Alfred Irwin Holt was born on February 13, 1924, in Cardington, Morrow County, Ohio. He was the son of Irwin Aden Holt and Dorothy Lucile Shook Holt.

Alfred served in the 544th Bomber Squadron, 384th Bomber Group, Heavy, as a Sergeant and Mechanic/Gunner on the B-17 #42-97188 during World War II.

On June 14, 1944, his crew took off from Station 106 airfield in Grafton Underwood, England, for a bombing mission to Coulommiers, France. Shot down by enemy fighters around 07:35h, the aircraft was partially evacuated at 20,000 feet before the in-flight explosion and finally crashed west of Hameau de Bisseau, killing three crew members. Four of the survivors were captured, while two members (including Sgt Holt) managed to evade the capture. Sgt Holt was one of the 152 allied airmen and soldiers who were helped and hidden in the Freteval Forest camp by the French Resistance to evade German capture. He returned to the UK on August 16, 1944.

Sgt Holt died on June 4, 2017, at the age of 93 and is now buried in the Glendale Cemetery, Cardington, Morrow County, Ohio, USA.

Source of information: francecrashes39-45.net, www.findagrave.com