Francis Murphy doesn't remember much about the day in 1944 that he learned his brother's plane had been shot down. Just 13 at the time, the Skaneateles resident recalls that he was called to the principal's office and soon left for his house.
“I don't think they told me what the problem was till I got home,” said Fran, whose family has lived in the area for six generations. “He was missing in action, but we were pretty sure even at that time (that he had been killed).”
Staff Sgt. William Murphy's military burial flag is one of several artifacts on display at the Creamery in a small but poignant exhibit about Skaneateles residents' involvement in America's wars.
The Creamery, Skaneateles Historical Society's museum, is located at 28 Hannum St., Skaneateles.
“It's really a sampling of military paraphernalia,” Village Historian Pat Blackler said of the exhibit, which also includes such items as a World War I gas mask, as well as a spy glass and knife used by a local Civil War veteran.
Fran, one of six children, has kept some reminders of his eldest brother, an avid outdoorsman and meat cutter; Fran's son, Dan Murphy, currently has possession of William's Purple Heart.
But Fran had never laid eyes on William's burial flag before someone told him about the museum's display.
“The first time I ever saw it was down there (at the Creamery),” he said, noting that his sister, Skaneateles resident Betty Welch, had it stored away somewhere.
The well-preserved American flag sits atop a glass case, along with a piece of the original box in which the flag was shipped. The print on the box says that it was sent to an East Lake Street residence, then the home of William's parents, Leon and Charlotte Murphy.
Fran, himself a Korean War veteran, said that World War II and its aftermath were difficult for his family.
“They really took it very hard, my dad especially,” Fran said. “I can recall him saying, ‘I wish I could have gone instead of him.' I heard him repeat that so many times.”
Another brother, former Skaneateles resident John Murphy, suffered an ear injury after a hand grenade went off too close to him.
William Murphy enlisted in the U.S. Air Force the day after Pearl Harbor. He was in his early 20s.
“He just felt it was his obligation like a lot of other guys did,” Fran recalled.
John signed up for the service shortly thereafter. The American Red Cross had scheduled a time for them to meet up in England, Fran said, “but my brother, Bill, got killed before they could actually get together.”
William's death remains somewhat clouded in mystery. What is certain is that his B-24 was shot down on May 11, 1944, while on assignment over Chateaudun, France. It was his third mission.
A letter that the family received from the pilot of the craft said the plane was under heavy fire and lost two engines, causing the plane to lose altitude rapidly.
Though they were able to land the plane, it caught on fire and soon exploded, and the pilot and co-pilot who survived could not reach the rest of the crew inside, the pilot told the Murphys.
The U.S. War Department did not officially declare William dead until a year later, but the Murphy family was pretty sure what happened, Fran said, noting that the letter from the pilot offered his family a bit of solace.
Fran said that it's his understanding that the French underground found William's remains and buried him in a civilian cemetery.
After the war, his body was moved to a U.S. military cemetery in Blosville, France.
Though Fran has never had the opportunity to visit that site, he said that friends who have traveled to the area have checked on it for the family.
There is also a small headstone for William at a cemetery in Marcellus, but Fran doesn't remember any kind of symbolic funeral related to it.
What he does remember, however, is the good-hearted nature of his brother, William.
“He used to take me fishing,” Fran recalled. “He was just a wonderful person. He was well liked by everyone.”
If You Go
What: Military exhibit at the Creamery
Where: 28 Hannum St., Skaneateles
When: Museum is open 1 to 4 p.m. Fridays
For more information, call 685-1360.
Staff Sgt. William Murphy's military burial flag is one of several artifacts on display at the Creamery in a small but poignant exhibit about Skaneateles residents' involvement in America's wars.
The Creamery, Skaneateles Historical Society's museum, is located at 28 Hannum St., Skaneateles.
“It's really a sampling of military paraphernalia,” Village Historian Pat Blackler said of the exhibit, which also includes such items as a World War I gas mask, as well as a spy glass and knife used by a local Civil War veteran.
Fran, one of six children, has kept some reminders of his eldest brother, an avid outdoorsman and meat cutter; Fran's son, Dan Murphy, currently has possession of William's Purple Heart.
But Fran had never laid eyes on William's burial flag before someone told him about the museum's display.
“The first time I ever saw it was down there (at the Creamery),” he said, noting that his sister, Skaneateles resident Betty Welch, had it stored away somewhere.
The well-preserved American flag sits atop a glass case, along with a piece of the original box in which the flag was shipped. The print on the box says that it was sent to an East Lake Street residence, then the home of William's parents, Leon and Charlotte Murphy.
Fran, himself a Korean War veteran, said that World War II and its aftermath were difficult for his family.
“They really took it very hard, my dad especially,” Fran said. “I can recall him saying, ‘I wish I could have gone instead of him.' I heard him repeat that so many times.”
Another brother, former Skaneateles resident John Murphy, suffered an ear injury after a hand grenade went off too close to him.
William Murphy enlisted in the U.S. Air Force the day after Pearl Harbor. He was in his early 20s.
“He just felt it was his obligation like a lot of other guys did,” Fran recalled.
John signed up for the service shortly thereafter. The American Red Cross had scheduled a time for them to meet up in England, Fran said, “but my brother, Bill, got killed before they could actually get together.”
William's death remains somewhat clouded in mystery. What is certain is that his B-24 was shot down on May 11, 1944, while on assignment over Chateaudun, France. It was his third mission.
A letter that the family received from the pilot of the craft said the plane was under heavy fire and lost two engines, causing the plane to lose altitude rapidly.
Though they were able to land the plane, it caught on fire and soon exploded, and the pilot and co-pilot who survived could not reach the rest of the crew inside, the pilot told the Murphys.
The U.S. War Department did not officially declare William dead until a year later, but the Murphy family was pretty sure what happened, Fran said, noting that the letter from the pilot offered his family a bit of solace.
Fran said that it's his understanding that the French underground found William's remains and buried him in a civilian cemetery.
After the war, his body was moved to a U.S. military cemetery in Blosville, France.
Though Fran has never had the opportunity to visit that site, he said that friends who have traveled to the area have checked on it for the family.
There is also a small headstone for William at a cemetery in Marcellus, but Fran doesn't remember any kind of symbolic funeral related to it.
What he does remember, however, is the good-hearted nature of his brother, William.
“He used to take me fishing,” Fran recalled. “He was just a wonderful person. He was well liked by everyone.”
If You Go
What: Military exhibit at the Creamery
Where: 28 Hannum St., Skaneateles
When: Museum is open 1 to 4 p.m. Fridays
For more information, call 685-1360.
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