28-29 May 2015
Visit of the Smith family
Montataire, Ully-Saint-Georges (Oise)
Paris
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En français 
Jane Smith and her daughter Sarah, whom we had already met in March 2012, returned to visit us. This time, the family, arriving from South Carolina, was complete, as Jane was accompanied by her husband, Ray, and her second daughter, Julie. Originally from West Virginia, Jane's father, S/Sgt. Milton J. Mills Jr., served as a radio-operator aboard Boeing B-17 #42-29963 "Judy", 379th Bomb Group, which crashed on December 30, 1943, near the village of Ully-Saint-Georges. Although wounded in the leg, he managed to evacuate the aircraft. He was treated and hidden in our region. He stayed in Gouvieux and then in Montataire in January 1944, with the Dorez and Duchateau families, along with another American airman: T/Sgt. Kenneth A. Morrison.
in January 1944 at the Dorez family's house
His escape then took him to the Amiens region before being conveyed to Paris. S/Sgt. Milton J. Mills Jr. was handed over to the Burgundy escape network, which specialized in the repatriation of Allied airmen via Spain.
Geneviève Crosson (later Mrs. Le Berre), "Jacqueline" in the Resistance, then a young escort for the Burgundy escape network, transported him by train from Paris to Pau along with other escapees. Upon arrival, the group was handed over to other agents of the network, who then entrusted them to smugglers with intimate knowledge of the mountains. S/Sgt. Mills crossed the Pyrenees and arrived in Spain on April 20, 1944. On May 29, he reached Gibraltar and flew the next day to England.
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Before heading to Ully-Saint-Georges, Jane, her husband, and her two daughters expressed the wish to visit Montataire, in front of the houses where the Dorez and Duchateau families lived in 1944.
In front of the Duchateau family home in Montataire
Montataire - The Dorez family's home, at the very spot where a photo of S/Sgt. Milton J. Mills was taken in January 1944.
In Ully-Saint-Georges, the Smith family was warmly welcomed by the mayor, Mrs. Robert, accompanied by her municipal council. Village residents, some of whom had witnessed the plane crash, were also present for the occasion, as were several members of our Association. A small ceremony in tribute to the airmen took place at the memorial erected in September 2011 near the town hall, where wreaths were laid.
The reception then continued at the local school. Seated under the covered courtyard, the young schoolchildren were eager to listen to Jane's father's story before asking numerous questions, delighted by the visit of these American citizens with their "strange" accents.
After a friendly drink in the town hall, we accompanied Jane and her family to Morel Woods, the crash site of the Flying Fortress. Even today, many small pieces of debris from the bomber are scattered along the steep slope. Some of the pieces found were taken away by our American friends and will be treasured as souvenirs.
The next day, an appointment was made in Paris, where the Smith family met Mrs. Jacqueline Dorez-Muller, who had hosted Jane's father in Montataire in January 1944. It was a moving visit filled with mutual gratitude. Jacqueline recalled this difficult period of the war, vividly remembering "Milton's" stay. These memories remain deeply rooted in her mind, even though he was only hosted for a few days before being entrusted to the Duchateau family.
These two days of meetings with Jane and her family were wonderful moments that helped strengthen the bonds of friendship that unite our Association with the families of those who fought in our skies for the ideal of Freedom.