Amazing Group To WWI WW1 Pilot Harold Buckley Willis “Lafayette Escadrille”

Description

Amazing Group To WWI WW1 Pilot Harold Buckley Willis “Lafayette Escadrille”.
Harold Buckley Willis was born February 9, 1890, in Boston, Massachusetts. He enlisted in the American Ambulance Field Service in February 1915, and arrived at the western front, with Section 2, at Pont-a-Mousson, in April 1915. From February to May he served with the Ambulance at Verdun. He was cited July 4, 1915, “for rescue of wounded under fire,” offensive Bois-le-Pretre, “Croix de Guerre with Star.”
In June 1915, he enlisted in the Foreign Legion of the French Army, and transferred to 2d Groupe d’Aviation.
Willis arrived on the Somme front with the Lafayette Escadrille (N 124) in March, 1917. Soon after arriving Willis redesigned the squadron insignia changing it from a Seminole warrior to a Sioux warrior. The original Indian head was printed on boxes of ammunition marked “Savage Arms Manufacturing Company”, this company was providing ammunition for machine guns used by reconnaissance units and bombers of the French military aviation.
Sgt. Willis, was captured after an aerial battle, probably against Lt. Wilhelm Schulz of Jasta 16b, 18 August 1917. The aircraft was hit numerous times with damage to the engine which forced the pilot to land in German territory near Convensoye, France.
Willis was interned in the prison camps of Montmedy, Carlsruhe, Landshut, Giitersloh, reprisal camp Eutin, Bad Stuer, Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Magdeburg, Wurzburg, and Villingen, during 14 months of captivity. On arriving at Paris, Willis was awarded the Médaille Militaire and permitted to return to the Argonne front. Returning to the US in 1919, he was honorably discharged.
During World War II, Willis Willis even served in the U.S. Army Air Force as a Major in Africa, England and France. He left the Air Force after the war as a Colonel. He would live a full life until his death April 18th 1962.
These items available were sourced from an auction where several of his items were in a collection out of Illinois. Unfortunately this group of Willis items were split up, there was paperwork, photos, a diary, multiple awards and some award documents, boots, and as well as some German WWI items he brought home, These were the only items I was able to keep together, this group consists of….
– Named WWI Flight Helmet (supple leather no major damage)
– His low numbered WWI issued early French Pilots Badge
– The WWI Croix de Guerre with Star he was awarded on July 4, 1915, “for rescue of wounded under fire.”
Truly a remarkable piece of WWI history, hopefully one day these can be reunited with the other items that were separated from the amazing group that was split up.