Evening star., 1942-05-08
Brother CIergymen
From Virginia Ferry
bombers for R. A. F.
Millions From HopeweII
And Brandon Gave
Up PuIpits for Duty
BY TOM CRAGG,


yoreirn Correspondent Of The Star ard
North American Newspaper AllianceD
AT A NORTHERN IRELAND
PORT. May s.-This reporter has
just met two American SKY pilots, -
brothers, who have temporarily re-
signed from their church appoint
ments in neighboring parishes in the
United States to be ferry pilots to
help the Royal Air Force.
They are the Rev. william Byrdlee
Milton, "a, and the Rev. Marshall
Mccormick Milton, %. William, who
was ordained nine years ago, was
formerly rector OF st. Johns Episco-
pal Church, Hopewell, Va, and his
brother, rector of the adjacent
parish Of Brandon, near Hopewell,
was ordained four years ago.
The American Episcopal Church
Is in full communion with the
Church of England and that ex-
plains why William, who was per-
sonally licensed by the Archbishop
of Canterbury, was able to assist in
the Bristol diocese during a short
stay in England after accepting the
Canadian governments invitation
to join the A. T. A. (Air Transport
Auxiliary. He has preached in
Bristol Cathedral, too. He and his
brother have come over to fly
fighters and bcmbers from aircraft
production factories to places where
the r. A. r. needs them for war
service.
Began Flying as Hobby.
The brothers had been flying as a
hobby for two years in the United
States before joining the A. T. A.,
in which their rank is that of first
officer. Each is married, with one
child.
The only thing i object to is
helping men to kill each other and
from the pulpit I couldn't do it,
he told me. but as an individual
and as a member Of society I felt
that whether I believed in war or
not was just part of it. There
fore, as knew how to ny and my
brother felt more or less the same
way, we thought that we might be
Of more service perhaps In the A. T.
A. than by staying At home.
I'VE are graduates Of the Virginia
Military Institute of which Gen.
Marshall the United States Army
Chief Of Staff, and Gen. Brett, as
sistant to Gen. Macarthur, were
graduates. 1t is known as the West
Point CT the South, We did not feel
we could be OF much service if we
were chaplains.'
MaApower Not Fully Used.
William thinks lot of manpower
Is being wasted in Britain, for when
he said, Il find them pretty much
the same as people are In America.
I think 1t Is going to take every
ounce Of effort of every man, woman
and child to win this war. We are
wasting q lot Of manpower over
here. We are not going to win the
war until every one gets III 1t.
Il have been all over the country"
he continued, "and there is so much
more that we can do. say that for
America as well as England. We
have got to do it. I don't think
people in England or America have
fully realized that everything that
America stands for ana everything
she hopes to be is built upon the
Anglo-Saxon heritage upon which
America was built. I think Anglo
American friendship has got to be
built In this way. 1t has got to be
levelling Of class consciousness. We
have talked about democracy for Z
long time in both countries but I
think that this war Is the last chance
We have to bring it about and the
best one We have got to have 4
democracy which We never had
real democracy
There has got to be more CO.
operation and less competition to
make co-opers ton hold in the eco
nomic world. Before this war there
was mere competition. Russia has
taught us lot I wouldn't want
to be q Communist but think that
that probably throws little light on
what we can do to improve on their
Communism"