This photo can also be seen on the internet at www.b24bestweb.com and in the book "Bomber Pilot" by Philip Ardery
Gunnery Sgt. Donald Pierce and Ole Irish	Crew from left to right is: Fay Kelly (engineer & waist gun), Wickham (radio), Lisisky (tailgunner), Chester Moore (top turret), Leo Travis (bombardier), Slessor (co-pilot), unknown, Sgt. Don Pierce (waist gun), unknown (44th BG mechanic), unknown, unknown(564th squadron intelligence officer), unknown (44th BG mechanic), Simmons (ball turret)
The photo above was taken on August 27, 1943, the day the 389th Bomb Group returned from their 1st tour in North Africa to their original base in Hethel, England. The group includes crew members and passengers (mostly ground support personnel borrowed from the 44th BG). The photo may have been taken by the pilot, Frank McLaughlin, since he isn't in the picture. The 389th Bomb Group (and the crew of Ole Irish) had completed ten missions. (Count the ten bombs painted under the pilots window.) - Thanks to Don Pierce for crew identifications.

			"Liz" (painted under the pilot's window) is the name of Frank McLaughlin's wife.
Who are these guys? We don't know. They may be from the ground crew.
The photo below was taken at Hethel, UK around January 5, 1944. It looks like Frank McLaughlin's last mission. (He's the one in the back row with the big smile and holding up a zero.)			Don Pierce thought Bess was the girlfriend of Joe Sullivan. (But who was Coreen?)
Crew from left to right: Back Row - Joe Sullivan (navigator), Leo Travis (bombardier), Frank McLaughlin (pilot), Unknown (new co-pilot) Front Row - Simmons (ball gunner), Wickham (radio), Kelly (engineer/waist gun), "Ace" Lisisky (tail gun), Don Pierce (waist gun), Chester Moore (top turret)
			Don Pierce has one mission to go. Don's final mission was flown 11, January, 1944 over Braunschweig, Germany.

Slessor was McLaughlin's original co-pilot in Ole Irish and later took over the left seat.
Ole Irish was lucky for him too.

Ole Irish Mission List