| Title |
Robert B. Clay, Bountiful, Utah: an interview by Benjamin Bahlmann, April 27, 2001: Saving the legacy tape no. 390, 391 and 392 |
| Alternative Title |
Robert B. Clay, Saving the legacy: an oral history of Utah's World War II veterans, ACCN 2070, American West Center, University of Utah |
| Creator |
Clay, Robert B., 1918-2007 |
| Contributor |
Bahlmann, Benjamin; University of Utah. American West Center |
| Publisher |
Digitized by J. Willard Marriott Library, University of Utah |
| Date |
2001-04-27 |
| Date Digital |
2015-09-16 |
| Access Rights |
I acknowledge and agree that all information I obtain as a result of accessing any oral history provided by the University of Utah's Marriott Library shall be used only for historical or scholarly or academic research purposes, and not for commercial purposes. I understand that any other use of the materials is not authorized by the University of Utah and may exceed the scope of permission granted to the University of Utah by the interviewer or interviewee. I may request permission for other uses, in writing to Special Collections at the Marriott Library, which the University of Utah may choose grant, in its sole discretion. I agree to defend, indemnify and hold the University of Utah and its Marriott Library harmless for and against any actions or claims that relate to my improper use of materials provided by the University of Utah. |
| Spatial Coverage |
Germany; Denmark; Box Elder County, Utah, United States |
| Subject |
Clay, Robert B., 1918-2007--Interviews; World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American; Veterans--Utah--Biography; World War, 1939-1945--Aerial operations, American; World War, 1939-1945--Campaigns--Europe, Northern--Personal narratives, American; Prisoners of war--United States; Prisoners of war--Germany |
| Keywords |
351st Bomb Group; POW; Civil Air Authority; Army Air Corps; B-17; B-24 |
| Description |
Transcript (122 pages) of an interview by Benjamin Bahlmann with Robert B. Clay on April 27, 2001. This is from tape numbers 390, 391, and 392 in the "Saving the Legacy Oral History Project |
| Collection Number and Name |
Accn2070, Saving the Legacy oral history project, 2001-2010 |
| Abstract |
Clay (b. 1918) was born in Willard, Utah. He grew up in Utah during the Depression and, after graduating from high school, he learned to fly a Piper Cub through a program sponsored by the Civil Air Authority (CAA). He recounts how he saw an Army Air Corps advertisement which said "You can take this $25,000 course in flying, and get your wings, and get to be a 2nd lieutenant." He joined in 1940 and was trained in California, New Mexico, Colorado and Montana. He was assigned to the 351st Bomb Group, and went to Europe in 1943. Shot down on his seventeenth mission, he was a prisoner of war in Denmark and Germany. After the war he received a PhD in Physics, eventually specializing in explosives research. He was part of the group of men who formed Ireco Chemical Company. 122 pages. |
| Type |
Text |
| Genre |
oral histories (literary works) |
| Format |
application/pdf |
| Extent |
122 pages |
| Language |
eng |
| Rights |
 |
| Scanning Technician |
Mazi Rakhsha |
| Conversion Specifications |
Original scanned with Kirtas 2400 and saved as 400 ppi uncompressed TIFF. PDF generated by Adobe Acrobat Pro X for CONTENTdm display |
| ARK |
ark:/87278/s6hx3bwd |
| Topic |
Personal narratives--American; Veterans; World War (1939-1945); Military operations, Aerial--American; Prisoners of war |
| Setname |
uum_slohp |
| ID |
1020291 |
| Reference URL |
https://collections.lib.utah.edu/ark:/87278/s6hx3bwd |
| Title |
Page 107 |
| Format |
application/pdf |
| Setname |
uum_slohp |
| ID |
1020273 |
| OCR Text |
Show ROBERT B. CLAY PRI 27r11 20 1 ROB: Oh, yes. Since nobody else wanted it I learned how to sing along with Bing. I could still sing it to you. BEN: Did you have any special meal for Christmas, or were there any activities put on by the other prisoners there? ROB: Not that I remember, because it was so cold and miserable outside in those barracks that nobody went outside unless they had to. BEN: Were you still using your coal rake then? ROB: Yes, but that wouldn't warm a room. It would be cold all night, no matter what you'd do. BEN: Did you get blankets? ROB: Each of us was issued two GI blankets, and an Eisenhower jacket. What everybody wound up doing, was to use safety pins, and everybody made a mummy sleeping bag out of the two blankets, making it as tight as they could. You would get two or three layers of GI blanket all around you and then wiggle in. At Stalag Luft III, there weren't any vermin, but when we got to Nuremberg then they got into our blankets and that was miserable. BEN: Do any individual characters stick out during your time at Stalag Luft III, in the room or around camp? Does anybody stand out? ROB: I told you that Wimmer was the goat in our room because he was kind of loner and unhappy, redheaded and hotheaded, you know. One time I remember after they turned the lights out about eight or nine o' clock, whatever it was, and we would take 106 |
| Reference URL |
https://collections.lib.utah.edu/ark:/87278/s6hx3bwd/1020273 |
