Reviewing the Past
80 Years Ago
Windsor’s WW II
Prisoners of War
During World War II, the WINDSOR REVIEW featured news stories about Windsor soldiers serving in Europe or the Pacific. In 1944, the newspaper reported news about four prisoners of war from Windsor: Harry P. “Punk” Barber, Truman Eldridge, William N. “Jack” Ferguson, and Grover C. Mullins, each of whom spent time in different German prison camps. [1]
The U.S sent B-17s to Britain in early 1942 for bombing missions in Germany or German controlled countries. The Allied strategy was to bomb factories, railways, airfields, and damns. The intent was to destroy Germany’s weapon production, transportation, and coal, petroleum, and steel supplies. If U.S. planes were hit, they might crash in German territories, resulting in U.S. air crew members being captured as German prisoners of war.[2], [3]
Punk” Barber, son of Mr. and Mrs. John Barber, grew up on the family farm, graduated from Windsor High School, and had attended the University of Missouri before he enlisted in the Army Air Force at Jefferson Barracks on August 5, 1942. He was assigned to Lowry Field, Denver, Colorado for preliminary training before studying Power Turrets at South Bend, Indiana. In October, 1943, Punk entered the Laredo Gunnery School, and he graduated in December, 1943 receiving his Aerial Gunners Wings as a Sergeant. By May, 1944, Sgt. Barber was on bombing missions over Germany. He was reported missing in action on June 29, 1944, and his family was notified on July 11, 1944 that he was a German prisoner of war.
Truman Eldridge graduated from Windsor High School in 1935. After attending Central Missouri State Teachers College in Warrensburg for a couple of years, he worked in the Katz Drug Store chain in Kansas City. He had enlisted in the Army Air Force and was studying as an Aviation Cadet at a camp in Nashville, Tennessee in October, 1942. He was enrolled in pilot training at Merced Army Flying School in California in May, 1943; then in September, 1943, he graduated from AAF Pilot School as a 2nd Lieutenant. By January, 1944, Truman was now a pilot in England. He was reported missing in action on August 24, 1944 in a bombing raid over Germany, and his parents received notice on Sept. 23, 1944 that he was a German prisoner of war.
William N. “Jack” Ferguson began his military training in November, 1940 as Battery B of the 128th Field Artillery of the National Guard. Later he transferred to the Army Air Corps and graduated as a bombardier at Kirtland Field, Albuquerque, New Mexico on March 18, 1943, . In August, 1944, Lieutenant Jack Ferguson was based in Italy flying B-17 Flying Fortress raids in Southern France, Hungary, and other European targets. Jack Ferguson’s plane was missing after a December 29, 1944 bombing mission. In March, 1945, Mr. and Mrs. J. R. Ferguson received a telegram confirming that Jack was a German Prisoner of War In April, his parents received a letter from Jack in which he said he was in a hospital but getting along fine. [1]
When he was 17, Grover Mullins moved with his parents, K.C. & Lydia Mullins, from near Houstonia to a farm near Windsor in 1938. In June, 1942, Grover joined the Army and was inducted at Ft. Leavenworth, KS. He trained in aviation mechanics at Sheppard Field, Texas and later graduated at Tyndall Field, Florida as an aerial gunner with the rank of staff sergeant in the Army Air Force.[1]
Grover Mullins was in England with the Eighth Bomber Command in October, 1942, flying bombing missions inside Germany. On January 11, 1944, Grover’s Flying Fortress was shot down over German territory, and he became a German prisoner of war. On Jan. 24, 1944, Grover’s parents were notified that he was missing in action. A month later, Feb. 24, 1944, Mr. & Mrs. K. C. Mullins were notified that their son was a German prisoner.[1]
Parents and relatives of the four POWs from Windsor were extremely concerned as they received very few letters from the POWs. By May of 1945, the Allied Forces had reached most of the German prison camps. The WINDSOR REVIEW (May 24, 1945) reported that the families of Punk Barber, Jack Ferguson, and Grover Mullins had received confirmation that the three POWs had been liberated from German prison camps. A week later (May 31, 1945), Truman Eldridge’s parents had received information that their son, too, was heading home to the U.S. Families looked forward to seeing their sons and were planning welcoming celebrations in June, 1945.
Punk Barber was one of the four POWs from Windsor. The Windsor Historical Society program, “Harry P. “Punk” Barber: World War II Prisoner of War,” will be held at the Windsor United Methodist Church on Saturday, September 14, with lunch served at 12:15 p.m. Ham and vegetable soup will be furnished; others may bring a vegetable, fruit, or dessert dish. The program will be presented at 1:00 p.m. by Punk Barber’s son, Kent Barber. Kent will show a videotape in which Punk Barber describes in his own words his World War II POW experiences. The public is invited, and there is no charge.
Sources: [1] WINDSOR REVIEW, (1935-1946). [2] “Allied Bombing of Germany,” World History Encyclopedia, April 16, 2024. [3] “Strategic Bombing During World War II, World History Encyclopedia, April 16, 2024. [3] “Strategic Bombing During World War II, Wikipedia.Org.
