Chuckie’s fellow airman and crash survivor James “Jimmy” Heddelson celebrated his 21st birthday on 19 June 1944 while in hiding behind enemy lines evading the Germans with the help of the French.

“On the 19th of June (1944) it was my 21st birthday and the Boyers family told Henderson and myself to get ready, on a minutes notice, to leave. We accepted our fate, and after dark, they led us through the back streets, often hiding in the shadows as people would approach, so as not to see us. We approached a familiar apartment, I began to get curious as you see it was the house of Rene Simon’s.

When we went inside it was full of people and they actually had a surprise birthday party for me, with a few gifts too. The people had been planning and saving things for this occasion. Such as sugar, butter and meat. They had baked a cake and we had drinks. I had the most memorable birthday of my life, I shall never forget it. You would never believe it could happen under those perilous times.“

Edited from transcribed copy of letter by crash survivor James Heddelman in the archives at the Air Force Academy June – 1998

It is unclear to the author who the ‘Rene Simon’ was Heddelson referring to. The only René Simon at that time I can uncover was a French actor (1898 in Troyes – 1971), founder in 1925 of the Cours Simon drama school in Paris. Somehow that doesn’t seem correct. The French Resistance involved men and women representing a broad range of ages, social classes, occupations, religions and political affiliations. It was estimated there were 200,000 activists and a further 300,000 with substantial involvement in Resistance operations.

Two months later, Heddelson and Henderson returned safely to RAF Harrington thanks to the French Resistance who helped them.