to the United States a month later.
The entire crew survived the war. Ralph Grooms, George Kilduff and Howard Kramer are now deceased. Bruce Stone is living in Fredricksburg, Maryland. John Taylor lives in the Houston area and Archie Stinebaugh lives in Sherman, Texas. Harold Hay is living in Florida.
Art stayed in the Army for a while, transferring to the infantry. He was stationed at Fort Lewis in Washington State. He learned of an opening in CIC and transferred to Hollybird Signal Corps Base in Baltimore, Maryland and completed his training as a counter intelligence officer. He was restless, however, and soon left the Army.
He moved to Boston and went back to Quaker Oats. When he disagreed with a petty boss, he quit on the spot. For Art, civilian life would take some adjusting.
His home life, however, was progressing nicely. In addition to Pete, there were now three more children, Caral, Cheryl, and Gail.
Pete, Caral, Cheryl, & Gail
Art started his career in insurance sales in Boston. After a relocation to Texas, he is now retired from this profession after forty successful years.
We are a close family.
Gail, Cheryl, Caral, Pete, Priscilla, and Art
The 351st Airbase at Polebrook has disappeared with the exception of a few hangers that are now used as a distribution center. The town of Polebrook, largely unchanged since the war, remembers the 351st with a monument of a marble triangle, with a "J" on one side and a brief history of the 351st on the other. Between 1943 and 1945 175 B-17 Flying Fortresses, and their crews were lost. The group destroyed 303 enemy aircraft in arial combat.
The 351st Memorial
It is our intention in telling this story to honor our father, Art Starratt, the crew of the "No Balls" and the Eighth Air Force aviators, who after flying these amazing missions over Germany quietly returned to civilian life and who's stories are, for the most part, untold.
Art and Priscilla lived on the third fairway at Columbia Lakes, southeast of Houston. They weathered many difficult times over the years and were happier and closer than most can imagine. In spite of Priscilla's double amputation from diabetes, they lived a full and independent life together until her death in March of 2001.
Art now lives alone, but manages to get in at least four rounds of golf a week and at age 84, is very active in local affairs and the Columbia Lakes retirees association. He spends a lot of time at his computer, emailing friends and relatives and especially enjoys hearing from ex-Kriegies or members of their family.
Priscilla and Art
Art can be reached at awspow@austin.rr.com
If you are an ex-Kriegie or ex-8th Air Force, drop him an e-mail.
He's a great guy.