Nazis murdered downed airman from York, Part III
Nazis murdered … Part I and Nazis murdered … Part II .
For years, St. Paul’s Cathedral in London has displayed a roll of honor bearing the names of Americans serving with the Canadian, British and United States Armed Forces who made the ultimate sacrifice while enroute to or while stationed in the United Kingdom.
It also includes those members of units permanently based in the United Kingdom who made the supreme sacrifice between D-Day and VE-Day.
The name of Robert W. Zercher, the downed airman from York County who was executed by the Germans, is inscribed. Perhaps the names of other York County fighting men are on the honor roll, too… .
York County lost more than 570 men in World War II. Their names can be searched via a database bearing the names of 28,000 Americans on that honor roll.
York countian Jim Marsteller has seen the honor roll at St. Paul’s.
Here’s his description from an edited email in which he called the honor roll to our attention:
“The original Book is inside of a glass, gold case opened every day and a page is turned for eternity. The Roll of Honor is now on the net, where one can find the name and make a copy of it.
“Each family received a memorial book from England. I have my Uncle’s Book at my home in New Park. Unfortunately, I have seen some of these books sold at sales.
“I would suppose that there are many York County names in this Book. And I would think that their relatives born after the war don’t have a clue that a book honoring their relatives’ name is in existence.
“With my research on my Uncle and his crew, I have made a copy of the page of the Roll of Honor for each one of his crew members that was KIA on his plane.
“I’ll end with the song lyrics our 392nd Bomb Group sings at the end of every reunion, ‘We’ll meet again, don’t know where, don’t know when.’ “
