Harold Twing

It’s a Long Way from Thurleigh to Amarillo, Texas

For those who knew Harold Twing at Thurleigh England (see Thurleigh), he was a good B-17 waist gunner and well respected as an air crewman. He could always be counted on in the heat of battle at 25,000 feet. Generations of high school students in Amarillo, Texas knew nothing about Twing‘s World War II exploits. Mr. Twing, as they called him, owned Twing‘s Drive-In near Palo Duro High School on Amarillo’s northside. For many he was a man to be feared. Twing thought nothing of picking up an order of burgers and fries and delivering them himself to the car parked out front. While there, he made sure that everything was on the up and up. If you parked at Twing‘s Drive-In, you would have a great time with your friends and then cruise on into the night down Polk street.

Written by Vernon L. Williams Director, East Anglia Air War Archives Abilene Christian University

Bailed out of his crashing war plane. He ended his tour of duty with a Distinguished Flying Cross and the Air Medal with four oak leaf clusters. More