In the reception area.

A nowy-headed brass plaque on a wooden backboard (which was originally a simple rectangle, but now mirrors the shape of the brass plaque). The plaque has a double-string border and is inscribed in English in black lettering. Above the inscription are a pair of engraved wings with a star at the center, and above it are three images of Dakotas then beneath which is a parachute. The plaque serves as a token of appreciation to the people of Lincolnshire for the hospitality they have shown during the group’s stay in the county.

61st Troop Carrier Group was the first US Army Air Corps group to arrive in RAF Barkston Heath on 13 February from Sciacca, Sicily, and most of their Douglas C-47 Skytrains on the 17th and 18th, although not all aircraft were in place until a month later. These new occupants were the 61st Troop Carrier Group with its components being:

• 14th Troop Carrier Squadron (3I)
• 15th Troop Carrier Squadron (Y9)
• 53d Troop Carrier Squadron (3A)
• 59th Troop Carrier Squadron (X5)

The 61st TCG was part of the 52nd Troop Carrier Wing, IX Troop Carrier Command. The headquarters of the 61st Troop Carrier Group moved to an Advanced Landing Ground (ALG) at Abbeville (ALG B-92), France, on 13 March 1945, but its squadrons went to RAF Chipping Ongar from where they participated in Operation Varsity on 24 March carrying British paratroops who dropped near Wesel.

Source of information and photos: Imperial War Museum War Memorials Register

SIXTY FIRST TROOP CARRIER GROUP

UNITED STATES ARMY AIR FORCES

BARKSTON HEATH, LINCOLNSHIRE.

1944-1945

IN APPRECIATION

OF THE FELLOWSHIP, HOSPITALITY, AND UNDERSTANDING

SHOWN BY

THE CONSTABULARY OF

LINCOLNSHIRE

TO ALL OF US WHO, FAR FROM OUR OWN HOMES,

SPENT SO MANY DAYS IN YOURS, WHILE WE WERE JOINED

IN DESTROYING THE TYRANNICAL POWER WHICH THREATENED BOTH.

THIS TESTIMONIAL IS PRESENTED BY

THE OFFICERS AND MEN OF THE

SIXTY FIRST TROOP CARRIER GROUP