MOULTON FAMILY STORIES
Howard N.. Moulton Jr.
Howard went by the name "John" and was born August 2, 1922. Grew up on the farm on Miller Ave. in Sheffield, MA.
He was my father and the son of Howard Newton Moulton and Alice Shores Malony.
John would ultimately marry my mother, Norma Reed. Daughter of Eugene B. Reed and Laura Kempe.
John's Flight Bag
Although your name is on the bag, you were also a number.
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Flying out of Debden England, he said, "you watch the flight board every day and it wasn't if your name was going to work its way off, It was a case of when."
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He flew several sorties. Footage shows two and a half shot down and participating in lighting up a train. Next video is hard to make out, but lucky to have it.
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John landed off the flight board on April 8, 1944 and became a P.O.W. at Stalag Luft 1 in Barth, Germany.
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When POWs awoke at Stalag Luft I on May 1, 1945, the German guards had disappeared and a hand sewn Stars and Stripes replaced the swastika on the flagpole. The Red Army arrived a day later.
The Liberation of Stalag Luft I | The National WWII Museum | New Orleans (nationalww2museum.org)
John after a Sortie
John logged many hours of flying at the Canaan, CT airport before joining the Air Corp.
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Pretty sure this picture was taken by his flight chief, Gary Haning for whom had the utmost respect for. Johns respect was recipricated.
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​334_haningegweb_a.pdf (4thfightergroupassociation.org)
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"WHAT DID YOU DO IN THE WAR DAD?...DAD?
Dad didn't talk about the war much. I wrote this article based on what I knew and what I learned.
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What Did You do in the War Dad?...Dad? - LetterPile
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John introduces Norma to Hazel (Shores) Heath
John brought Norma to meet his Aunt Hazel (Shores) Heath in Monterey, MA. They hit it off well.
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Hazel was the first family member he introduced Norma to. Hazel loved John dearly.
My youngest son and I were fortunate enough to hear the sound of the V-12 Rolls Royce engine purring as it soared through the sky.
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Although the plane pictured is a two seater for training, it was awesome to see it up close.
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Dad spoke of the sound and the power of the plane.
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After the war, John flew planes to their final resting spot in the US. So many of these were decommissioned.
John's Love of Baseball
Prior to joining the Air Corp., John loved to play baseball. He had said how he would pitch in a game early in the day in Gt. Barrington and then pitch again in Canaan, CT.
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After the war he played in the A.A. League in Pittsfield, MA.
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This is a picture of his jersey from those days. Wool....can you imagine? The dog days of summer and throwing on a wool jersey! These guys were hardcore.
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This has made its way from being in the attic for over 75 years to full view and remembrance of our families past lives.
Hazel (Shores) Heath
Pictured on the right is Hazel who was born on October 31, 1912Â and had an infectious smile and a loving heart.
She was married to Ted Heath who died early on and they never had any children.
She worked a mail route from Gt. Barrington to Otis and in the later years I helped her with the route. It was a great experience.
I would meet her at her house and we would go to the post office, sort and bind the mail and proceed to deliver it.Â
She would always make me a sandwich because I had just come off working nights. She made the best egg salad sandwiches!
One time she helped us clean a deer. As we sat removing the fat and bone from the deer, she popped a piece of the meat into her mouth and proceeded to chew it up and swallow it. "Oh my, this deer is delicious".
Nope couldn't bring myself to eat any of that deer for quite a while after that.
Hazel passed away on July 19, 1984.
She holds a special place in my heart.
HOWARD N. MOULTON JR. AND NORMA REED
Married in Bethel, CT on September 28, 1946.