100th Bomb Group Memorial Museum

03/09/2026

Thorpe Abbotts - James Theesfeld and his partner Lisa stand on the spot where the B17 his Grandfather flew on once stood. His aircraft ‘Jimbo’ was located on hardstand 30 which is now farmland. We drove down the former runway passing tractors to get to this hugely meaningful place. This was a return visit for James, in 1995 as a teenager, he visited Thorpe Abbotts with his Grandfather. Lt Frederick Theesfeld flew 31 missions, many of them as Lead Bombardier with the 350th and 418th Bomb Squadrons. He did all this at 22 years of age and fortunately completed his tour and was able to go home. It was such a pleasure spending time with James and Lisa and showing them round the airfield sites where his Grandfather spent time during his service. As is customary with family visits James was presented with a piece of main runway to take home. (permission was granted by the landowner for our trip onto the airfield).

31/08/2026

Veteran family visit - Thorpe Abbotts last week. The museum was delighted to host a visit by Ken and Ronelle Stover. Ken’s father, Capt. Wendell ‘Smokey’ Stover served as one of the Flight Surgeons with the 100th Bomb Group. He was a physician practising in Boonville, Indiana before serving with the Army Air Forces. Alongside Capt Kinder and Captain Hardy, Smokey Stover played a key role in caring for the wounded of the 100th Bomb Group as well as the general health of the personnel of the Group. Ken and Ronelle Stover spent two days at the museum and volunteers were able to spend time showing them the museum and former airfield.

29/08/2026

Then and Now, Thorpe Abbotts. 100th Bomb Group personnel photographed outside the entrance to site 3 in Upper Billingford. Today the view is similar with the road still stretching away out of the hamlet. Although the entrance to the 349th Bomb Squadron site does still exist, the site itself is now an empty field. S/Sgt Clarence Petersen was a Radio Operator/Gunner and is the man kneeling on the right of the photo holding a pipe. He completed his tour of over 30 missions in September 1944. (Wartime photo from the Clarence A Petersen collection courtesy of Gordon Klatt, 100th BG Foundation photos).

25/08/2026

The 100th Bomb Group Memorial Museum hosted the Connecting Generations with The Greatest Generations Foundation recently. So good to see so many young people in addition to 101 year old US Infantry Veteran Harold Radish.

22/08/2026

Thorpe Abbotts Then and Now. A B17 taxis along the Northern perimeter track passed 351st Bomb Squadron hardstands. Over 80 years on, and this stretch of perimeter track is still here and the house in the wartime photo situated on Wood Lane still looks out onto the former airfield just as it did in 1943.

21/08/2026

Thorpe Abbotts - Veteran family visit on Wednesday. Bryan Smith is shown in the company of volunteers during his visit to honour the memory of T/Sgt Arthur W Flowers who flew 30 missions with the 351st Bomb Squadron as a Togglier/Nose Gunner. Sadly, Arthur was killed in action on 10th April 1945 on a mission to Madgeburg aged just 23. He was on Lt Lawrence L Bazin crew for that mission. Bryan toured the museum in the company of volunteers and is shown being presented with a piece of the main runway.

20/08/2026

Hattie Hearn has just published a fantastic new book entitled ‘Welcome to Little America’. It focuses on one of her passions, the United States Eighth Army Air force. Hattie is a Historian and Curator at the American Air Museum at IWM Duxford. We are also delighted to have had her as a volunteer at the 100th Bomb Group Memorial Museum. Hattie was at the museum at the weekend volunteering and brought some of her books along for us to look at.

Welcome to Little America is an emotional and cultural history of the places known as the ‘Fields of Little America’ that looks into how vibrant communities evolved, shaped by the proximity of death and an intoxicating lust for life. In these enclaves, against a horrifying reality, men toasted the future in the Officers’ Club and jived with village girls, planted gardens, played competitive baseball and hosted children’s parties.

In a narrative filled with colourful stories, Hattie Hearn explores how the men of the Eighth Air Force turned their bases into homes, both in the rich material culture of the bases and in the imaginations of their occupants.

The book is available on Amazon, at Waterstones and in the near future from the museum shop.

19/08/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1dU9T2Xxvm/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Three journeys. Three chapters of WWII history.

The National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force is excited to announce its 2027 Educational Travel Tours, featuring three unforgettable opportunities to explore the people, places, and stories that shaped the air war over Europe.

Second to None
A new tour focused on the 2nd Air Division and the Liberator Boys who flew B-24 missions from England.

Salute to the Few
Walk in the footsteps of the brave airmen of Royal Air Force Fighter Command who defended Great Britain and the free world from the German Luftwaffe.

Echoes of East Anglia
A reimagined version of our classic England tour, exploring the airfields, memorials, and communities connected to the Eighth Air Force.

2027 tours are now booking
Flexible payment plans available

Reserve your place and explore the full tour details: https://www.mightyeighth.org/roger-a-freeman-tour/

18/08/2026

101 year old US Army veteran Harold Radish is shown on a visit to Thorpe Abbotts last Friday as part of the Greatest Generation Tour from the US. Harold fought with the 90th Infantry Division in France and the Ardennes before being taken prisoner in February 1945, he was only 21 at the time. It was a privilege to welcome this incredible veteran to the museum. 🇺🇸