This handmade corner shelf hung in my grandparent's (Clara & Frank Erickson) house in Bismarck from the mid 1930s to the mid 1990s. Luckily it was saved by my father.

Frank made the shelf and my father sent this odd shot glass from Horham Airfield in England when he was flying B-17s in the Air Corps with the 95th Bomb Group. Ernest was on a 'flak' leave in Londolo (as he called it) in early 1944 when he came across the glass in a pub in Piccadilly Circus.

The framed portrait of Ernest from 1944 sat on that shelf and never moved from all I ever heard about it. I recall it well in all the times I was in the house. The photograph below is a testimony to my grandmother Clara's patience and hopefulness during the war when her son was flying combat in England. In that photo she found daily comfort looking forward to Ernest's safe return.

Clara and Ernest's first reunion in October 1943 can be seen in photograph below. He had just graduated from Blackland Airfield in Texas and received his flying wings and was awaiting orders for his combat flying duties.

Ernest departed Bismarck in late October and by January of 1944 was on his way to England. He flew 35 missions of combat with the 334th Squadron and completed his 35th and final mission on August 26th, 1944.

In October 1944 Ernest left Horham and headed back to the states. I can easily say one of the most jubilant homecoming reunions occurred when my father stepped off the train in Bismarck. Besides what his parents obviously felt, his 4 year old sister finally got to spend some time with her older brother. No doubts huge smiles all around on that day from everyone assembled at the train station.

We assembled a photograph of some of Frank and Ernest Anders' collection of watches, pocket knives, rings, Air Corps pins and what-nots They span the time of ww1, ww2 and into the not too distant past.