Wreaths donated to the fallen members of the 356th FG USAAF

By Dolan Zeigler and the Stowell family.

For the USAAF American cemetery at Madingley.

Arranged by Tarkey Barker on behalf of Martlesham Heath Aviation Society.

Our speaker on Friday 7th June was Sally Dearman-Cummings and the subject of her talk was "From Fast Jets to Wobbly Head!"

Sally was a local girl and attended Northgate Grammar School for Girls. She joined the RAF in October 1984 until October 1995. Sally gained her commission and spent six years as a Fighter Controller before training as a pilot. She was the first woman to complete the RAF Fast Jets flying training programme.

Sally decided that inevitably being trained for a fighter pilot she would have to be prepared to be in a combat role and decided therefore that she would prefer to become a helicopter pilot saving lives in air, sea rescue.

After leaving the RAF she began a family and has one two daughters and a son. Her eldest daughter  accompanied her.

Sally is a bundle of energy and ambition and she then spent nearly five years as a weather presenter for the BBC World Service and Radio Four.

Sally Dearman-Cummings is clearly a talented and highly intelligent lady and gave us all an evening to remember. She currently gives various talks in aid of charities and her details are on the WWW.

A vote of thanks was given by our chairman, Martyn Cook.

Sunday 23rd. June - Free Martlesham Heath Guided Walk.

See Programme page for details

AN OBITUARY - CLIFFORD DAVIS

Cliff was a Staff Sergeant based at Martlesham Heath with the 356th Fighter Group USAAF. He accepted an invitation to represent the USAAF at the opening of our Control Tower museum in September 2000.

Clifford DeVall Davis, Jr., 94, of Kingston, NY, peacefully entered eternal life on Wednesday, December 5, 2018 at Ten Broeck Commons in Lake Katrine, NY, in the arms of his granddaughter Katherine, and surrounded by his loving family. Cliff was a kind and generous man, loved by everyone he met. He was respected by his colleagues and had the highest integrity. He will be greatly missed by his family and many friends.

Cliff was born on August 11, 1924 in Kingston, NY, the eldest of 5 sons born to the late Clifford and Catherine Davis. During his childhood, Cliff lived in Kingston, Ashokan, Sleightsburg, and Port Ewen. Cliff was married for 66 years to the late Hilda Dolman Davis. They met in Liverpool, England, during World War II. Cliff and his family lived in Lake Katrine for 46 years.

Cliff graduated from Kingston High School in 1940, at the age of 15. At age 17, Cliff enlisted in the Army Air Corps and was assigned to the 356th Fighter Group nicknamed the “Hard Luck Group” because they suffered the highest rate of casualties for any of the fighter groups. He attained the rank of Staff Sargent and was stationed at Martlesham Heath Airfield, Suffolk, England. Like others of the “Greatest Generation”, Cliff was very patriotic.

Upon returning to civilian life, Cliff worked for the state, before joining IBM in 1948. Cliff worked at the Kingston and Poughkeepsie Plants for 43 years, retiring 1990. He was a senior manager in Payroll and Accounting, was the recipient of numerous awards, and was a member of the IBM Quarter Century Club.

Cliff was a faithful member of the Fair Street Reformed Church, serving on the church consistory. He was a Deacon and served in other positions, including the finance committee. Cliff was a founding member of American Legion Post #1298 in Esopus. He was also a member of the 398 Club in Saugerties.  

Cliff was an avid gardener, spending long summer days tending to his flower beds. He played baseball and softball in various leagues until he was 52. He had happy memories of fishing with his father, particularly their fishing trips to Canada. In later years, he enjoyed jig saw puzzles with friends, reading, and watching Fox News while living at Middlewoods of Farmington, CT, and later at Hudson Valley Senior Residence in Kingston.

Cliff is survived by his children, Susan Davis Malmrose and her husband Paul of Saugerties, and Clifford D. Davis III and his wife Vicki of Lake Katrine. He leaves behind 2 granddaughters, Katherine Malmrose, and Ryan Winne and her husband Josh and 2 great grandchildren Merrick Castro and Timothy Winne. He is also survived by many cousins, nieces, nephews, and his best friend, Emily Welch. Cliff was preceded in death by his daughter Beverly McGarry and his brothers, Bruce, Fred, Matthew, and Paul Davis.

Obituary - Airus Evan Bergstrom

Captain Bergstrom was a pilot with the 359th squadron of the 356th Fighter Group at Martlesham Heath. He is shown here with Lt Malo in the cockpit of a fighter they shared..

Airus Evan Bergstrom of Logan, Utah passed away on June 5, 2019. He was born on June 21, 1923 in Thatcher, Box Elder County, Utah, the oldest son of Evan Alfred and Jayne Wheatley Bergstrom. He is survived by his four children: John Evan (Judy), Green Valley, Arizona; Kenneth Neil (Carla), Richmond, Utah; Alan Jeffrey (Nancy) So. Jordan, Utah; and Jill Ramboz, Sellersburg, Indiana. He and Madge had 15 grandchildren and 22 great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his wife Madge Hogan Bergstrom, his parents, his brother Billy Merle, his grandson Trevor Ramboz, and son-in-law Mark Ramboz. Airus lived in Los Angeles with his parents and younger brother until the Depression forced their return to Honeyville, Utah. His boyhood was full of the many adventures and hard work available in that rural setting. Cousins and neighbors provided plenty of companionship. At Box Elder High School in Brigham City he was a member of the swim team. Airus excelled academically as well as athletically graduating at the age of 16. He then attended Utah State University as an engineering student until 1941. At that time he went with his father to Bremerton, Washington to work in the construction of submarine bays, until he enlisted in the Army-Air Corp in 1942. Airus trained as a P-47 fighter bomber pilot. He flew 72 missions over the English Channel into Europe during 1943-1944. After his tour was completed, he returned to Utah State University to complete a degree in Civil Engineering. He met Madge Marie Hogan and they were married in the Logan LDS Temple on April 12, 1946. Airus graduated from USU in 1948. He moved his young family to Tulare, California where he was employed by the California Highway Department. One project was construction of the highway into Yosemite National Park. He was recalled to active duty during the Korean War and the family moved many times in their military career spanning 22 additional years of service. During his military service Airus worked as a Civil Engineer on such projects as the successful development of the Minuteman Missile. He also served in Vietnam 1967-1968. They lived several times in Texas and California. Other duty stations were in Arizona, Illinois, England, and Virginia; finally retiring in 1972 in Logan. He was employed by Valley Engineering for several years. For the next 20 years he and Madge divided their time between St. George, Utah and Logan. Airus often mentioned the wonderful people he had met over the years all over the world. He was appreciative of his experiences and the lessons he learned as a result. His favorite activity has been golf. He perfected his skills in the military winning championships, and in retirement, he also won club championships at Logan Golf and Country Club and Lava Hills Golf Club in St. George. The sport was a source of relaxation and enjoyment. Airus also loved gardening, never failing to plant each spring and harvest each fall. He was a great source of family and historical information and wisdom for his children and grandchildren. He has been a respected citizen of Cache Valley and many have reached out to him for his opinion and advice.