Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1942-12-28
zone OF a SerieS.J
By the Associated Press

By the Associated Press
Among the unusual experiences
OF Americans in this war was that
OF the six members of the crew of
a BIS bomber, forced down in
French West Africa last May. while
flying to an eastern combat zone.
For nearly seven months, during
their internment by Vichy authori-
ties, they were shunted across 5000
miles of jungle and desert. Four
kept diaries, which Joseph Morton,
Associated Press war correspondent
In West Africa, read and combined
into single narrative.
The diaries were composed by
Second Its. Daniel E. Kelley of
Waco, Tex; George A. Young, jr.,
of Westwood, Mass, and jerome M.
Goldsmith of Atlanta, and Corpl.
John F. Tom of Leakey, Tex. Other
members of the crew were Second
1t. Erich Downs of Dallas, Tex,
and Pvt. Hubert H. Holmes of Den
yer. Colo.
July to July 29-Lt. Kelley: AS
I wrote before, the first two weeks
were the hardest. We got bad food
and the weather was very hot and
dry. Most of us were up and down
with malaria, and all we did was
stay in bed all day and suffer.
Finally, we made contact with the
Consul at Dakar, and that helped
Our morale quite a bit.
We found that our families know
where we are and what our status is.
Then We also started raising hell
about the food. and it became a
little better. Now we have our own
cook and houSeboys, and things are
going along fine. We play bridge
quite bit among ourselves during
the day.
Hear U. S. Broadcasts.
During the day it's so hot you
have to stay inside. At night we
have access to the post radio, and
We listen in on the London news
broadcast and occasionally hear a
regular broadcast from the States.
Sounds good
We are all sick mentally and
physically of Africa. The quicker
We get out of here, the better for
our health and minds. We have all
weighed since we have been here
and each one of us has lost from
Is to IS pounds
l suppose people will wonder why
We haven't tried to escape We are
free to roam around here and the
vicinity of Gao as much as we like
without guard. We are not prison.
ers. But escaping is not as easy
as 1t looks in movies or reads in
books. We are 500 miles from the
nearest English border and there
are plenty of French between. We
have thought and planned escapes
plenty of times, to have them fall
through in the end.
July 30-Lt. Kelly: We have heard
from the Consul at Dakar again. He
seems to have been doing all he can
for us and until something turns up
I guess we will be here for a long
time. One thing he wrote was pretty
nasty. We wrote our families and
asked that they send us some Amer
lean cigarettes. He wrote back that
he had become accustomed to Alge-
rian cigarettes and he guessed we
could, too.
Get Word of Release.
July 81 to August 2l-Lt. Kelley:
We finally received a telegram from
Gov. Gen. BoiSSon at Dakar,
saying that We we're to be free, to be
patient and not to try anything.
This was good news to us and we
have been treated just like any other
white man since
We aren't even considered in
ternees or prisoners. We are free to
do as We like. One of the ieutenants
from the field went TO Dakar
for 10 days and brought back a
beautiful young nurse with him who
wanted to spend a vacation in Gao.
She was a tall, beautiful brunette
She caused quite stir at the field
among the single men.
Well, We found out We are leav-