Both Norman Archibald and his older sister Hazel served in France during World War I. Norman was a lieutenant with the 95th Aero Squadron, U. S. Army, in September 1918 when his SPAD biplane fighter aircraft was shot down behind enemy lines and he was taken prisoner by the Germans. A month later, Hazel, a talented pianist and songwriter, joined the American Red Cross in Paris and worked as an entertainer in the Red Cross Hospital Hut Service. Hazel continually sought information on the condition and whereabouts of her brother, finally reuniting with him in Tours, France, two months later.
As part of her search for news of her brother, Hazel contacted the Air Service, American Expeditionary Force, in which Norman served. In early December 1918, she received this letter from Major Phelps Newberry of the Air Service, who had no further news to give her. Hazel was with the Red Cross in Paris at the time.
Caption information source: The Seattle Times, September 25, 1975, p. 52.
Additional Information: Digital copy of this item available thanks to funding from a 2016 Institute for Museum and Library Services grant. View the finding aid for this collection at https://archiveswest.orbiscascade.org/ark:80444/xv98190
Credit: MOHAI, Norman Archibald and Hazel Archibald Draper Papers, 2009.3.4.14.2
