World War II hero Bill Grosvenor dies at 89
By
Loretta Fulton
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
William D. (Bill) Grosvenor, a World War II fighter pilot whose heroics were captured in a televised documentary, died Tuesday at his Abilene home.
He was 89.
Visitation will be from 4 to 6 p.m. today at Elliott-Hamil Funeral Home, 5701 Highway 277 South. A burial service will be at 11:30 a.m. Thursday at Elmwood Memorial Park, 5750 Highway 277 South.
A memorial service will follow at 1:30 p.m. Thursday at First Central Presbyterian Church, 400 Orange St., with the Rev. Cliff Stewart officiating.
Grosvenor, a native of Iowa, was stationed at Tye Army Air Field, the forerunner to Dyess Air Force Base, following his service with the Army Air Corps in Belgium.
While stationed at Tye, he met Doris Bohannon. They were married on Nov. 1, 1945, and made their home in Abilene.
His brush with death over the Belgian skies in 1943 was the subject of a documentary created by Grosvenor's son David and an associate, Ramona Kelly. The documentary, titled "Last Best Hope: A True Story of Escape, Evasion, and Remembrance," premiered at the Paramount Theatre on Nov. 5, 2005. It aired on PBS on Oct. 30, 2006.
David Grosvenor, who grew up in Abilene and now lives in Austin, said his father was always a "steady guy" who wouldn't let anything bother him. He never had an unkind word to say about anyone, his son recalled.
Since his harrowing experiences during the war, which included imprisonment, Bill Grosvenor had adopted the attitude that "every day was a bonus day," his son said.
The Grosvenor family and a film crew flew to Belgium in July 2001 to witness the excavation of Grosvenor's P-47 by members of the Belgian Aviation History Association.
The plane had been buried in the rich, black Belgian soil since Nov. 30, 1943. On that day, Grosvenor was flying back to his base in England after an escort mission over Germany when the plane developed engine trouble. Grosvenor parachuted out of the plane, which nose-dived into a farm north of Brussels. He was rescued by members of the Belgian Resistance and spent the next several months in safe houses in Brussels.
He eventually was captured by the Nazis and imprisoned with other Allied pilots in Brussels. But he and other pilots escaped from a train that was carrying them from the prison camp to a concentration camp.
Footage from the excavation, as well as historical documents and photographs, and taped interviews with members of the Belgian Resistance who helped Grosvenor, was turned into the documentary. After it aired, the Grosvenor family was honored at a reception and showing of the documentary at the Belgian Embassy in Washington, D.C.
World War II hero Bill Grosvenor dies at 89 : Local News : Abilene Reporter-News
World War II hero Bill Grosvenor dies at 89
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