Edward J. Chu
In May 2007 I was lucky enough to attend the 448th Bomb Group’s annual reunion in Orlando, Florida. Ed Chu, a Staff Sergeant in the 714th Bomb Squadron was in attendance and I’d heard what a nice guy he was and also that he told a good story so I was keen to try and interview him.
We shared some laughs over those few days and he took a photo of me at the Kennedy Space Center with the space shuttle on the launch pad in the background. A few weeks after the reunion I received a letter along with an A4 copy of the photo, captioned ‘Our friend from Norwich, England’. He apologised for not sitting down for an interview in Orlando and added that it was often difficult to find the time with so many friends to catch-up with and scheduled events to attend.
Happily there exists a written record of Ed’s war-time experiences. Ed’s late wife encouraged him to commit his experiences to paper and the result is a fascinating, humourous and detailed account of his journey to Seething and his subsequent combat missions. You can find a copy of it in the reading room of the restored control tower on open days.
Ed Chu passed away on April 16th, 2009.
