Daughter completes Sheffield dad's last wish to return item to family of US war hero after tragic death
“I’ve finally completed my mission”
The war was over and American airman John Hallissey was on his way home.
He had completed 50 missions with the United States Army Air Force’s 93rd Bomber Group, a notoriously dangerous task, and was a passenger on an aeroplane which was taking him from Prestwick, in Scotland, to Iceland, on what was to have been the first leg of the journey, on June 13, 1945.
Tragically, the 27-year-old never got there.
In cloud, the plane, a USAAF B24 Liberator bomber, clipped the top of a mountain, and crashed near Gairloch, in the north west of Scotland, not far from Fort William. All 15 on board were killed.
It was a disaster that years later, has linked families in Sheffield and America, across the Atlantic.
More than 40 years on from the tragic crash, former Sheffield electrician and businessman Alan Downing found a piece of metal while out walking in Scotland. It turned out to be Staff Sgt Hallissey’s dog tag - a piece of metal he would have worn as identification.
He kept hold of it, and, in 2017, with the advent of social media, launched a bid to trace Staff Sgt Hallissey’s family.
He managed to trace the airman’s niece Maureen Cassidy, whose mum was his sister.
It followed research from American contact Julie Wilson, who was contacted through a Facebook group.
Alan and Maureen were due to meet in Scotland - but shortly before the planned meeting in 2018, Alan died suddenly, aged 70.
Alan, who was fascinated by wartime history and military aircraft, was well known local for running the aeroplane-themed Biggles restaurant in Swallownest. It contained memorabilia like old propellers mounted on the walls, which his family still have.
Sadly, he never got to hand the tag over.
But this year, his daughter, Sarah Tate, from Aughton, discovered the small, metal piece of wartime history hidden away in a cupboard, where it been lying untouched since Alan’s death.
And with it was a file of information he had kept that allowed her to re-open contact with Staff Sgt Hallissey’s family.
She recently travelled up to Scotland to hand the item over to one of Maureen’s relatives, Jean Cassidy, who now lives in Scotland, and who is set to take it over to her aunt in America.
Sarah, 52, said: “I’ve finally completed my mission, and what was previously dad’s mission.
“It has taken 81 years for it to get to them, and there were tears in Jean’s eyes when I handed it over to her. But she was over the moon to get the dog tag.
“Dad had felt it was too important to post, and that is why he wanted to hand it over personally. Sadly he was not able to do that.”
“Maureen contacted me after dad died, but I didn’t know where the tag was. I just didn’t know enough about it,” Sarah added.
“I only found it at the back of a cupboard a few weeks ago. It was tucked in the back of a cupboard at the family home, wrapped safely in tissue paper. That was only six weeks ago.
“When he had first found it, dad wanted to give it back to the family, but he didn’t know if they were still living. He tried war museums but couldn't trace anyone. It was only when he found Julie through social media, who did the research, that he managed to contact Maureen.
“When I found it, it just felt like dad was guiding me.
“Dad would be so proud that it is family back with the family.”