Mrs. Fay Hubbard and Lieutenant Colonel Thomas H. Hubbard

Creator

Preview

Identifier

20037167

Description

Clipping: "'Speed' Hubbard, Lost for 7 months, Comes Home. "Speed" Hubbard is back home. For sheer drama, a great part of which can not be revealed for military reasons, the homecoming of the 31-year-old Thunderbolt fighter pilot, who was listed as missing in action in the European Theater for more than seven months, might almost be compared to a return from the dead. Minus the mustache he has worn for some time and quite a few pounds lighter, Lt. Col. Thomas H. Hubbard was reticent about his adventures when interviewed Sunday afternoon at the home of his mother, Mrs. Fay Hubbard at 108 Crestwood Drive. "I went out on Nov. 13 and had a long trip. I was missing from my base in England and returned to it on June 29," was the only explanation Hubbard could give of the lengthy absence which will undoubtedly make extremely good reading when the war is over and the full story can be told. Listed as officially missing in action over Hollard as of the November date no word was received concerning him until early in July when his mother's steadfast faith that he would return was rewarded with a cablegram that he was well and safe. A Distinguished Flying Cross and Purple Heart were awarded Hubbard shortly before he left England for a 30-day leave at home. The awards were made under the date of November 13 but the contents of the citation are confidential. With the medals he already had, Hubbard's decorations will considerably more than fill his lapel, if and when he returns to "civvies." He had the Silver Star, awarded for gallantry in action at Guadalcanal, and the Air Medal with an oak leaf cluster. He has almost literally fought he way around the world in the war which began for him a few hours after the first shots were fired at Pearl Harbor, when the Jap[anese] attacked Clark Field, outside Manilla [Philippines], in their second assault against American territory. Hubbard, who had landed in the Philippines in November of 1941, was ordered to Australia before the islands fell. He saw action in New Caledonia and Guadalcanal before going to an English air base. The nickname of "speed," earned in his school days here because of his slow drawl and deliberate manner of picking his words, has clung to him in the air force where it has been lengthened to "Colonel Speed." "I'm ready for surprises where Tom is concerned," Mrs. Hubbard said Sunday of the fact that his arrival home Saturday night was preceded two hours sooner by a telegram. She had known he had a leave due but not the exact time it was to be granted. Hubbard said he had no plans for his first visit here since 1942, other than "to watch the bright lights burn." That is a novelty to him after England's blackouts. He is going to try to make a short trip by plane to California to see relatives there if transportation can be arranged. Then he will return to his English base. Hubbard while here won't occupy the bachelor wing his mother started to add to her home while he was still listed as missing in action. It isn't finished yet. But to her surprise he showed no surprise when shown the addition. A friend in England had passed on a Star-Telegram clipping in which the project was described." "Star-Telegram Photo." Published Star-Telegram Morn. Aug. 7, 1945. Mrs. Hubbard is standing in the doorway of her home. She is wearing an eyelet shirtwaist dress with a woven belt and lots of and a military pin. She is wearing clip-on earrings and has a dark handkerchief in her breast pocket. Lieutenant Colonel Hubbard is standing next to his mother in an at ease position. He is dressed in his military uniform with his tie tucked into the front of his shirt and insignia on the breast and collars. Inside the house near the door is a piano.

Archival Date

1944-08-05

Collection Name

Fort Worth Star-Telegram Collection

Collection Number

AR406-6-620

Original Format

Negatives, Black & White

File Format

JPG

Rights

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License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License

Subjects

Missing in action; Military uniforms; Thunderbolt fighter pilot; Distinguished Flying Cross; Purple Heart; Silver Star; Oak Leaf Cluster; Dresses; Pianos