‘Welcome To Essex’: remembering the USAAF

In the spring of 1944, the United States Army Air Force reached peak strength in Essex during the run-up to the hotly anticipated invasion of Europe — D-Day.

Join us 80 years on for this mini-conference to remember the impact the Americans had on the county, both in how they shaped the physical landscape as well as making memories with the locals.

This mini conference will see a series of short talks given on various aspects of, predominantly the Ninth Air Force and is being held on a particularly significant anniversary for one of the speakers.

Programme

10:00 – 10:30: Registration & coffee

10:30 – 10:35: Welcome, Martin Astell, Essex Record Office Manager

10:35 - 10:50: April 1944: an overview, Neil Wiffen

10:50 - 11:10: Building an airfield: shaping the landscape, Neil Wiffen

11:10 - 11:30: A contemporary view of the Americans, Dr Catherine Pearson

11:30 - 11:50: The impact of the Americans: family stories, Alan Crouchman

11:50 - 12:00: Comfort break

12:00 - 12:20: Baby Doll III: remembering an Essex wartime night of tragedy, Neil McCarthy

12:20 - 12:40: Flak Bait: a miraculous survival, Alan Crouchman

12:40 - 12:55: Remembering the USAAF locally, Neil Wiffen

12:55 - 13:25: The Cambridge American Cemetery at Madingley: remembering the Americans today,

13:25 - 13:30: Conclusions and thanks, Martin Astell