Recorded interview of Clayton Bejot by Elaine Clearfield (MC 371/886/1/1)
Document Information


Recorded interview of Clayton Bejot by Elaine Clearfield

1


MC 371/886/1/1


1 side of audio cassette

nd [c 1985]


General documents relating to the activities of the 2nd Air Division/Miscellaneous


Clayton Bejot, Elaine Clearfield

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Description
Recording made at Kennedy Airport, New York, before Clayton Bejot's [hereafter CB] flight to a 2nd Air Division reunion in England. CB comments on his place of origin, Ainsworth, Nebraska, post-war work as a farmer and his family. Comments on his wartime service as a pilot: carrying cameras on aeroplanes to record bomb damage; different aeroplane positions in formation having different roles; role of his aeroplane monitoring air-sea rescue frequencies. Mentions assignment to 457th Bomb Group and six month stay in England, 1944. Remarks on memorable experiences: long missions to Munich, Berlin and Leipzig, Germany; navigator killed with another crew on mission to Kiel, Germany, and other aeroplanes making emergency landings in Sweden or Switzerland. Emergency landings continued. Remarks on original crew and discussion about his pre-war work as a farmer and family background. Discussion about CB's reasons for attending reunion and comments on his previous trips to England. Comments continued. CB's tribute to skill of ground crews and comments on negative attitude of some Canadian and British servicemen towards Americans. CB describes impact of service in the Air Force on his life and remarks on looking forward to reunion and visiting museum in Duxford. Recorded on side A of cassette.