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PEG
O’
MY
HEART
42-97630
B-17G
91/32244-H
DF-H
91/323-T
0R-T
 Initially
assigned
to
the
324th
Squadron
after
arrival
at
Bassingbourn
on
27th
April
1944,
this
silver
Vega-built
Fortress
was
equipped
with
radar
for
Pathfinder
duties.
Captain
John
Westwood
took
the
ship,
as
new,
and
soon
arranged
for
Tony
Starcer
to
paint
a
beautiful
portrait
of
his
fianc6e
on
the
port
side.
‘Westy’,
Westwood
carried
a
small
photo
in
his
pocket
of
the
lovely
Army
nurse,
1st
Lt.
Margaret
Mary
Kennedy
ANC
who
was
stationed
at
Diddington
near
Cambridge.
Westy
recalled,
"It
was
from
that
picture
that
Tony
Starcer
painted
her
portrait
on
the
nose
of
the
new
G
model
which
was
assigned
to
me
and
added
the
title
Peg
O'
My
Heart."
Captain
Westwood
only
flew
his
plane
twice,
into
combat.
First,
as
a
deputy
lead
for
the
first
'B'
CBW
to
Berlin
on
19th
May
and
later
leading
the
91st
over
the
beaches
to
bomb
a
strongpoint
on,
D-Day.
On
21st
June,
1s
Lt.
Metoma
took
command
of
Peg
O'
My
Heart
and
led
the
381st
Bomb
Group
back
to
Berlin.
Flak
was
intense
and
the
ship
took
major
battle
damage
that
put
it
out
of
action
for
two
months
until
early
September.
When
Peg
O'
My
Heart
returned
to
Bassingbourn
for
operational
flying
it
was
transferred
to
he
323rd
Squadron.
Westy
continued,
"I
flew
27
missions
on
my
first
tour
and
then
returned
to
he
States
on
R&R.
I
returned
to
England
in
October
1944
and
managed
to
fly
11
more
missions
and
get
married
before
the
war
ended.
When
I
returned
to
England
after
my
R&R
I
was
assigned
to
Group
Headquarters.
Later
I
was
assigned
to
the
401st
Squadron
as
Operations
Officer."
As
a
member
of
the
401st
Squadron,
Westy
did
not
get
to
fly
his
Peg
O'
My
Heart
again
but
other
pilots
and
crews
did
up
to
the
end
of
the
war.
42-97630
flew
as
many
as
thirty
group
leads
during
those
closing
months
of
the
war
plus
a
number
of
regular
missions
totaling
more
than
41
combat
sorties.
On
the
91st's
final
combat
mission
of
the
war
on
25th
April
1945,
to
Pilsen,
it
proudly
took
the
lead
for
the
last
time
It
is
believed
that
the
title
Peg
O'
My
Heart
did
not
survive
the
damage
sustained
on
the
21st
June
mission
and
considerable
confusion
has
surrounded
this
plane
thereafter.
It
has
been
associated
with
the
457th
Bomb
Group
under
the
guise
of
Geraldine
but
if
it
served
with
this
group
it
would
seem
to
have
been
on
Detached
Service
only.
Its
consistent
record
of
leading
the
91st
is
comprehensively
recorded
in
the
official
records
of
the
group.
Although
photographs
exist
showing
the
plane
with
a
very
proficient
piece
of
nose
art
and
the
title
Geraldine,
there
is
no
record
or
recollection
of
it
carrying
this
name
while
with
the
91st.
The
only
certain
link
so
far
discov-
ered,
is
a
single
mission
flown
on
28th
May
to
Dessau
when
the
plane
joined
the
457th
to
lead
the
94th
CBW.
There
may
have
been
other
occasions
when,
as
a
PFF
aircraft,
the
ship
led
the
457th
but
more
research
is
needed
to
establish
this.
In
April
1945
the
plane
was
transferred
to
the
306th
Bomb
Group,
along
with
several
other
91st
aircraft.
But
it
did
not
return
to
the
USA
when
most
of
that
group's
planes
headed
back
because
on
21st
June
1945
it
was
transferred
to
duties
with
the
9th
Air
Force.
"Story
taken
from
Plane
Names
&
Fancy
Noses,
by
Ray
Bowden"
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