Evening star., 1946-10-13
Maj. MiIIar, Brother
Among ; From D. {.
Killed in BIS Crash

Two brothers were among three
Washington servicemen killed in the
crash Of an Army B-25 in nearby
! Virginia Friday night, the Army
disclosed last night. Two other
= Army men died In the crackup.
The brothers are Maj. Edwin G.
Millar, 80, of 337 Ninth street Sc,
pilot Of the plane, and 1t. Conldr.
] Charles M. Millar, 81, q passenger,
formerly Of 1927 Pennsylvania ave-
nue. Sc. The third D. G. man was
the crew chief, Sergt. Gait NJ.
J Nichols, 80, whose sister, Mrs. Nam
ME Doe, lives at 4453 Warren street |
NV. The Army listed the other
dead as First 1t. Carl r. Moulton,
co-pilot, whose wife lives In Oregon,
and Pvt r. Carter OF Camp Lee,
Va, = passenger whose home is in
Chicago.
Sources at Andrews Field Md,
where the bomber was based, said
meanwhile that investigators still
were seeking the cause Of the acci-
dent. The Civil Aeronautics Author
ity and Eastern Airlines officials
continued twin investigations into
the crackup Of another plane, a |
DC.4 Miami-to-New York craft
which fell near Groveton, Va, a
few minutes before the B-25 crashed
at Franconia, Va.
Plane Catches Fire.
None OF the rs passengers in the
Eastern Airlines -motored
transport was killed, although the
huge plane turned upside down and
caught fire. The pilot, Capt. Joe s.
Morris Of Miami remained in poor
condition at Alexandria (Va9 Hos
pital, while the only other injured
person, Co-pilot J. K. zeppermich.
also of Miami, Is expected to be re-
leased from the hospital soon.
The Millar brothers, both natives
Of Washington, were en- route to
Washington from Richmond, Va,
when the twin-engined bomber
crashed in the dense fog after once
circling Andrews Field In an at
tempt to land. The plane made Its
last radio contact with the ground
at 1925 pm. and was reported down
In flames at 11:45 pm.
The Millar brothers were the sons
OF Mrs. Ernest q. Millar, 30l8 Porter
street NV. Maj. Millar also is sur
Nved by his widow, Mrs. Louise Mil
lar, and an 8-year-old son, Charles.
He was q graduate Of Eastern High
School, and before entering the
Army had been employed by the
Mathieson AlkaH Works, Inc, here.
Mrs. Catherine Millar, wife Of 1t.
Comdr. Millar said her husbands
brother made the flight to Wash
ington because he wanted to see his
son who recently had undergone
tonsillectomy.
Was Prisoner Of Japs.
The dead pilot. who spent six
months In Japanese prisoner-of-war
camps after his B-29 was shot down
over Singapore on March 2, 1945,
held q number Of decorations in
cluding the Silver Star. the Purple
Heart with three Oak Leaf Clusters,
the Distinguished Flying Cross with
two clusters and the Air Medal with
three clusters.
He took part IN the first Super
fortress bombing raid on Japan,
an attack on the steel works atI
Yawata. In the Jap prison, he spent
more than five months In solitary
confinement and was tortured by his
guards.
After he received one Of his DFC
decorations, Mai. Millar was honored
In Star Stan Artist Newman Sud-
duth's series Of rotogravure drawings
OF Warrington area war heros.
His brother was q Secret Service
agent attached to President Frank
lin d. Roosevelt's staff Of bodyguards
before entering the Navy in June,
1942., He was a graduate Of Eastern
High School where he played foot
ball, of Virginia Military Institute
and Columbus University Law
School. His widow lives at the Penn
sylvania avenue address.
Served in the Solomons.
1t. Comdr. Millar served in the
afice. of the chief cable censor for
f.z,fe than a year before being sent
- the Solomon Islands in the Pa
Sidc, where he was attached to a
landing craft repair unit. He served
in the Pacific for year and half
and won one battle star.
Sergt. Nichols, a graduate OF
Western High School and Of Har-
grave Military Academy, leaves q
wife and one child, according to
relatives. He served In the Euro
pean Theater for 10 months, where
he won the Air Medal and the Dis
tinguished Flying Cross while TAX
ing part in 81 combat missions over
%erma1 territors. He entered the
trmy in 1912.
At the time Of tkeir deaths, aaet.
Millar was attached to the Strategic
Air Command headquarters, Boiling
Field, and 1t. Comdr. Millar was
on duty with the Potomac River
Naval Command.
David F. Lawton, 1922 Connecti-
cut avenue NV, director Of per-
sonnel of the Civil Service Com
mission, was one of the passengers
In the Eastern Airlines crash. In
terviewed over The Stars radio
station WMAL by Bill Coyle yes
terday, Mr.. Lawton told how the
plane arrived over Washington in
a dense fog Friday night, circled
the city for half an hour and then
started to land with visibility so
poor that passengers could not see
the wings.
Dangled by Safety Belts.
Suddenly there was grinding,
skidding noise," MIR. Lawton said.
Fortunately, at the stewards re-
quest, everyone had fastened his
safety belt at the beginning Of the
glide. Passengers were not thrown
around but were dangling upside
down from their belts.
1.-THE only remaining wing of the
plane caught fire and could see
the flames through the windows.
One emergency exit remained open
and the fast-thinking steward, jim |
| IF RUP'