Paul Cole Holden was a Flying Officer with 443 Squadron. Nicole Morley whose uncle was Arthur Horrell had this card in her possession. She wants to find this pilot’s relatives.
Please use this contact form to contact me.
RCAF No. 443 Squadron
In homage to Arthur James Horrell, Paul Émile Piché, Leslie Birket Foster, and all the pilots and ground crews
RCAF No. 443 Squadron 
Reblogged this on Destination Unknown and commented:
As a genealogist, I know how valuable “hands on” documents can be. I am reblogging this post just to spread the word…I’d love to see the family get this.
Mrs.P: Thanks for reblogging this for me it means alot. I’m Arthur Horrell’s Great Niece and I feel Mr.Holden’s card deserves to be back with his family or anyone related to him. This would mean the world to me if I could return his RCAF card to it’s proper place with in his family.
I would love to hear if you ever reach that goal…that truly would be a wonderful story.
You will hear it first.
I don’t know if you are aware of this, but I believe that Paul Cole Holden was an American, serving in the RCAF before transferring to the US AAF. Here is a link to a newpaper article (subscription needed to see the original) but you can read the text concerning Holden in the bottom half of the screen.
This article appeared in the Harrisburg Telegraph, 22 May 1944.
http://www.newspapers.com/newspage/43021929/
Lt. Holden Receives Medal and Cluster For Aerial Combat An Eighth AAF Fighter Station, England, May 22.
First – Lieutenant Paul C. Holden, 1829 Whitehall street, was recently awarded an Air Medal and one Oak Leaf Cluster for, meritorious service in aerial flight in the completion of twenty operational missions over occupied continental Europe,” at a ceremony held on his Eighth AAF Fighter Command air base, “Somewhere in England.” A P – 47 Thunderbolt fighter pilot, Lt. Holden, 30 years old, has been .flying on combat operations since this past winter. He received the medal from his commanding officer, Colonel James J. Stone, Jr., of Westfield, N. J. Lt. Holden s group has now flown over 180 combat missions to the most heavily defended territory in the world, and has been “operational” since April of 1943. The group has accompanied American Flying Fortresses and Liberators to targets deep within Germany, France and a good section of occupied Europe, and has protected the huge bombers while they made their bombing runs, then ‘taken the B – 17’s and B – 24’s all the way back to English bases in the face of concerted attacks by hordes of German fighters. The group has now destroyed more than 175 German planes, and has maintained an impressive ratio of wins to losses since going into combat over here in England. Recently Lt. Holden’s group has gone out as “Thunderbolt – dive bombers, hitting air fields in France while carrying 500 lb. bombs. Lt. Holden was a flying instructor prior to enlisting in the RCAF, He transferred to the U.S.A.A.F in December, 1943. His wife, Mrs. Menzenita E, Holden resides in Harrisburg and his parents, Mr. and Mrs. F. J Holden at 126 North Front street, Wormleysburg PA.
Holden died in 1986.
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=53876338
I will take a look at the links and get back to you.
In that clipping dated 1944, it is said he is 30.
We was 29 on the identity card dated 1943… ergo 1943-29 = 1914.
Can’t be anyone else but him I presume.
I am hoping to connect with Rolland Swank about my uncle, Jerome Solomon pilot of Solomon’s crew. An acknowledgement on that site said Rolland supplied info about my uncle. Please contact me via my facebook page Devorah Segall.Thank you so so much!