William Allec Hilton

William Hilton was born on September 2, 1921 in Tom Green County, Texas. He was the son of Isaac Cleveland Hilton, a farmer, and Louisa Muston. William was one of the couples’ six children.

William married Mattie Lee Stroud, and their son, William Allec Hilton, Jr., was born on January 31, 1943.

William Hilton Sr. enlisted in the U.S. Army on July 12, 1943 in Abilene, Texas as a mechanic or repairman of airplanes. Records of his Army career are not available but at the time of his last flight, he was assigned to the 884^th Air Engineering Squadron (A.E.S.) of the 466^th Air Service Group, based at Eschborn, Germany.

His next-of-kin is listed in the “missing records” as Doris Hilton. English records report his marriage to Doris Bachler in the summer of 1946.

Sgt. Hilton’s father died less than three months after the plane was reported missing and 5 days after the search for the aircraft was suspended. He suffered a fatal heart attack on January 15, 1947, at the age of 57, just two days before his birthday. It would be a further six months before his son’s plane was found.