Tunison Album — Volume 4

Album 4 - Tunison

Creator of Life in the ETO Albums, James B. Tunisonand Paulette Starz

James B. Tunison was from New York and enlisted in the Army Air Force in 1943 when he was 21. He had a couple of years of aeronautical engineering college at Cornell and was sent to Burtonwood to assist with building and repairing aircraft. He met his future wife, Paulette E. Starz at Burtonwood. She was from Indiana and volunteered for the Red Cross. After the war, Paulette returned home and Jim was sent to Dubendorf, Switzerland to repair and scrap damaged aircraft. Mom and Dad keep a serious long-distance relationship through postal letters. Jim proposed when he returned from the war. Jim was discharged in 1946. Dad then worked for Republic Aviation on Long Island for several years. Then was transferred to a new project at Edwards Air Force Base in California. Jim enjoyed sports cars, art, and skiing. They had 3 children together, Jim, Jeff, and Andy. James B. Tunison was tragically killed in an auto accident a week before his 40th birthday. Mom recently passed at 100 years and these volumes of photos were rediscovered. If you copy/ use any of the volumes somewhere else, please just credit James B. Tunison and Paulette Starz

Northrop P - 61 Black Widow

Courtney and Daly

P - 38 Lockheed Lightning

Johnny Daly is next to the Republic P - 47 Thunderbolts

Daly, Kokko, and Ryals

Daly next to the North American P - 51 Mustangs

Uc.43 Beech Craft

Daly in front of L - 4 Piper Cubs

Boeing B-17

Boeing B-17 Mary Ann Site in the background

Ged Case

Pancho in front of one of the Barrack huts at Communal Living Site 6

From the left are Pancho, Steve, and Annibali at communal Living Site 6

Ferry Pilot Lands Douglas A-20 with the right brake locked

Ryals and England

Henson and Fry

Limey John and Jonny Ryals

What's Left of the Right Strut and Wheel

B-17 With the Control Tower in the background

Earlestown Royal British Legion Club

Ged Case

Ged Case at Site 6

In the background are the bike racks, the Earth mound of Air Raid Shelter 9 & Brook House farm buildings

Basil Wells in front of the bike racks and Brook House farm that was retained and used when the airfield was constructed

Buck Fry Skeeter, De-Havilland Mosquito with Radar installed in the nose

Parked up De-Havilland Mosquito

Flying Control Jeep,in the jeep are Detorre and Abernatny, and standing is no step Saiger

C-47 in Hangar, standing are Braga, Stein, and Menideth

Irvins and Newahr in the Air Scoop

Backer

Technical site

In the foreground is the wing of a 4 Turbo B-17 In the background is a gas truck, B-26, C-47, & Control Tower

Boeing B-17 on take-off

Northrop P-61 Black Widow

C-45 Beechcraft

Republic P-47 Thunderbolts

Boeing B-17s

The B-17 in the background with the Letter 'P' inside a triangle is of the 384th bomb group based at Grafton Underwood The B-17 with the Letter 'W' inside a square is of the 486th bomb group based at Sudbury

Douglas C-47 Skytrains

Technical site

In the background is Building Number 2 - the airfield control tower

Joe Running P-47 Thunderbolt

Douglas C-47 Skytrains

Henry Braga at Red Cross Carnival

From the left are Harris, Tunison, Nichols, Daly, & Stein at Barracks 7 Billets Building number 11 at Communal Living site 6

The Windows in these Billets huts were generally metal Crittall units that came in many different pane configurations. These Temporary Brick buildings constructed at site 6 were designed to last for the duration of the war and have a life span of 10 years and were built out of single brick walls without a cavity. The walls are supported by brick piers spaced at 10-feet centers. with internal spans of 18 or 28 feet. The walls also supported a light steel frame carrying corrugated asbestos sheeting or board with felt roofing. Outside the brickwork was rendered with cement whilst inside the walls were painted in a variety of colors. The buildings had concrete floors. Site 6 was the only Living site to be constructed of brick at Burtonwood, the other Living sites being built of the prefabrication type.

Barracks 7 group photo at Communal living site 6

Back row from the Left is Martin, Gazo, Eisensmith, Hancock, Williams, Nichols, Miller, Lindsey, Crawford, and Meredith

Front row from the left is Kinyon, Williams, Courtney, and Kelzac

Group Photo at Communal Living site 6

Back row is Hebert, Hancock, Courtney, and Flanders Front row is Moddrell, Daly, and Shepherd

Group photo at Communal Living site 6

Back row is Daly, Hancock, and Williams Front row is Hebert, Courtney, and Flanders

Williams on the Left and Shepherd on the Right a Communal Living site 6

From the Left are Flanders, Shepherd, and Williams at Communal Living site 6

Williams at Communal Living Site 6

From the Left are Flanders, Shepherd, and Williams at Communal Living Site 6

Shepherd at site 6 Communal Living Site

Barracks 7 Work Formation at 0730 Hours

In the background is building number 5 - the Dining roomBehind The Guys is Air Raid Shelter number 10 at the Communal living site 6

Loose Equipment Truck

B-26 Eat Em Up Alive B-17 in the background

Ranger 6 cylin L-440

Moldy Vultee A-35

C-47 in the background

Feather 2

Northrop P-61 black widow Night Owl

Vultee A-35 Take off on Runway 27

Curtiss C-46 Commando take off on Runway 27

P-38 Lockheed Lightning take off on Runway 27

Pizzeria Pub- Crawler

Douglas C-54 Skymaster

Douglas C-54 Skymaster Firing up

The following 7 photos are of war-weary B-26 Martin Marauder twin-engine Bombers in Dispersal 1 next to site 1

Buckeye Blitz Wagon

Wyomings Dirty Boy

Skars n Gripes

The Cock in Hand

Bums Hush

Punching Bag

Red Dog

B-17 with Building 2 the Control tower in the background

Soapy Metz is on the left & on the right is Pritch

The aircraft in the background is a Douglas C-47

B-26 Martin Marauder in Dispersal 2

North American P-51 Mustang Jasper Jower 2

General Omar Bradleys C-47 Go-Buggy Mary Q

In the background can be seen Building number 2 the Control tower To the right of the control tower is building number 3 the Ferry Pools ATC control centre building

Next to General Omar Bradleys Ship is Irvin & Britz

Tunison Next to General Bradleys 4 Star Ship

Ryals & Daly in a T-6 Harvard

A-20 in Storage

Ol Dipped

This photo was taken at the Site 6 Communal living site which was the only living site at Burtonwood to be constructed of brick the other living sites at Burtonwood were constructed of the pre-fabricated type. These buildings were designed to have a life span of 10 years and were built of a single brick, without a cavity wall, with piers at ten feet intervals. The walls supported a light steel frame carrying asbestos sheeting or board and felt roofing. Outside the brickwork was rendered with cement whilst inside the walls were painted a variety of colours. The buildings had concrete floors. Stem

B-25 Mitchell

North American B-25 Mitchell Bomber

Breathing time 1 minute 10 seconds before taking off again

Scraping Yankee Doodle Dandy at the Technical site

The Boneyard

Aluminum 15 Cents a Ton

Hangar 'k' is on the left of the photo

Nord- Built ME 108

B-17 Sherry Gail

Form on me B-17 Assembly Ship

B-17 of the Bloody 100th bomb group - 8th Wonder

Squadron Code LD 418 Bomb Squadron

Red Johnson is on his bike at the Technical site

Hangar J is to the right & the Control Tower is in the background

RAF Short Stirling

Henson is standing next to Republic P-47 Thunderbolt Leaky Joe

Henson in the Snow working with a B-17

This photo was taken from the roof of the technical site control tower on a cold snowy winter's day

In the background are the L - Type Hangars 40, 41, and 42 at E-Site

Left to right are Alexander, Glasgow, and Scales with The first B-17 to clear Burtonwood for the long trip to the States

Left to right are Lane, Lincoln, Scales, and Buesing

The photo is taken at Communal Living site 6

Kinyon standing in front of Air Raid Shelter number 10 at Communal living site 6

Baxter next to a B-17

Left to right are Britz, Newanr, and Irvin standing next to a B-17

A-26 Called Werewolf

Smile Basil ...

At Technical or 'A' Site

Zean Williams from Oklahoma

From the left: Katz, Wells, Althouse

Photo taken at Site 6

CG-4A Waco Hadrian Standard US Airborne Forces Assault Glider with a C-47 in the background being used as the Glider Tug

12,000 Waco Hadrian Gliders were built and used during WW2 between 1942 to 1945

The Waco Hadrian glider could carry 13 troops and their equipment or either a Jeep, A Quarter-Ton Truck, or a 75 MM Howitzer loaded through the upward-hinged nose section Note the Venturi on the front of the Glider

The cockpit of the Waco Hadrian Glider had a Pilot and copilot

Twin Fifties Daniel at Six O Clock

Beechcraft C-45 at Mary Ann Site

The old sad shack next to a B-17 Wing

In the background is Building number 6 the J-Type hangar on the Technical site

Royal Air Force Short Stirling

Note how big the right wheel is next to the man A B-24 is seen In the background

The following 10 Photos are of the American Memorial Day at RAF Burtonwood in 1945The Images were taken between the K-Type and the J-Type hangars at the technical siteStars Spangled Banner

The start of the parade

Hangar K is in the background, to the left of hanger K is building 38 the RAF Type Workshops Out of sight behind the Camara is the J-Type Hangar

The top ranks arrive

Taps - Salute to the dead

Old Glory

Hangar K is on the left. in the Horizon are the water tower and L-Type hangars of E-Site

The United States Army Air Force [WAC] Women Army Corps March past the K-Type hangar

Pass in Review

First from the left wearing light pants is Captain Mesze Jewski. Second, from the left wearing light pants is Major Scroggins.First from the Right wearing light pants is General Houghton