Russell Edgar Tickner, of Fairfield, Illinois, was born on August 25, 1921. He served in the 852nd Bomber Squadron, 491st Bomber Group, Heavy, as a Second Lieutenant and Bombardier on the B-24 #42-95310 during World War II.

On June 2, 1944, at 06:00 PM, his crew took off from Station 366 airfield in Metfield, England, on a mission to bomb the airfields in Brétigny-sur-Orge and Creil, France. At around 09:14 PM, their plane was shot down by flak and crashed between Bernes-sur-Oise and Bruyères-sur-Oise, France. All crew members managed to bail out the airplane, but two of them were killed during their landing. Of the survivors, 4 were taken as prisoners; the remaining evaded the capture. 2Lt Tickner was one of the evadees. He 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.

Source of information: francecrashes39-45.net